diff --git a/server/core/dcb.cc b/server/core/dcb.cc
index 5aec1ab31..5d6cabe49 100644
--- a/server/core/dcb.cc
+++ b/server/core/dcb.cc
@@ -1235,20 +1235,6 @@ void dcb_final_close(DCB* dcb)
             dcb_stop_polling_and_shutdown(dcb);
         }
 
-        if (dcb->dcb_role == DCB_ROLE_CLIENT_HANDLER)
-        {
-            // TODO: If the role of the dcb is that of a client handler,
-            // TODO: then dcb->service should be non-NULL, so there should
-            // TODO: be no need for an if. Let's add an assert to see if
-            // TODO: such a situation exists.
-            ss_dassert(dcb->service);
-
-            if (dcb->service)
-            {
-                atomic_add(&dcb->service->client_count, -1);
-            }
-        }
-
         if (dcb->server)
         {
             // This is now a DCB_ROLE_BACKEND_HANDLER.
@@ -2491,6 +2477,12 @@ dcb_accept(DCB *dcb)
             }
         }
     }
+
+    if (client_dcb)
+    {
+        atomic_add(&client_dcb->service->client_count, 1);
+    }
+
     return client_dcb;
 }
 
diff --git a/server/core/service.cc b/server/core/service.cc
index 09ee4e54c..61e9fff9c 100644
--- a/server/core/service.cc
+++ b/server/core/service.cc
@@ -182,6 +182,8 @@ SERVICE* service_alloc(const char *name, const char *router, MXS_CONFIG_PARAMETE
 
 void service_free(SERVICE* service)
 {
+    ss_dassert(atomic_load_int(&service->client_count) == 0);
+
     if (service->router && service->router_instance)
     {
         service->router->destroyInstance(service->router_instance);
diff --git a/server/core/session.cc b/server/core/session.cc
index 379fe9e4b..a16d25618 100644
--- a/server/core/session.cc
+++ b/server/core/session.cc
@@ -391,9 +391,11 @@ static void session_free(MXS_SESSION *session)
     }
 
     MXS_INFO("Stopped %s client session [%" PRIu64 "]", session->service->name, session->ses_id);
+    SERVICE* service = session->service;
 
     session->state = SESSION_STATE_FREE;
     session_final_free(session);
+    atomic_add(&service->client_count, -1);
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/mariadbclient/mysql_client.cc b/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/mariadbclient/mysql_client.cc
index f9c49deb2..1a7bbfb72 100644
--- a/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/mariadbclient/mysql_client.cc
+++ b/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/mariadbclient/mysql_client.cc
@@ -1418,7 +1418,6 @@ static void gw_process_one_new_client(DCB *client_dcb)
     CHK_PROTOCOL(protocol);
     client_dcb->protocol = protocol;
 
-    atomic_add(&client_dcb->service->client_count, 1);
     //send handshake to the client_dcb
     MySQLSendHandshake(client_dcb);