diff --git a/tests/src/parallel_restore.c b/tests/src/parallel_restore.c
index e45f7121..b6c82657 100644
--- a/tests/src/parallel_restore.c
+++ b/tests/src/parallel_restore.c
@@ -601,7 +601,7 @@ static int do_restore(struct opts *opts)
 	ret = scoutfs_parallel_restore_create_writer(&wri);
 	error_exit(ret, "create writer %d", ret);
 
-	ret = scoutfs_parallel_restore_import_super(wri, super);
+	ret = scoutfs_parallel_restore_import_super(wri, super, dev_fd);
 	error_exit(ret, "import super %d", ret);
 
 	slices = calloc(1 + opts->nr_writers, sizeof(struct scoutfs_parallel_restore_slice));
diff --git a/tests/src/restore_copy.c b/tests/src/restore_copy.c
index 47f28796..7979443f 100644
--- a/tests/src/restore_copy.c
+++ b/tests/src/restore_copy.c
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ static int do_restore(struct opts *opts)
 	ret = scoutfs_parallel_restore_create_writer(&wri);
 	error_exit(ret, "create writer %d", ret);
 
-	ret = scoutfs_parallel_restore_import_super(wri, super);
+	ret = scoutfs_parallel_restore_import_super(wri, super, dev_fd);
 	error_exit(ret, "import super %d", ret);
 
 	slices = calloc(2, sizeof(struct scoutfs_parallel_restore_slice));
diff --git a/utils/src/parallel_restore.c b/utils/src/parallel_restore.c
index 18e9797b..2c18dc9a 100644
--- a/utils/src/parallel_restore.c
+++ b/utils/src/parallel_restore.c
@@ -1816,13 +1816,58 @@ out:
 	return count > 0 ? 0 : err;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Here we take in a dev's fd an read its quorum blocks to see if the dev has
+ * been mounted before
+ */
+static spr_err_t scoutfs_check_if_previous_mount(int fd)
+{
+	struct scoutfs_quorum_block *blk = NULL;
+	struct scoutfs_quorum_block_event *ev;
+	u64 blkno;
+	int i, j;
+	spr_err_t err;
+
+	for (i = 0; i <  SCOUTFS_QUORUM_MAX_SLOTS; i++) {
+		blkno = SCOUTFS_QUORUM_BLKNO + i;
+		err = read_block(fd, blkno, SCOUTFS_BLOCK_SM_SHIFT, (void **)&blk);
+		if (!blk)
+			return EINVAL;
+
+		dprintf("quorum block read; quorum bklno: %llu, err_val: %d\n", blkno, err);
+		if (err) {
+			free(blk);
+			return err;
+		}
+
+		for (j = 0; j < SCOUTFS_QUORUM_EVENT_NR; j++) {
+			ev = &blk->events[j];
+			if (ev->ts.sec || ev->ts.nsec) {
+				free(blk);
+				return EINVAL;
+			}
+		}
+
+		free(blk);
+	}
+
+	return err;
+}
+
 spr_err_t scoutfs_parallel_restore_import_super(struct scoutfs_parallel_restore_writer *wri,
-						struct scoutfs_super_block *super)
+						struct scoutfs_super_block *super, int fd)
 {
 	spr_err_t err;
 	u64 start;
 	u64 len;
 
+	/*
+	 * check the device we are restoring into to make sure
+	 * that it has has never been mounted
+	 */
+	if (scoutfs_check_if_previous_mount(fd))
+		return EINVAL;
+
 	if (le64_to_cpu(super->fmt_vers) < 2)
 		return EINVAL;
 
diff --git a/utils/src/parallel_restore.h b/utils/src/parallel_restore.h
index 075c71ae..4f4c3558 100644
--- a/utils/src/parallel_restore.h
+++ b/utils/src/parallel_restore.h
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ spr_err_t scoutfs_parallel_restore_write_buf(struct scoutfs_parallel_restore_wri
 					     size_t *count_ret);
 
 spr_err_t scoutfs_parallel_restore_import_super(struct scoutfs_parallel_restore_writer *wri,
-						struct scoutfs_super_block *super);
+						struct scoutfs_super_block *super, int fd);
 spr_err_t scoutfs_parallel_restore_export_super(struct scoutfs_parallel_restore_writer *wri,
 						struct scoutfs_super_block *super);