diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index b197082b..6a934ded 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ NEWS
   * [mod_status] table w/ count of con states (fixes #2427)
   * [mod_dirlisting] class for dir <tr> (fixes #2304)
   * [core] define __STDC_WANT_LIB_EXT1__ (fixes #2722)
+  * [core] setrlimit max-fds <= rlim_max for non-root (fixes #2723)
 
 - 1.4.39 - 2016-01-02
   * [core] fix memset_s call (fixes #2698)
diff --git a/src/server.c b/src/server.c
index 61d850c3..7aacf2e0 100644
--- a/src/server.c
+++ b/src/server.c
@@ -954,9 +954,9 @@ int main (int argc, char **argv) {
 		}
 
 		/**
-		 * we are not root can can't increase the fd-limit, but we can reduce it
+		 * we are not root can can't increase the fd-limit above rlim_max, but we can reduce it
 		 */
-		if (srv->srvconf.max_fds && srv->srvconf.max_fds < rlim.rlim_cur) {
+		if (srv->srvconf.max_fds && srv->srvconf.max_fds <= rlim.rlim_max) {
 			/* set rlimits */
 
 			rlim.rlim_cur = srv->srvconf.max_fds;