diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/BaseLoadBalancer.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/BaseLoadBalancer.java
index 1fa2bcda4adc..8fe4159c467d 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/BaseLoadBalancer.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/BaseLoadBalancer.java
@@ -863,19 +863,6 @@ void regionMoved(int region, int oldServer, int newServer) {
       }
     }
 
-    int[] removeRegion(int[] regions, int regionIndex) {
-      //TODO: this maybe costly. Consider using linked lists
-      int[] newRegions = new int[regions.length - 1];
-      int i = 0;
-      for (i = 0; i < regions.length; i++) {
-        if (regions[i] == regionIndex) {
-          break;
-        }
-        newRegions[i] = regions[i];
-      }
-      System.arraycopy(regions, i+1, newRegions, i, newRegions.length - i);
-      return newRegions;
-    }
 
     int[] addRegion(int[] regions, int regionIndex) {
       int[] newRegions = new int[regions.length + 1];
@@ -1646,6 +1633,28 @@ protected Map<ServerName, List<RegionInfo>> getRegionAssignmentsByServer(
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Returns a new array with the region at <code>regionIndex</code>
+   * removed (unless regionIndex > regions.length and then we just
+   * return <code>regions</code>).
+   */
+  static int[] removeRegion(int[] regions, int regionIndex) {
+    if (regionIndex >= regions.length) {
+      return regions;
+    }
+    //TODO: this maybe costly. Consider using linked lists
+    int[] newRegions = new int[regions.length - 1];
+    int i = 0;
+    for (; i < regions.length; i++) {
+      if (regions[i] == regionIndex) {
+        break;
+      }
+      newRegions[i] = regions[i];
+    }
+    System.arraycopy(regions, i+1, newRegions, i, newRegions.length - i);
+    return newRegions;
+  }
+
   @Override
   public void onConfigurationChange(Configuration conf) {
   }
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/TestBaseLoadBalancer.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/TestBaseLoadBalancer.java
index 041167984e78..0b27e796f24b 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/TestBaseLoadBalancer.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/balancer/TestBaseLoadBalancer.java
@@ -566,4 +566,26 @@ public void testClusterRegionLocations() {
     assertEquals(1, cluster.regionLocations[r43].length);
     assertEquals(-1, cluster.regionLocations[r43][0]);
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testRemoveRegion() {
+    int [] regions = new int [] {0, 1, 2};
+    int [] result = BaseLoadBalancer.removeRegion(regions, 0);
+    assertTrue(result.length == 2);
+    assertTrue(result[0] == 1);
+    assertTrue(result[1] == 2);
+    result = BaseLoadBalancer.removeRegion(regions, 1);
+    assertTrue(result.length == 2);
+    assertTrue(result[0] == 0);
+    assertTrue(result[1] == 2);
+    result = BaseLoadBalancer.removeRegion(regions, 2);
+    assertTrue(result.length == 2);
+    assertTrue(result[0] == 0);
+    assertTrue(result[1] == 1);
+    result = BaseLoadBalancer.removeRegion(regions, regions.length);
+    assertTrue(result.length == 3);
+    assertTrue(result[0] == 0);
+    assertTrue(result[1] == 1);
+    assertTrue(result[2] == 2);
+  }
 }