diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/controllers/topic_controller.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/controllers/topic_controller.js
index b02d367cce1..ee4c8636825 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/controllers/topic_controller.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/controllers/topic_controller.js
@@ -459,7 +459,17 @@ Discourse.TopicController = Discourse.ObjectController.extend(Discourse.Selected
         }
       ]);
     } else {
-      post.destroy(user);
+      post.destroy(user).then(null, function(e) {
+        console.log('Error case?');
+        console.log(e);
+        post.undoDeleteState();
+        var response = $.parseJSON(e.responseText);
+        if (response && response.errors) {
+          bootbox.alert(response.errors[0]);
+        } else {
+          bootbox.alert(I18n.t('generic_error'));
+        }
+      });
     }
   },
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post.js
index 948b088f610..c2091061715 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post.js
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ Discourse.Post = Discourse.Model.extend({
       // We're updating a post
       return Discourse.ajax("/posts/" + (this.get('id')), {
         type: 'PUT',
+        dataType: 'json',
         data: {
           post: { raw: this.get('raw'), edit_reason: this.get('editReason') },
           image_sizes: this.get('imageSizes')
@@ -236,6 +237,8 @@ Discourse.Post = Discourse.Model.extend({
     @param {Discourse.User} deletedBy The user deleting the post
   **/
   setDeletedState: function(deletedBy) {
+    this.set('oldCooked', this.get('cooked'));
+
     // Moderators can delete posts. Regular users can only trigger a deleted at message.
     if (deletedBy.get('staff')) {
       this.setProperties({
@@ -255,6 +258,26 @@ Discourse.Post = Discourse.Model.extend({
     }
   },
 
+  /**
+    Changes the state of the post to NOT be deleted. Does not call the server.
+    This can only be called after setDeletedState was called, but the delete
+    failed on the server.
+
+    @method undoDeletedState
+  **/
+  undoDeleteState: function() {
+    if (this.get('oldCooked')) {
+      this.setProperties({
+        deleted_at: null,
+        deleted_by: null,
+        cooked: this.get('oldCooked'),
+        version: this.get('version') - 1,
+        can_recover: false,
+        user_deleted: false
+      });
+    }
+  },
+
   /**
     Deletes a post
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index 6a02ed89791..e6d43f5d46d 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -80,15 +80,18 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
   end
 
   rescue_from Discourse::NotFound do
-    rescue_discourse_actions("[error: 'not found']", 404)
+    rescue_discourse_actions("[error: 'not found']", 404) # TODO: this breaks json responses
   end
 
   rescue_from Discourse::InvalidAccess do
-    rescue_discourse_actions("[error: 'invalid access']", 403)
+    rescue_discourse_actions("[error: 'invalid access']", 403) # TODO: this breaks json responses
   end
 
   def rescue_discourse_actions(message, error)
     if request.format && request.format.json?
+      # TODO: this doesn't make sense. Stuffing an html page into a json response will cause
+      #       $.parseJSON to fail in the browser. Also returning text like "[error: 'invalid access']"
+      #       from the above rescue_from blocks will fail because that isn't valid json.
       render status: error, layout: false, text: (error == 404) ? build_not_found_page(error) : message
     else
       render text: build_not_found_page(error, 'no_js')
diff --git a/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb b/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb
index 75004399c26..58039f27aa9 100644
--- a/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ class PostsController < ApplicationController
     post = post.with_deleted if guardian.is_staff?
     post = post.first
     post.image_sizes = params[:image_sizes] if params[:image_sizes].present?
+
+    if !guardian.can_edit?(post) && post.user_id == current_user.id && post.edit_time_limit_expired?
+      render json: {errors: [I18n.t('too_late_to_edit')]}, status: 422
+      return
+    end
+
     guardian.ensure_can_edit!(post)
 
     # to stay consistent with the create api,
@@ -127,6 +133,12 @@ class PostsController < ApplicationController
 
   def destroy
     post = find_post_from_params
+
+    if !guardian.can_delete_post?(post) && post.user_id == current_user.id && post.edit_time_limit_expired?
+      render json: {errors: [I18n.t('too_late_to_edit')]}, status: 422
+      return
+    end
+
     guardian.ensure_can_delete!(post)
 
     destroyer = PostDestroyer.new(current_user, post)
diff --git a/app/models/post.rb b/app/models/post.rb
index 97e1af5ccf5..e8d336980c3 100644
--- a/app/models/post.rb
+++ b/app/models/post.rb
@@ -413,6 +413,14 @@ class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
+  def edit_time_limit_expired?
+    if created_at && SiteSetting.post_edit_time_limit.to_i > 0
+      created_at < SiteSetting.post_edit_time_limit.to_i.minutes.ago
+    else
+      false
+    end
+  end
+
   private
 
   def parse_quote_into_arguments(quote)
diff --git a/config/locales/server.en.yml b/config/locales/server.en.yml
index fda9b980b7b..3ff9db1b2b7 100644
--- a/config/locales/server.en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/server.en.yml
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ en:
   rss_description:
     latest: "Latest topics"
     hot: "Hot topics"
+  too_late_to_edit: "That post was created too long ago. It can no longer be edited or deleted."
 
   groups:
     errors:
@@ -544,6 +545,7 @@ en:
     download_remote_images_to_local: "Download a copy of remote images hotlinked in posts"
     download_remote_images_threshold: "Amount of minimum available disk space required to download remote images locally (in percent)"
     ninja_edit_window: "Number of seconds after posting where edits do not create a new version"
+    post_edit_time_limit: "Amount of time in minutes in which posts can be edited and deleted by the author. Set to 0 to allow editing and deleting posts at any time."
     edit_history_visible_to_public: "Allow everyone to see previous versions of an edited post. When disabled, only staff members can view edit history."
     delete_removed_posts_after: "Number of hours after which posts removed by the author will be deleted."
     max_image_width: "Maximum allowed width of images in a post"
diff --git a/config/site_settings.yml b/config/site_settings.yml
index 29d45b54e61..0ead7d8128f 100644
--- a/config/site_settings.yml
+++ b/config/site_settings.yml
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ posting:
     default: 15
   enable_private_messages: true
   ninja_edit_window: 300
+  post_edit_time_limit: 525600
   edit_history_visible_to_public:
     client: true
     default: true
diff --git a/lib/guardian.rb b/lib/guardian.rb
index d59459ed68b..56083c457ca 100644
--- a/lib/guardian.rb
+++ b/lib/guardian.rb
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ class Guardian
   end
 
   def can_edit_post?(post)
-    is_staff? || (!post.topic.archived? && is_my_own?(post) && !post.user_deleted &&!post.deleted_at)
+    is_staff? || (!post.topic.archived? && is_my_own?(post) && !post.user_deleted && !post.deleted_at && !post.edit_time_limit_expired?)
   end
 
   def can_edit_user?(user)
@@ -304,6 +304,9 @@ class Guardian
     # Can't delete the first post
     return false if post.post_number == 1
 
+    # Can't delete after post_edit_time_limit minutes have passed
+    return false if !is_staff? && post.edit_time_limit_expired?
+
     # You can delete your own posts
     return !post.user_deleted? if is_my_own?(post)
 
diff --git a/spec/components/guardian_spec.rb b/spec/components/guardian_spec.rb
index 7334f743363..7dfe1ac4c35 100644
--- a/spec/components/guardian_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/guardian_spec.rb
@@ -544,6 +544,29 @@ describe Guardian do
       it 'returns true as an admin' do
         Guardian.new(admin).can_edit?(post).should be_true
       end
+
+      context 'post is older than post_edit_time_limit' do
+        let(:old_post) { build(:post, topic: topic, user: topic.user, created_at: 6.minutes.ago) }
+        before do
+          SiteSetting.stubs(:post_edit_time_limit).returns(5)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns false to the author of the post' do
+          Guardian.new(old_post.user).can_edit?(old_post).should eq(false)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns true as a moderator' do
+          Guardian.new(moderator).can_edit?(old_post).should eq(true)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns true as an admin' do
+          Guardian.new(admin).can_edit?(old_post).should eq(true)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns false for another regular user trying to edit your post' do
+          Guardian.new(coding_horror).can_edit?(old_post).should eq(false)
+        end
+      end
     end
 
     describe 'a Topic' do
@@ -773,6 +796,34 @@ describe Guardian do
       it 'returns true when an admin' do
         Guardian.new(admin).can_delete?(post).should be_true
       end
+
+      context 'post is older than post_edit_time_limit' do
+        let(:old_post) { build(:post, topic: topic, user: topic.user, post_number: 2, created_at: 6.minutes.ago) }
+        before do
+          SiteSetting.stubs(:post_edit_time_limit).returns(5)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns false to the author of the post' do
+          Guardian.new(old_post.user).can_delete?(old_post).should eq(false)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns true as a moderator' do
+          Guardian.new(moderator).can_delete?(old_post).should eq(true)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns true as an admin' do
+          Guardian.new(admin).can_delete?(old_post).should eq(true)
+        end
+
+        it "returns false when it's the OP, even as a moderator" do
+          old_post.post_number = 1
+          Guardian.new(moderator).can_delete?(old_post).should eq(false)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns false for another regular user trying to delete your post' do
+          Guardian.new(coding_horror).can_delete?(old_post).should eq(false)
+        end
+      end
     end
 
     context 'a Category' do
diff --git a/spec/controllers/posts_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/posts_controller_spec.rb
index 5731ec1755f..745f51b32ad 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/posts_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/posts_controller_spec.rb
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ describe PostsController do
       end
 
       it "raises an error when the user doesn't have permission to see the post" do
-        Guardian.any_instance.expects(:can_edit?).with(post).returns(false)
+        Guardian.any_instance.expects(:can_edit?).with(post).at_least_once.returns(false)
         xhr :put, :update, update_params
         response.should be_forbidden
       end