diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index caefa295..5908e92e 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ NEWS
   * [mod_auth] fix invalid read in digest qop=auth-int handling (fixes #2478)
   * [auto* build] simplify autogen.sh, handle automake 1.13 test running (fixes #2490)
   * [mod_userdir] add userdir.active option, "enabled" by default
+  * [core] return 501 Not Implemented in static file mode for all methods except GET/POST/HEAD/OPTIONS
 
 - 1.4.32 - 2012-11-21
   * Code cleanup with clang/sparse (fixes #2437, thx kibi)
diff --git a/src/connections.c b/src/connections.c
index 77714c9f..b653e882 100644
--- a/src/connections.c
+++ b/src/connections.c
@@ -419,16 +419,6 @@ static int connection_handle_write_prepare(server *srv, connection *con) {
 		case HTTP_METHOD_GET:
 		case HTTP_METHOD_POST:
 		case HTTP_METHOD_HEAD:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_PUT:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_PATCH:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_MKCOL:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_DELETE:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_COPY:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_MOVE:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_PROPFIND:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_PROPPATCH:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_LOCK:
-		case HTTP_METHOD_UNLOCK:
 			break;
 		case HTTP_METHOD_OPTIONS:
 			/*
@@ -450,16 +440,8 @@ static int connection_handle_write_prepare(server *srv, connection *con) {
 			}
 			break;
 		default:
-			switch(con->http_status) {
-			case 400: /* bad request */
-			case 401: /* authorization required */
-			case 414: /* overload request header */
-			case 505: /* unknown protocol */
-			case 207: /* this was webdav */
-				break;
-			default:
+			if (0 == con->http_status) {
 				con->http_status = 501;
-				break;
 			}
 			break;
 		}
diff --git a/src/request.c b/src/request.c
index c5e26ec1..6bdaf578 100644
--- a/src/request.c
+++ b/src/request.c
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ int http_request_parse(server *srv, connection *con) {
 				*(proto - 1) = '\0';
 
 				/* we got the first one :) */
-				if (-1 == (r = get_http_method_key(method))) {
+				if (HTTP_METHOD_UNSET == (r = get_http_method_key(method))) {
 					con->http_status = 501;
 					con->response.keep_alive = 0;
 					con->keep_alive = 0;