diff --git a/.changeset/orange-avocados-work.md b/.changeset/orange-avocados-work.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a1f3597302
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/orange-avocados-work.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend': patch
+---
+
+Refuse to remove the bootstrap location
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.test.ts
index 130ed41eb1..b319bb832d 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.test.ts
@@ -137,6 +137,22 @@ describe('CommonDatabase', () => {
     await expect(db.location(location.id)).rejects.toThrow(/Found no location/);
   });
 
+  it('refuses to remove the bootstrap location', async () => {
+    const input: Location = {
+      id: 'dd12620d-0436-422f-93bd-929aa0788123',
+      type: 'bootstrap',
+      target: 'bootstrap',
+    };
+
+    const output = await db.transaction(
+      async tx => await db.addLocation(tx, input),
+    );
+
+    await expect(
+      db.transaction(async tx => await db.removeLocation(tx, output.id)),
+    ).rejects.toThrow(ConflictError);
+  });
+
   describe('addEntities', () => {
     it('happy path: adds entities to empty database', async () => {
       const result = await db.transaction(tx =>
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.ts
index d641cbb7b6..2edc0ca5b8 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/CommonDatabase.ts
@@ -330,15 +330,21 @@ export class CommonDatabase implements Database {
   async removeLocation(txOpaque: Transaction, id: string): Promise<void> {
     const tx = txOpaque as Knex.Transaction<any, any>;
 
+    const locations = await tx<DbLocationsRow>('locations')
+      .where({ id })
+      .select();
+    if (!locations.length) {
+      throw new NotFoundError(`Found no location with ID ${id}`);
+    }
+
+    if (locations[0].type === 'bootstrap') {
+      throw new ConflictError('You may not delete the bootstrap location.');
+    }
+
     await tx<DbEntitiesRow>('entities')
       .where({ location_id: id })
       .update({ location_id: null });
-
-    const result = await tx<DbLocationsRow>('locations').where({ id }).del();
-
-    if (!result) {
-      throw new NotFoundError(`Found no location with ID ${id}`);
-    }
+    await tx<DbLocationsRow>('locations').where({ id }).del();
   }
 
   async location(id: string): Promise<DbLocationsRowWithStatus> {