diff --git a/doc/xml/release.xml b/doc/xml/release.xml
index 4b7b3b698..13efe1ba1 100644
--- a/doc/xml/release.xml
+++ b/doc/xml/release.xml
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@
                 </release-bug-list>
 
                 <release-improvement-list>
+                    <release-item>
+                        <p>Change file ownership only when required.</p>
+                    </release-item>
+
                     <release-item>
                         <release-item-contributor-list>
                             <release-item-ideator id="brad.nicholson"/>
diff --git a/lib/pgBackRest/Storage/Posix/Driver.pm b/lib/pgBackRest/Storage/Posix/Driver.pm
index 4b189d998..e85e4b42b 100644
--- a/lib/pgBackRest/Storage/Posix/Driver.pm
+++ b/lib/pgBackRest/Storage/Posix/Driver.pm
@@ -698,19 +698,16 @@ sub owner
 
         # If the user or group is not defined then get it by stat'ing the file.  This is because the chown function requires that
         # both user and group be set.
-        if (!(defined($strUser) && defined($strGroup)))
+        my $oStat = $self->info($strFilePath);
+
+        if (!defined($strUser))
         {
-            my $oStat = $self->info($strFilePath);
+            $iUserId = $oStat->uid;
+        }
 
-            if (!defined($strUser))
-            {
-                $iUserId = $oStat->uid;
-            }
-
-            if (!defined($strGroup))
-            {
-                $iGroupId = $oStat->gid;
-            }
+        if (!defined($strGroup))
+        {
+            $iGroupId = $oStat->gid;
         }
 
         # Lookup user if specified
@@ -735,15 +732,13 @@ sub owner
             }
         }
 
-        # Set ownership on the file
-        if (!chown($iUserId, $iGroupId, $strFilePath))
+        # Set ownership on the file if the user or group would be changed
+        if ($iUserId != $oStat->uid || $iGroupId != $oStat->gid)
         {
-            if ($OS_ERROR{ENOENT})
+            if (!chown($iUserId, $iGroupId, $strFilePath))
             {
-                logErrorResult(ERROR_FILE_OWNER, "${strMessage} because it is missing");
+                logErrorResult(ERROR_FILE_OWNER, "${strMessage}", $OS_ERROR);
             }
-
-            logErrorResult(ERROR_FILE_OWNER, "${strMessage}", $OS_ERROR);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/perl/embed.auto.c b/src/perl/embed.auto.c
index 1eb85f30c..c66650e7c 100644
--- a/src/perl/embed.auto.c
+++ b/src/perl/embed.auto.c
@@ -19996,8 +19996,6 @@ static const EmbeddedModule embeddedModule[] =
             "my $iUserId;\n"
             "my $iGroupId;\n"
             "\n\n\n"
-            "if (!(defined($strUser) && defined($strGroup)))\n"
-            "{\n"
             "my $oStat = $self->info($strFilePath);\n"
             "\n"
             "if (!defined($strUser))\n"
@@ -20009,7 +20007,6 @@ static const EmbeddedModule embeddedModule[] =
             "{\n"
             "$iGroupId = $oStat->gid;\n"
             "}\n"
-            "}\n"
             "\n\n"
             "if (defined($strUser))\n"
             "{\n"
@@ -20031,16 +20028,14 @@ static const EmbeddedModule embeddedModule[] =
             "}\n"
             "}\n"
             "\n\n"
+            "if ($iUserId != $oStat->uid || $iGroupId != $oStat->gid)\n"
+            "{\n"
             "if (!chown($iUserId, $iGroupId, $strFilePath))\n"
             "{\n"
-            "if ($OS_ERROR{ENOENT})\n"
-            "{\n"
-            "logErrorResult(ERROR_FILE_OWNER, \"${strMessage} because it is missing\");\n"
-            "}\n"
-            "\n"
             "logErrorResult(ERROR_FILE_OWNER, \"${strMessage}\", $OS_ERROR);\n"
             "}\n"
             "}\n"
+            "}\n"
             "\n\n"
             "return logDebugReturn($strOperation);\n"
             "}\n"
diff --git a/test/define.yaml b/test/define.yaml
index 8bc2af125..0037c3562 100644
--- a/test/define.yaml
+++ b/test/define.yaml
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ unit:
 
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       - name: posix-perl
-        total: 9
+        total: 10
 
         coverage:
           Storage/Posix/Driver: partial
diff --git a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StoragePosixPerlTest.pm b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StoragePosixPerlTest.pm
index 6007ab4a4..a216f1e10 100644
--- a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StoragePosixPerlTest.pm
+++ b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StoragePosixPerlTest.pm
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ use pgBackRest::Common::Exception;
 use pgBackRest::Common::Log;
 use pgBackRest::Storage::Posix::Driver;
 
+use pgBackRestTest::Common::ContainerTest;
 use pgBackRestTest::Common::ExecuteTest;
 use pgBackRestTest::Common::RunTest;
 
@@ -313,6 +314,42 @@ sub run
             sub {$oPosixIo->close()}, ERROR_FILE_WRITE, "unable to set time for '${strFile}': No such file or directory");
     }
 
+    ################################################################################################################################
+    if ($self->begin('owner()'))
+    {
+        my $strFile = $self->testPath() . "/test.txt";
+
+        $self->testException(
+            sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strUser => 'root'})}, ERROR_FILE_MISSING,
+            "unable to stat '${strFile}': No such file or directory");
+
+        executeTest("touch ${strFile}");
+
+        $self->testException(
+            sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strUser => BOGUS})}, ERROR_FILE_OWNER,
+            "unable to set ownership for '${strFile}' because user 'bogus' does not exist");
+        $self->testException(
+            sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strGroup => BOGUS})}, ERROR_FILE_OWNER,
+            "unable to set ownership for '${strFile}' because group 'bogus' does not exist");
+
+        $self->testResult(sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile)}, undef, "no ownership changes");
+        $self->testResult(sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strUser => TEST_USER})}, undef, "same user");
+        $self->testResult(sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strGroup => TEST_GROUP})}, undef, "same group");
+        $self->testResult(
+            sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strUser => TEST_USER, strGroup => TEST_GROUP})}, undef, "same user, group");
+
+        $self->testException(
+            sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strUser => 'root'})}, ERROR_FILE_OWNER,
+            "unable to set ownership for '${strFile}': Operation not permitted");
+        $self->testException(
+            sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strGroup => 'root'})}, ERROR_FILE_OWNER,
+            "unable to set ownership for '${strFile}': Operation not permitted");
+
+        executeTest("sudo chown :root ${strFile}");
+        $self->testResult(
+            sub {$oPosix->owner($strFile, {strGroup => TEST_GROUP})}, undef, "change group back from root");
+    }
+
     ################################################################################################################################
     if ($self->begin('pathCreate()'))
     {