diff --git a/query/reverse.js b/query/reverse.js
index 6f145680b..db9889fe5 100644
--- a/query/reverse.js
+++ b/query/reverse.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const _ = require('lodash');
 const peliasQuery = require('pelias-query');
+const peliasConfig = require('pelias-config').generate();
 const defaults = require('./reverse_defaults');
 
 //------------------------------
@@ -39,8 +40,7 @@ function generateQuery( clean ){
 
   // layers
   if( _.isArray(clean.layers) && !_.isEmpty(clean.layers) ) {
-    // only include non-coarse layers
-    vs.var( 'layers', _.intersection(clean.layers, ['address', 'street', 'venue']));
+    vs.var( 'layers', _.difference(clean.layers, peliasConfig.get('api.targets.layer_aliases.coarse', [])));
   }
 
   // focus point to score by distance
diff --git a/query/reverse_defaults.js b/query/reverse_defaults.js
index 2bca3a59a..727c361a6 100644
--- a/query/reverse_defaults.js
+++ b/query/reverse_defaults.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ module.exports = _.merge({}, peliasQuery.defaults, {
 
   'size': 1,
   'track_scores': true,
-  'layers': ['venue', 'address', 'street'],
 
   'centroid:field': 'center_point',
 
diff --git a/test/unit/query/reverse.js b/test/unit/query/reverse.js
index 9813bf2f6..6455127ab 100644
--- a/test/unit/query/reverse.js
+++ b/test/unit/query/reverse.js
@@ -57,8 +57,7 @@ module.exports.tests.query = (test, common) => {
     t.notOk(query.body.vs.isset('input:categories'));
     t.notOk(query.body.vs.isset('boundary:gid'));
 
-    t.deepEquals(query.body.score_functions, [
-    ]);
+    t.deepEquals(query.body.score_functions, []);
 
     t.deepEquals(query.body.filter_functions, [
       'boundary_circle view',
@@ -209,12 +208,36 @@ module.exports.tests.layers = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
-  test('non-empty array clean.layers should only set non-coarse layers in vs', t => {
+  test('non-empty array clean.layers should only set non-coarse layers in vs, using user-defined configuration for coarse layers', t => {
     const clean = {
       layers: all_layers
     };
 
+    const coarseLayers = [
+      'country',
+      'county',
+      'locality'
+    ];
+
+    const config_with_coarse_layers = {
+      generate: function () {
+        return {
+          api: {
+            targets: {
+              layer_aliases: {
+                coarse: coarseLayers
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          get: function () {
+            return coarseLayers;
+          },
+        };
+      }
+    };
+
     const query = proxyquire('../../../query/reverse', {
+      'pelias-config': config_with_coarse_layers,
       'pelias-query': {
         layout: {
           FilteredBooleanQuery: MockQuery
@@ -225,11 +248,31 @@ module.exports.tests.layers = (test, common) => {
       './reverse_defaults': {}
     })(clean);
 
-    t.deepEquals(query.body.vs.var('layers').toString(), ['address', 'venue', 'street']);
+    t.deepEquals(query.body.vs.var('layers').toString(), _.difference(clean.layers, ['country', 'county', 'locality']));
     t.end();
 
   });
 
+  test('non-empty array clean.layers should only set non-coarse layers in vs, using default configuration for coarse layers', t => {
+    const clean = {
+      layers: all_layers
+    };
+
+    const query = proxyquire('../../../query/reverse', {
+      'pelias-query': {
+        layout: {
+          FilteredBooleanQuery: MockQuery
+        },
+        view: views,
+        Vars: require('pelias-query').Vars
+      },
+      './reverse_defaults': {}
+    })(clean);
+
+    t.deepEquals(query.body.vs.var('layers').toString(), [ 'address', 'venue', 'street' ]);
+    t.end();
+
+  });
 };
 
 module.exports.tests.focus_point = (test, common) => {