diff --git a/lib/bdev/lvol/vbdev_lvol.c b/lib/bdev/lvol/vbdev_lvol.c
index d34152028..8522eea43 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/lvol/vbdev_lvol.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/lvol/vbdev_lvol.c
@@ -47,14 +47,12 @@ static void
 _vbdev_lvs_create_cb(void *cb_arg, struct spdk_lvol_store *lvs, int lvserrno)
 {
 	struct spdk_lvs_with_handle_req *req = cb_arg;
-	struct spdk_bs_dev *bs_dev = req->bs_dev;
 	struct lvol_store_bdev *lvs_bdev;
 	struct spdk_bdev *bdev = req->base_bdev;
 
 	if (lvserrno != 0) {
 		assert(lvs == NULL);
 		SPDK_INFOLOG(SPDK_TRACE_VBDEV_LVOL, "Cannot create lvol store bdev\n");
-		bs_dev->destroy(bs_dev);
 		goto end;
 	}
 
@@ -62,7 +60,6 @@ _vbdev_lvs_create_cb(void *cb_arg, struct spdk_lvol_store *lvs, int lvserrno)
 
 	lvs_bdev = calloc(1, sizeof(*lvs_bdev));
 	if (!lvs_bdev) {
-		bs_dev->destroy(bs_dev);
 		lvserrno = -ENOMEM;
 		goto end;
 	}
diff --git a/lib/blob/blobstore.c b/lib/blob/blobstore.c
index 4535beb62..9ec17281d 100644
--- a/lib/blob/blobstore.c
+++ b/lib/blob/blobstore.c
@@ -1707,6 +1707,7 @@ spdk_bs_init(struct spdk_bs_dev *dev, struct spdk_bs_opts *o,
 	if ((SPDK_BS_PAGE_SIZE % dev->blocklen) != 0) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("unsupported dev block length of %d\n",
 			    dev->blocklen);
+		dev->destroy(dev);
 		cb_fn(cb_arg, NULL, -EINVAL);
 		return;
 	}
@@ -1719,6 +1720,7 @@ spdk_bs_init(struct spdk_bs_dev *dev, struct spdk_bs_opts *o,
 
 	bs = _spdk_bs_alloc(dev, &opts);
 	if (!bs) {
+		dev->destroy(dev);
 		cb_fn(cb_arg, NULL, -ENOMEM);
 		return;
 	}
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/bdev/vbdev_lvol.c/vbdev_lvol_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/bdev/vbdev_lvol.c/vbdev_lvol_ut.c
index 459c3318d..2e1f0cf0d 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/bdev/vbdev_lvol.c/vbdev_lvol_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/bdev/vbdev_lvol.c/vbdev_lvol_ut.c
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ spdk_lvs_init(struct spdk_bs_dev *bs_dev, spdk_lvs_op_with_handle_complete cb_fn
 		return -1;
 
 	if (lvol_store_initialize_cb_fail) {
+		bs_dev->destroy(bs_dev);
 		lvs = NULL;
 		error = -1;
 	} else {
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/blob/blob.c/blob_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/blob/blob.c/blob_ut.c
index 6ff04a2b4..e5fcced44 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/blob/blob.c/blob_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/blob/blob.c/blob_ut.c
@@ -131,13 +131,6 @@ blob_init(void)
 	dev->blocklen = 500;
 	spdk_bs_init(dev, NULL, bs_op_with_handle_complete, NULL);
 	CU_ASSERT(g_bserrno == -EINVAL);
-	/*
-	 * Normally dev gets deleted as part of the dev->destroy callback.  But
-	 *  that doesn't get invoked when init() fails.  So manually free it here
-	 *  instead.  Probably blobstore should still destroy the dev when init
-	 *  fails, but we'll do that in a separate patch.
-	 */
-	free(dev);
 
 	dev = init_dev();
 	spdk_bs_init(dev, NULL, bs_op_with_handle_complete, NULL);