diff --git a/src/conf/domain_event.c b/src/conf/domain_event.c
index 44fdf787d9..3fd3ed2093 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_event.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_event.c
@@ -632,13 +632,9 @@ virDomainEventTimer(int timer ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED, void *opaque)
 
 /**
  * virDomainEventStateNew:
- * @requireTimer: If true, return an error if registering the timer fails.
- *                This is fatal for drivers that sit behind the daemon
- *                (qemu, lxc), since there should always be a event impl
- *                registered.
  */
 virDomainEventStatePtr
-virDomainEventStateNew(bool requireTimer)
+virDomainEventStateNew(void)
 {
     virDomainEventStatePtr state = NULL;
 
@@ -659,23 +655,10 @@ virDomainEventStateNew(bool requireTimer)
         goto error;
     }
 
-    if (!(state->queue = virDomainEventQueueNew())) {
+    if (!(state->queue = virDomainEventQueueNew()))
         goto error;
-    }
 
-    if ((state->timer = virEventAddTimeout(-1,
-                                           virDomainEventTimer,
-                                           state,
-                                           NULL)) < 0) {
-        if (requireTimer == false) {
-            VIR_DEBUG("virEventAddTimeout failed: No addTimeoutImpl defined. "
-                      "continuing without events.");
-        } else {
-            eventReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
-                             _("could not initialize domain event timer"));
-            goto error;
-        }
-    }
+    state->timer = -1;
 
     return state;
 
@@ -1314,7 +1297,6 @@ virDomainEventStateFlush(virDomainEventStatePtr state)
     state->queue->count = 0;
     state->queue->events = NULL;
     virEventUpdateTimeout(state->timer, -1);
-    virDomainEventStateUnlock(state);
 
     virDomainEventQueueDispatch(&tempQueue,
                                 state->callbacks,
@@ -1322,7 +1304,6 @@ virDomainEventStateFlush(virDomainEventStatePtr state)
                                 state);
 
     /* Purge any deleted callbacks */
-    virDomainEventStateLock(state);
     virDomainEventCallbackListPurgeMarked(state->callbacks);
 
     state->isDispatching = false;
@@ -1350,10 +1331,32 @@ virDomainEventStateRegister(virConnectPtr conn,
                             void *opaque,
                             virFreeCallback freecb)
 {
-    int ret;
+    int ret = -1;
+
     virDomainEventStateLock(state);
+
+    if ((state->callbacks->count == 0) &&
+        (state->timer == -1) &&
+        (state->timer = virEventAddTimeout(-1,
+                                           virDomainEventTimer,
+                                           state,
+                                           NULL)) < 0) {
+        eventReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
+                         _("could not initialize domain event timer"));
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
     ret = virDomainEventCallbackListAdd(conn, state->callbacks,
                                         callback, opaque, freecb);
+
+    if (ret == -1 &&
+        state->callbacks->count == 0 &&
+        state->timer != -1) {
+        virEventRemoveTimeout(state->timer);
+        state->timer = -1;
+    }
+
+cleanup:
     virDomainEventStateUnlock(state);
     return ret;
 }
@@ -1384,11 +1387,33 @@ virDomainEventStateRegisterID(virConnectPtr conn,
                               virFreeCallback freecb,
                               int *callbackID)
 {
-    int ret;
+    int ret = -1;
+
     virDomainEventStateLock(state);
+
+    if ((state->callbacks->count == 0) &&
+        (state->timer == -1) &&
+        (state->timer = virEventAddTimeout(-1,
+                                           virDomainEventTimer,
+                                           state,
+                                           NULL)) < 0) {
+        eventReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
+                         _("could not initialize domain event timer"));
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
     ret = virDomainEventCallbackListAddID(conn, state->callbacks,
                                           dom, eventID, cb, opaque, freecb,
                                           callbackID);
+
+    if (ret == -1 &&
+        state->callbacks->count == 0 &&
+        state->timer != -1) {
+        virEventRemoveTimeout(state->timer);
+        state->timer = -1;
+    }
+
+cleanup:
     virDomainEventStateUnlock(state);
     return ret;
 }
@@ -1418,6 +1443,13 @@ virDomainEventStateDeregister(virConnectPtr conn,
                                                    state->callbacks, callback);
     else
         ret = virDomainEventCallbackListRemove(conn, state->callbacks, callback);
+
+    if (state->callbacks->count == 0 &&
+        state->timer != -1) {
+        virEventRemoveTimeout(state->timer);
+        state->timer = -1;
+    }
+
     virDomainEventStateUnlock(state);
     return ret;
 }
@@ -1448,6 +1480,13 @@ virDomainEventStateDeregisterID(virConnectPtr conn,
     else
         ret = virDomainEventCallbackListRemoveID(conn,
                                                  state->callbacks, callbackID);
+
+    if (state->callbacks->count == 0 &&
+        state->timer != -1) {
+        virEventRemoveTimeout(state->timer);
+        state->timer = -1;
+    }
+
     virDomainEventStateUnlock(state);
     return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_event.h b/src/conf/domain_event.h
index a6c3562ba9..0e7cd75c31 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_event.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_event.h
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ void virDomainEventFree(virDomainEventPtr event);
 
 void virDomainEventStateFree(virDomainEventStatePtr state);
 virDomainEventStatePtr
-virDomainEventStateNew(bool requireTimer);
+virDomainEventStateNew(void);
 
 void
 virDomainEventStateQueue(virDomainEventStatePtr state,
diff --git a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
index 04392da981..0500ed019e 100644
--- a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
+++ b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
@@ -928,7 +928,7 @@ libxlStartup(int privileged) {
     }
     VIR_FREE(log_file);
 
-    libxl_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew(true);
+    libxl_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew();
     if (!libxl_driver->domainEventState)
         goto error;
 
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
index 6d32ed2ed4..3baff19358 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
@@ -2418,7 +2418,7 @@ static int lxcStartup(int privileged)
     if (virDomainObjListInit(&lxc_driver->domains) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    lxc_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew(true);
+    lxc_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew();
     if (!lxc_driver->domainEventState)
         goto cleanup;
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 36c61d7f24..660d771d19 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ qemudStartup(int privileged) {
         goto out_of_memory;
 
     /* Init domain events */
-    qemu_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew(true);
+    qemu_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew();
     if (!qemu_driver->domainEventState)
         goto error;
 
diff --git a/src/remote/remote_driver.c b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
index 3c0510b344..b74b9d02dd 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_driver.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
@@ -726,7 +726,7 @@ doRemoteOpen (virConnectPtr conn,
         }
     }
 
-    if (!(priv->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew(false)))
+    if (!(priv->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew()))
         goto failed;
 
     /* Successful. */
diff --git a/src/test/test_driver.c b/src/test/test_driver.c
index 33750b5a15..44aef3f8c3 100644
--- a/src/test/test_driver.c
+++ b/src/test/test_driver.c
@@ -1137,7 +1137,7 @@ static virDrvOpenStatus testOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
     privconn = conn->privateData;
     testDriverLock(privconn);
 
-    privconn->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew(false);
+    privconn->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew();
     if (!privconn->domainEventState) {
         testDriverUnlock(privconn);
         testClose(conn);
diff --git a/src/uml/uml_driver.c b/src/uml/uml_driver.c
index 360f0ce4b9..671216e15c 100644
--- a/src/uml/uml_driver.c
+++ b/src/uml/uml_driver.c
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ umlStartup(int privileged)
     if (virDomainObjListInit(&uml_driver->domains) < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    uml_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew(true);
+    uml_driver->domainEventState = virDomainEventStateNew();
     if (!uml_driver->domainEventState)
         goto error;
 
diff --git a/src/vbox/vbox_tmpl.c b/src/vbox/vbox_tmpl.c
index 3b02d5ab0d..d2ef7407ab 100644
--- a/src/vbox/vbox_tmpl.c
+++ b/src/vbox/vbox_tmpl.c
@@ -1034,7 +1034,7 @@ static virDrvOpenStatus vboxOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
 
 #else  /* !(VBOX_API_VERSION == 2002) */
 
-    if (!(data->domainEvents = virDomainEventStateNew(true))) {
+    if (!(data->domainEvents = virDomainEventStateNew())) {
         vboxUninitialize(data);
         return VIR_DRV_OPEN_ERROR;
     }
diff --git a/src/xen/xen_driver.c b/src/xen/xen_driver.c
index ab49c2b34a..20671c0d6a 100644
--- a/src/xen/xen_driver.c
+++ b/src/xen/xen_driver.c
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ xenUnifiedOpen (virConnectPtr conn, virConnectAuthPtr auth, unsigned int flags)
         return VIR_DRV_OPEN_ERROR;
     }
 
-    if (!(priv->domainEvents = virDomainEventStateNew(true))) {
+    if (!(priv->domainEvents = virDomainEventStateNew())) {
         virMutexDestroy(&priv->lock);
         VIR_FREE(priv);
         return VIR_DRV_OPEN_ERROR;