diff --git a/swift/common/middleware/account_quotas.py b/swift/common/middleware/account_quotas.py
index 01a8336a0d..a3a6ab8d7f 100644
--- a/swift/common/middleware/account_quotas.py
+++ b/swift/common/middleware/account_quotas.py
@@ -67,12 +67,22 @@ class AccountQuotaMiddleware(object):
             return self.app
 
         try:
-            ver, acc, cont, obj = request.split_path(2, 4, rest_with_last=True)
+            ver, account, container, obj = request.split_path(
+                2, 4, rest_with_last=True)
         except ValueError:
             return self.app
 
-        new_quota = request.headers.get('X-Account-Meta-Quota-Bytes')
-        remove_quota = request.headers.get('X-Remove-Account-Meta-Quota-Bytes')
+        if not container:
+            # account request, so we pay attention to the quotas
+            new_quota = request.headers.get(
+                'X-Account-Meta-Quota-Bytes')
+            remove_quota = request.headers.get(
+                'X-Remove-Account-Meta-Quota-Bytes')
+        else:
+            # container or object request; even if the quota headers are set
+            # in the request, they're meaningless
+            new_quota = remove_quota = None
+
         if remove_quota:
             new_quota = 0    # X-Remove dominates if both are present
 
@@ -85,11 +95,14 @@ class AccountQuotaMiddleware(object):
         if new_quota is not None:
             return HTTPForbidden()
 
+        if obj and request.method == "POST":
+            return self.app
+
         copy_from = request.headers.get('X-Copy-From')
         content_length = (request.content_length or 0)
 
         if obj and copy_from:
-            path = '/' + ver + '/' + acc + '/' + copy_from.lstrip('/')
+            path = '/' + ver + '/' + account + '/' + copy_from.lstrip('/')
             object_info = get_object_info(request.environ, self.app, path)
             if not object_info or not object_info['length']:
                 content_length = 0
diff --git a/test/unit/common/middleware/test_account_quotas.py b/test/unit/common/middleware/test_account_quotas.py
index 137309df9f..623c758104 100644
--- a/test/unit/common/middleware/test_account_quotas.py
+++ b/test/unit/common/middleware/test_account_quotas.py
@@ -86,6 +86,33 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         res = req.get_response(app)
         self.assertEquals(res.status_int, 200)
 
+    def test_obj_request_ignores_attempt_to_set_quotas(self):
+        # If you try to set X-Account-Meta-* on an object, it's ignored, so
+        # the quota middleware shouldn't complain about it even if we're not a
+        # reseller admin.
+        headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '1000')]
+        app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
+        cache = FakeCache(None)
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c/o',
+                            headers={'X-Account-Meta-Quota-Bytes': '99999'},
+                            environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'PUT',
+                                     'swift.cache': cache})
+        res = req.get_response(app)
+        self.assertEquals(res.status_int, 200)
+
+    def test_container_request_ignores_attempt_to_set_quotas(self):
+        # As with an object, if you try to set X-Account-Meta-* on a
+        # container, it's ignored.
+        headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '1000')]
+        app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
+        cache = FakeCache(None)
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c',
+                            headers={'X-Account-Meta-Quota-Bytes': '99999'},
+                            environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'PUT',
+                                     'swift.cache': cache})
+        res = req.get_response(app)
+        self.assertEquals(res.status_int, 200)
+
     def test_exceed_bytes_quota(self):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '1000'),
                    ('x-account-meta-quota-bytes', '0')]
@@ -97,6 +124,18 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         res = req.get_response(app)
         self.assertEquals(res.status_int, 413)
 
+    def test_over_quota_obj_post_still_works(self):
+        headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '1001'),
+                   ('x-account-meta-quota-bytes', '1000')]
+        app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
+        cache = FakeCache(None)
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c/o',
+                            environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
+                                     'HTTP_X_OBJECT_META_BERT': 'ernie',
+                                     'swift.cache': cache})
+        res = req.get_response(app)
+        self.assertEquals(res.status_int, 200)
+
     def test_exceed_bytes_quota_copy_from(self):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '500'),
                    ('x-account-meta-quota-bytes', '1000'),
@@ -139,7 +178,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
                    ('x-account-meta-quota-bytes', '0')]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
         cache = FakeCache(None)
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c/o',
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a',
                             environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'PUT',
                                      'swift.cache': cache,
                                      'reseller_request': True})
@@ -194,7 +233,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '0'), ]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
         cache = FakeCache(None)
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c',
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a',
                             environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
                                      'swift.cache': cache,
                                      'HTTP_X_ACCOUNT_META_QUOTA_BYTES': 'abc',
@@ -206,7 +245,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '0'), ]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
         cache = FakeCache(None)
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c',
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a',
                             environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
                                      'swift.cache': cache,
                                      'HTTP_X_ACCOUNT_META_QUOTA_BYTES': '100'})
@@ -217,7 +256,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '0'), ]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
         cache = FakeCache(None)
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c',
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a',
                             environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
                                      'swift.cache': cache,
                                      'HTTP_X_ACCOUNT_META_QUOTA_BYTES': '100',
@@ -229,7 +268,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '0'), ]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
         cache = FakeCache(None)
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c',
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a',
                             environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
                                      'swift.cache': cache,
                                      'HTTP_X_ACCOUNT_META_QUOTA_BYTES': ''})
@@ -240,7 +279,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '0'), ]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
         cache = FakeCache(None)
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c', environ={
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a', environ={
             'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
             'swift.cache': cache,
             'HTTP_X_REMOVE_ACCOUNT_META_QUOTA_BYTES': 'True'})
@@ -250,7 +289,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_delete_quotas_reseller(self):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '0'), ]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c',
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a',
                             environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
                                      'HTTP_X_ACCOUNT_META_QUOTA_BYTES': '',
                                      'reseller_request': True})
@@ -261,7 +300,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
         headers = [('x-account-bytes-used', '0'), ]
         app = account_quotas.AccountQuotaMiddleware(FakeApp(headers))
         cache = FakeCache(None)
-        req = Request.blank('/v1/a/c', environ={
+        req = Request.blank('/v1/a', environ={
             'REQUEST_METHOD': 'POST',
             'swift.cache': cache,
             'HTTP_X_REMOVE_ACCOUNT_META_QUOTA_BYTES': 'True',
@@ -277,7 +316,7 @@ class TestAccountQuota(unittest.TestCase):
                             environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'PUT',
                                      'swift.cache': cache})
         res = req.get_response(app)
-        #Response code of 200 because authentication itself is not done here
+        # Response code of 200 because authentication itself is not done here
         self.assertEquals(res.status_int, 200)