diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index cb54d9b132..e5a8d73fa9 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+4910.	[func]		Update util/check-changes to work on release branches.
+			[GL #113]
+
 4909.	[bug]		named-checkconf did not detect in-view zone collisions.
 			[GL #125]
 
diff --git a/util/check-changes b/util/check-changes
index 3a26847db4..e440d72eea 100644
--- a/util/check-changes
+++ b/util/check-changes
@@ -6,13 +6,13 @@
 # License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 # file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 
-# $Id$
-
 eval 'exec /usr/bin/perl -S $0 ${1+"$@"}'
     if $running_under_some_shell;
 			# this emulates #! processing on NIH machines.
 			# (remove #! line above if indigestible)
 
+$master = 1;
+
 eval '$'.$1.'$2;' while $ARGV[0] =~ /^([A-Za-z_0-9]+=)(.*)/ && shift;
 			# process any FOO=bar switches
 
@@ -23,9 +23,15 @@ $change = 0;
 $status = 0;
 
 line: while (<>) {
-    ($Fld1,$Fld2) = split(' ', $_, 9999);
+    ($Fld1,$Fld2,$Fld3,$Fld4) = split(' ', $_, 9999);
+    $change = 0 if (!$master && $Fld1 eq "---" &&
+		    $Fld3 eq "released" && $Fld4 eq "---");
     if ($Fld1 =~ /^[1-9][0-9]*\.$/ && $Fld2 =~ /^\[.*\]$/) {
-	if ($change != 0 && $Fld1 + 1 != $change) {
+	if ($change != 0 && $Fld1 >= $change) {
+	    print 'bad change number', $Fld1;
+	    $status = 1;
+	}
+	if ($master && $change != 0 && $Fld1 + 1 != $change) {
 	    print 'bad change number', $Fld1;
 	    $status = 1;
 	}