diff --git a/src/database/sql/driver/driver.go b/src/database/sql/driver/driver.go
index 316e7cea37..a2b844d71f 100644
--- a/src/database/sql/driver/driver.go
+++ b/src/database/sql/driver/driver.go
@@ -255,15 +255,23 @@ type ConnBeginTx interface {
 // SessionResetter may be implemented by Conn to allow drivers to reset the
 // session state associated with the connection and to signal a bad connection.
 type SessionResetter interface {
-	// ResetSession is called while a connection is in the connection
-	// pool. No queries will run on this connection until this method returns.
-	//
-	// If the connection is bad this should return driver.ErrBadConn to prevent
-	// the connection from being returned to the connection pool. Any other
-	// error will be discarded.
+	// ResetSession is called prior to executing a query on the connection
+	// if the connection has been used before. If the driver returns ErrBadConn
+	// the connection is discarded.
 	ResetSession(ctx context.Context) error
 }
 
+// ConnectionValidator may be implemented by Conn to allow drivers to
+// signal if a connection is valid or if it should be discarded.
+//
+// If implemented, drivers may return the underlying error from queries,
+// even if the connection should be discarded by the connection pool.
+type ConnectionValidator interface {
+	// ValidConnection is called prior to placing the connection into the
+	// connection pool. The connection will be discarded if false is returned.
+	ValidConnection() bool
+}
+
 // Result is the result of a query execution.
 type Result interface {
 	// LastInsertId returns the database's auto-generated ID
diff --git a/src/database/sql/fakedb_test.go b/src/database/sql/fakedb_test.go
index a0028be0e5..73dab101b7 100644
--- a/src/database/sql/fakedb_test.go
+++ b/src/database/sql/fakedb_test.go
@@ -396,6 +396,12 @@ func (c *fakeConn) ResetSession(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+var _ driver.ConnectionValidator = (*fakeConn)(nil)
+
+func (c *fakeConn) ValidConnection() bool {
+	return !c.isBad()
+}
+
 func (c *fakeConn) Close() (err error) {
 	drv := fdriver.(*fakeDriver)
 	defer func() {
diff --git a/src/database/sql/sql.go b/src/database/sql/sql.go
index 550b58753f..1bf3731b00 100644
--- a/src/database/sql/sql.go
+++ b/src/database/sql/sql.go
@@ -421,7 +421,6 @@ type DB struct {
 	// It is closed during db.Close(). The close tells the connectionOpener
 	// goroutine to exit.
 	openerCh          chan struct{}
-	resetterCh        chan *driverConn
 	closed            bool
 	dep               map[finalCloser]depSet
 	lastPut           map[*driverConn]string // stacktrace of last conn's put; debug only
@@ -460,10 +459,10 @@ type driverConn struct {
 
 	sync.Mutex  // guards following
 	ci          driver.Conn
+	needReset   bool // The connection session should be reset before use if true.
 	closed      bool
 	finalClosed bool // ci.Close has been called
 	openStmt    map[*driverStmt]bool
-	lastErr     error // lastError captures the result of the session resetter.
 
 	// guarded by db.mu
 	inUse      bool
@@ -489,6 +488,36 @@ func (dc *driverConn) expired(timeout time.Duration) bool {
 	return dc.createdAt.Add(timeout).Before(nowFunc())
 }
 
+// resetSession checks if the driver connection needs the
+// session to be reset and if required, resets it.
+func (dc *driverConn) resetSession(ctx context.Context) error {
+	dc.Lock()
+	defer dc.Unlock()
+
+	if !dc.needReset {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if cr, ok := dc.ci.(driver.SessionResetter); ok {
+		return cr.ResetSession(ctx)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// validateConnection checks if the connection is valid and can
+// still be used. It also marks the session for reset if required.
+func (dc *driverConn) validateConnection(needsReset bool) bool {
+	dc.Lock()
+	defer dc.Unlock()
+
+	if needsReset {
+		dc.needReset = true
+	}
+	if cv, ok := dc.ci.(driver.ConnectionValidator); ok {
+		return cv.ValidConnection()
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
 // prepareLocked prepares the query on dc. When cg == nil the dc must keep track of
 // the prepared statements in a pool.
 func (dc *driverConn) prepareLocked(ctx context.Context, cg stmtConnGrabber, query string) (*driverStmt, error) {
@@ -514,19 +543,6 @@ func (dc *driverConn) prepareLocked(ctx context.Context, cg stmtConnGrabber, que
 	return ds, nil
 }
 
-// resetSession resets the connection session and sets the lastErr
-// that is checked before returning the connection to another query.
-//
-// resetSession assumes that the embedded mutex is locked when the connection
-// was returned to the pool. This unlocks the mutex.
-func (dc *driverConn) resetSession(ctx context.Context) {
-	defer dc.Unlock() // In case of panic.
-	if dc.closed {    // Check if the database has been closed.
-		return
-	}
-	dc.lastErr = dc.ci.(driver.SessionResetter).ResetSession(ctx)
-}
-
 // the dc.db's Mutex is held.
 func (dc *driverConn) closeDBLocked() func() error {
 	dc.Lock()
@@ -716,14 +732,12 @@ func OpenDB(c driver.Connector) *DB {
 	db := &DB{
 		connector:    c,
 		openerCh:     make(chan struct{}, connectionRequestQueueSize),
-		resetterCh:   make(chan *driverConn, 50),
 		lastPut:      make(map[*driverConn]string),
 		connRequests: make(map[uint64]chan connRequest),
 		stop:         cancel,
 	}
 
 	go db.connectionOpener(ctx)
-	go db.connectionResetter(ctx)
 
 	return db
 }
@@ -1118,23 +1132,6 @@ func (db *DB) connectionOpener(ctx context.Context) {
 	}
 }
 
-// connectionResetter runs in a separate goroutine to reset connections async
-// to exported API.
-func (db *DB) connectionResetter(ctx context.Context) {
-	for {
-		select {
-		case <-ctx.Done():
-			close(db.resetterCh)
-			for dc := range db.resetterCh {
-				dc.Unlock()
-			}
-			return
-		case dc := <-db.resetterCh:
-			dc.resetSession(ctx)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 // Open one new connection
 func (db *DB) openNewConnection(ctx context.Context) {
 	// maybeOpenNewConnctions has already executed db.numOpen++ before it sent
@@ -1216,14 +1213,13 @@ func (db *DB) conn(ctx context.Context, strategy connReuseStrategy) (*driverConn
 			conn.Close()
 			return nil, driver.ErrBadConn
 		}
-		// Lock around reading lastErr to ensure the session resetter finished.
-		conn.Lock()
-		err := conn.lastErr
-		conn.Unlock()
-		if err == driver.ErrBadConn {
+
+		// Reset the session if required.
+		if err := conn.resetSession(ctx); err == driver.ErrBadConn {
 			conn.Close()
 			return nil, driver.ErrBadConn
 		}
+
 		return conn, nil
 	}
 
@@ -1272,11 +1268,9 @@ func (db *DB) conn(ctx context.Context, strategy connReuseStrategy) (*driverConn
 			if ret.conn == nil {
 				return nil, ret.err
 			}
-			// Lock around reading lastErr to ensure the session resetter finished.
-			ret.conn.Lock()
-			err := ret.conn.lastErr
-			ret.conn.Unlock()
-			if err == driver.ErrBadConn {
+
+			// Reset the session if required.
+			if err := ret.conn.resetSession(ctx); err == driver.ErrBadConn {
 				ret.conn.Close()
 				return nil, driver.ErrBadConn
 			}
@@ -1337,6 +1331,11 @@ const debugGetPut = false
 // putConn adds a connection to the db's free pool.
 // err is optionally the last error that occurred on this connection.
 func (db *DB) putConn(dc *driverConn, err error, resetSession bool) {
+	if err != driver.ErrBadConn {
+		if !dc.validateConnection(resetSession) {
+			err = driver.ErrBadConn
+		}
+	}
 	db.mu.Lock()
 	if !dc.inUse {
 		if debugGetPut {
@@ -1368,41 +1367,13 @@ func (db *DB) putConn(dc *driverConn, err error, resetSession bool) {
 	if putConnHook != nil {
 		putConnHook(db, dc)
 	}
-	if db.closed {
-		// Connections do not need to be reset if they will be closed.
-		// Prevents writing to resetterCh after the DB has closed.
-		resetSession = false
-	}
-	if resetSession {
-		if _, resetSession = dc.ci.(driver.SessionResetter); resetSession {
-			// Lock the driverConn here so it isn't released until
-			// the connection is reset.
-			// The lock must be taken before the connection is put into
-			// the pool to prevent it from being taken out before it is reset.
-			dc.Lock()
-		}
-	}
 	added := db.putConnDBLocked(dc, nil)
 	db.mu.Unlock()
 
 	if !added {
-		if resetSession {
-			dc.Unlock()
-		}
 		dc.Close()
 		return
 	}
-	if !resetSession {
-		return
-	}
-	select {
-	default:
-		// If the resetterCh is blocking then mark the connection
-		// as bad and continue on.
-		dc.lastErr = driver.ErrBadConn
-		dc.Unlock()
-	case db.resetterCh <- dc:
-	}
 }
 
 // Satisfy a connRequest or put the driverConn in the idle pool and return true