diff --git a/config.php.sample b/config.php.sample
index a23b41b319..4f8f715beb 100644
--- a/config.php.sample
+++ b/config.php.sample
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ $config['site']['path'] = 'laconica';
 // If you want logging sent to a file instead of syslog
 // $config['site']['logfile'] = '/tmp/laconica.log';
 
+// Change the syslog facility that Laconica logs to
+// $config['syslog']['facility'] = LOG_LOCAL7;
+
 // Enables extra log information, for example full details of PEAR DB errors
 // $config['site']['logdebug'] = true;
 
diff --git a/lib/common.php b/lib/common.php
index 5d451463b9..14be747bc7 100644
--- a/lib/common.php
+++ b/lib/common.php
@@ -124,7 +124,8 @@ $config =
               'dupelimit' => 60), # default for same person saying the same thing
         'syslog' =>
         array('appname' => 'laconica', # for syslog
-              'priority' => 'debug'), # XXX: currently ignored
+              'priority' => 'debug', # XXX: currently ignored
+              'facility' => LOG_USER),
         'queue' =>
         array('enabled' => false,
               'subsystem' => 'db', # default to database, or 'stomp'
diff --git a/lib/util.php b/lib/util.php
index 461ca15c15..d4d79afb30 100644
--- a/lib/util.php
+++ b/lib/util.php
@@ -1098,7 +1098,8 @@ function common_ensure_syslog()
 {
     static $initialized = false;
     if (!$initialized) {
-        openlog(common_config('syslog', 'appname'), 0, LOG_USER);
+        openlog(common_config('syslog', 'appname'), 0,
+            common_config('syslog', 'facility'));
         $initialized = true;
     }
 }