diff --git a/etc/rc.d/ntpd b/etc/rc.d/ntpd
index 7f62bd4a378..2cf519d9b5e 100755
--- a/etc/rc.d/ntpd
+++ b/etc/rc.d/ntpd
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ ntpd_precmd()
 		rc_flags="-g $rc_flags"
 	fi
 
+	ntpd_valid_leapfile
+
 	if [ ! -f $ntp_db_leapfile ]; then
 		ntpd_fetch_leapfile
 	fi
@@ -78,6 +80,19 @@ get_ntp_leapfile_expiry() {
 		'^\([1-9][0-9]*\)$' \| 0
 }
 
+ntpd_valid_leapfile() {
+	# Refresh working leapfile with an invalid hash due to
+	# FreeBSD id header. Ntpd will ignore leapfiles with a
+	# mismatch hash. The file must be the virgin file from
+	# the source.
+	if [ -f $ntp_db_leapfile ]; then
+		grep -q '\$FreeBSD.*\$' $ntp_db_leapfile &&
+			cp -p $ntp_src_leapfile $ntp_db_leapfile
+	else
+		cp -p $ntp_src_leapfile $ntp_db_leapfile
+	fi
+}
+
 ntpd_fetch_leapfile() {
 	local ntp_tmp_leapfile rc verbose
 	
@@ -87,13 +102,6 @@ ntpd_fetch_leapfile() {
 		verbose=:
 	fi
 
-	# Refresh working leapfile with an invalid hash due to
-	# FreeBSD id header. Ntpd will ignore leapfiles with a
-	# mismatch hash. The file must be the virgin file from
-	# the source.
-	test -f $ntp_db_leapfile &&
-		grep -q '\$FreeBSD.*\$' $ntp_db_leapfile &&
-			cp -p $ntp_src_leapfile $ntp_db_leapfile
 	ntp_tmp_leapfile="/var/run/ntpd.leap-seconds.list"
 
 	ntp_ver_no_src=$(get_ntp_leapfile_ver $ntp_src_leapfile)