diff --git a/lib/galaxy/app.py b/lib/galaxy/app.py
index 607118a83bc..a13c992724d 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/app.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/app.py
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ class UniverseApplication( object, config.ConfiguresGalaxyMixin ):
         config.configure_logging( self.config )
         self.configure_fluent_log()
 
+        self.config.reload_sanitize_whitelist(explicit='sanitize_whitelist_file' in kwargs)
         self.amqp_internal_connection_obj = galaxy.queues.connection_from_config(self.config)
         # control_worker *can* be initialized with a queue, but here we don't
         # want to and we'll allow postfork to bind and start it.
diff --git a/lib/galaxy/config.py b/lib/galaxy/config.py
index 296c45187a0..264a22e216b 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/config.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/config.py
@@ -259,7 +259,6 @@ class Configuration( object ):
         self.log_events = string_as_bool( kwargs.get( 'log_events', 'False' ) )
         self.sanitize_all_html = string_as_bool( kwargs.get( 'sanitize_all_html', True ) )
         self.sanitize_whitelist_file = resolve_path( kwargs.get( 'sanitize_whitelist_file', "config/sanitize_whitelist.txt" ), self.root )
-        self.reload_sanitize_whitelist(explicit='sanitize_whitelist_file' in kwargs)
         self.serve_xss_vulnerable_mimetypes = string_as_bool( kwargs.get( 'serve_xss_vulnerable_mimetypes', False ) )
         self.trust_ipython_notebook_conversion = string_as_bool( kwargs.get( 'trust_ipython_notebook_conversion', False ) )
         self.enable_old_display_applications = string_as_bool( kwargs.get( "enable_old_display_applications", "True" ) )