diff --git a/packages/seacas/libraries/exodus/src/ex_put_partial_num_map.c b/packages/seacas/libraries/exodus/src/ex_put_partial_num_map.c
index 00b991927d..1f111503f2 100644
--- a/packages/seacas/libraries/exodus/src/ex_put_partial_num_map.c
+++ b/packages/seacas/libraries/exodus/src/ex_put_partial_num_map.c
@@ -159,7 +159,11 @@ int ex_put_partial_num_map(int exoid, ex_entity_type map_type, ex_entity_id map_
   }
 
   /* Check input parameters for a valid range of numbers */
-  if (ent_start <= 0 || ent_start > num_mobj) {
+  if (ent_count == 0) {
+    ent_start = 0;
+  }
+
+  if (ent_start < 0 || ent_start > num_mobj) {
     snprintf(errmsg, MAX_ERR_LENGTH, "ERROR: start count is invalid in file id %d", exoid);
     ex_err_fn(exoid, __func__, errmsg, EX_BADPARAM);
     EX_FUNC_LEAVE(EX_FATAL);
@@ -169,7 +173,7 @@ int ex_put_partial_num_map(int exoid, ex_entity_type map_type, ex_entity_id map_
     ex_err_fn(exoid, __func__, errmsg, EX_BADPARAM);
     EX_FUNC_LEAVE(EX_FATAL);
   }
-  if (ent_start + ent_count - 1 > num_mobj) {
+  if (ent_count > 0 && (ent_start + ent_count - 1 > num_mobj)) {
     snprintf(errmsg, MAX_ERR_LENGTH,
              "ERROR: start+count-1 is larger than mesh object count in file id %d", exoid);
     ex_err_fn(exoid, __func__, errmsg, EX_BADPARAM);