diff --git a/Xi/xiproperty.c b/Xi/xiproperty.c
index bd130d1f9..72efb67b1 100644
--- a/Xi/xiproperty.c
+++ b/Xi/xiproperty.c
@@ -98,7 +98,9 @@ XIRegisterPropertyHandler(DeviceIntPtr         dev,
                                               Atom property,
                                               XIPropertyValuePtr prop),
                           int (*GetProperty) (DeviceIntPtr dev,
-                                              Atom property))
+                                              Atom property),
+                          int (*DeleteProperty) (DeviceIntPtr dev,
+                                                 Atom property))
 {
     XIPropertyHandlerPtr new_handler;
 
@@ -109,6 +111,7 @@ XIRegisterPropertyHandler(DeviceIntPtr         dev,
     new_handler->id = XIPropHandlerID++;
     new_handler->SetProperty = SetProperty;
     new_handler->GetProperty = GetProperty;
+    new_handler->DeleteProperty = DeleteProperty;
     new_handler->next = dev->properties.handlers;
     dev->properties.handlers = new_handler;
 
@@ -153,6 +156,7 @@ XICreateDeviceProperty (Atom property)
     prop->value.format = 0;
     prop->value.size   = 0;
     prop->value.data   = NULL;
+    prop->deletable    = TRUE;
 
     return prop;
 }
@@ -218,11 +222,29 @@ XIDeleteDeviceProperty (DeviceIntPtr device, Atom property, Bool fromClient)
 {
     XIPropertyPtr               prop, *prev;
     devicePropertyNotify        event;
+    int                         rc = Success;
 
     for (prev = &device->properties.properties; (prop = *prev); prev = &(prop->next))
         if (prop->propertyName == property)
             break;
 
+    if (fromClient && !prop->deletable)
+        return BadAccess;
+
+    /* Ask handlers if we may delete the property */
+    if (device->properties.handlers)
+    {
+        XIPropertyHandlerPtr handler = device->properties.handlers;
+        while(handler)
+        {
+            if (handler->DeleteProperty)
+                rc = handler->DeleteProperty(device, prop->propertyName);
+            if (rc != Success)
+                return (rc);
+            handler = handler->next;
+        }
+    }
+
     if (prop)
     {
         *prev = prop->next;
@@ -402,6 +424,18 @@ XIGetDeviceProperty (DeviceIntPtr dev, Atom property, XIPropertyValuePtr *value)
     return Success;
 }
 
+int
+XISetDevicePropertyDeletable(DeviceIntPtr dev, Atom property, Bool deletable)
+{
+    XIPropertyPtr prop = XIFetchDeviceProperty(dev, property);
+
+    if (!prop)
+        return BadAtom;
+
+    prop->deletable = deletable;
+    return Success;
+}
+
 int
 ProcXListDeviceProperties (ClientPtr client)
 {
diff --git a/dix/devices.c b/dix/devices.c
index fb634730f..e6f21c924 100644
--- a/dix/devices.c
+++ b/dix/devices.c
@@ -223,7 +223,8 @@ AddInputDevice(ClientPtr client, DeviceProc deviceProc, Bool autoStart)
     XIChangeDeviceProperty(dev, XIGetKnownProperty(XI_PROP_ENABLED),
                            XA_INTEGER, 8, PropModeReplace, 1, &dev->enabled,
                            FALSE);
-    XIRegisterPropertyHandler(dev, DeviceSetProperty, NULL);
+    XISetDevicePropertyDeletable(dev, XIGetKnownProperty(XI_PROP_ENABLED), FALSE);
+    XIRegisterPropertyHandler(dev, DeviceSetProperty, NULL, NULL);
 
     return dev;
 }
diff --git a/include/exevents.h b/include/exevents.h
index c3a2ad610..4df0aee48 100644
--- a/include/exevents.h
+++ b/include/exevents.h
@@ -222,13 +222,21 @@ extern int XIGetDeviceProperty(
         XIPropertyValuePtr*     /* value */
 );
 
+extern int XISetDevicePropertyDeletable(
+        DeviceIntPtr            /* dev */,
+        Atom                    /* property */,
+        Bool                    /* deletable */
+);
+
 extern long XIRegisterPropertyHandler(
         DeviceIntPtr         dev,
         int (*SetProperty) (DeviceIntPtr dev,
                             Atom property,
                             XIPropertyValuePtr prop),
         int (*GetProperty) (DeviceIntPtr dev,
-                            Atom property)
+                            Atom property),
+        int (*DeleteProperty) (DeviceIntPtr dev,
+                               Atom property)
 );
 
 extern void XIUnRegisterPropertyHandler(
diff --git a/include/inputstr.h b/include/inputstr.h
index 93b32934d..65cb1b97f 100644
--- a/include/inputstr.h
+++ b/include/inputstr.h
@@ -353,6 +353,7 @@ typedef struct _XIProperty
 {
     struct _XIProperty   *next;
     Atom                  propertyName;
+    BOOL                  deletable;    /* clients can delete this prop? */
     XIPropertyValueRec    value;
 } XIPropertyRec;
 
@@ -369,6 +370,8 @@ typedef struct _XIPropertyHandler
                         XIPropertyValuePtr prop);
     int (*GetProperty) (DeviceIntPtr dev,
                         Atom property);
+    int (*DeleteProperty) (DeviceIntPtr dev,
+                           Atom property);
 } XIPropertyHandler, *XIPropertyHandlerPtr;
 
 /* states for devices */