diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml
index b9ef827984d..a7dc05bf382 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml
@@ -10745,6 +10745,14 @@ SELECT NULLIF(value, '(none)') ...
       </tbody>
      </tgroup>
     </table>
+
+  <para>
+   The <function>lower</> and  <function>upper</> functions return null
+   if the range is empty or the requested bound is infinite.
+   The <function>lower_inc</function>, <function>upper_inc</function>,
+   <function>lower_inf</function>, and <function>upper_inf</function>
+   functions all return false for an empty range.
+  </para>
   </sect1>
 
  <sect1 id="functions-aggregate">
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/rangetypes.c b/src/backend/utils/adt/rangetypes.c
index 5c16ca1b19e..de9b9a5efb4 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/rangetypes.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/rangetypes.c
@@ -456,14 +456,9 @@ range_lower(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 
 	range_deserialize(fcinfo, r1, &lower, &upper, &empty);
 
-	if (empty)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_DATA_EXCEPTION),
-				 errmsg("empty range has no lower bound")));
-	if (lower.infinite)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_DATA_EXCEPTION),
-				 errmsg("range lower bound is infinite")));
+	/* Return NULL if there's no finite lower bound */
+	if (empty || lower.infinite)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	PG_RETURN_DATUM(lower.val);
 }
@@ -478,14 +473,9 @@ range_upper(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 
 	range_deserialize(fcinfo, r1, &lower, &upper, &empty);
 
-	if (empty)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_DATA_EXCEPTION),
-				 errmsg("empty range has no upper bound")));
-	if (upper.infinite)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_DATA_EXCEPTION),
-				 errmsg("range upper bound is infinite")));
+	/* Return NULL if there's no finite upper bound */
+	if (empty || upper.infinite)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	PG_RETURN_DATUM(upper.val);
 }