diff --git a/include/cantera/base/global.h b/include/cantera/base/global.h
index 64c379edc..4734e7713 100644
--- a/include/cantera/base/global.h
+++ b/include/cantera/base/global.h
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ namespace Cantera
 class XML_Node;
 class Logger;
 
+
+
 //! Return the number of errors that have been encountered so far
 /*!
  * @ingroup errorhandling
@@ -199,6 +201,9 @@ void warn_deprecated(const std::string& method, const std::string& extra="");
 //! @copydoc Application::suppress_deprecation_warnings
 void suppress_deprecation_warnings();
 
+//! @copydoc Application::make_deprecation_warnings_fatal
+void make_deprecation_warnings_fatal();
+
 //! @copydoc Application::Messages::setLogger
 void setLogger(Logger* logwriter);
 
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd b/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
index bec4d84c0..91de2b0c2 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ cdef extern from "cantera/base/global.h" namespace "Cantera":
     cdef void CxxAppdelete "Cantera::appdelete" ()
     cdef XML_Node* CxxGetXmlFile "Cantera::get_XML_File" (string) except +
     cdef XML_Node* CxxGetXmlFromString "Cantera::get_XML_from_string" (string) except +
+    cdef void Cxx_make_deprecation_warnings_fatal "Cantera::make_deprecation_warnings_fatal" ()
 
 cdef extern from "cantera/thermo/mix_defs.h":
     cdef int thermo_type_ideal_gas "Cantera::cIdealGas"
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/utils.pyx b/interfaces/cython/cantera/utils.pyx
index d37f645d9..36fa8f917 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/utils.pyx
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/utils.pyx
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ def appdelete():
     """ Delete all global Cantera C++ objects """
     CxxAppdelete()
 
+def make_deprecation_warnings_fatal():
+    Cxx_make_deprecation_warnings_fatal()
+
 cdef Composition comp_map(X) except *:
     if isinstance(X, (str, unicode, bytes)):
         return parseCompString(stringify(X))
diff --git a/src/base/application.cpp b/src/base/application.cpp
index 0201480c0..bdf75f2f0 100644
--- a/src/base/application.cpp
+++ b/src/base/application.cpp
@@ -138,7 +138,8 @@ void Application::ThreadMessages::removeThreadMessages()
 }
 
 Application::Application() :
-    m_suppress_deprecation_warnings(false)
+    m_suppress_deprecation_warnings(false),
+    m_fatal_deprecation_warnings(false)
 {
     // install a default logwriter that writes to standard
     // output / standard error
@@ -176,7 +177,9 @@ void Application::ApplicationDestroy()
 void Application::warn_deprecated(const std::string& method,
                                   const std::string& extra)
 {
-    if (m_suppress_deprecation_warnings || warnings.count(method)) {
+    if (m_fatal_deprecation_warnings) {
+        throw CanteraError(method, "Deprecated: " + extra);
+    } else if (m_suppress_deprecation_warnings || warnings.count(method)) {
         return;
     }
     warnings.insert(method);
diff --git a/src/base/application.h b/src/base/application.h
index aab56d088..32daac461 100644
--- a/src/base/application.h
+++ b/src/base/application.h
@@ -318,6 +318,12 @@ public:
         m_suppress_deprecation_warnings = true;
     }
 
+    //! Turns deprecation warnings into exceptions. Activated within the test
+    //! suite to make sure that no deprecated methods are being used.
+    void make_deprecation_warnings_fatal() {
+        m_fatal_deprecation_warnings = true;
+    }
+
     //! @copydoc Messages::setLogger
     void setLogger(Logger* logwriter) {
         pMessenger->setLogger(logwriter);
@@ -373,6 +379,7 @@ protected:
     std::set<std::string> warnings;
 
     bool m_suppress_deprecation_warnings;
+    bool m_fatal_deprecation_warnings;
 
     ThreadMessages pMessenger;
 
diff --git a/src/base/global.cpp b/src/base/global.cpp
index bd151f216..259ee4ed1 100644
--- a/src/base/global.cpp
+++ b/src/base/global.cpp
@@ -58,6 +58,11 @@ void suppress_deprecation_warnings()
     app()->suppress_deprecation_warnings();
 }
 
+void make_deprecation_warnings_fatal()
+{
+    app()->make_deprecation_warnings_fatal();
+}
+
 // **************** Global Data ****************
 
 Unit* Unit::s_u = 0;
diff --git a/test/equil/equil_gas.cpp b/test/equil/equil_gas.cpp
index 600400497..36209432a 100644
--- a/test/equil/equil_gas.cpp
+++ b/test/equil/equil_gas.cpp
@@ -299,6 +299,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
     printf("Running main() from equil_gas.cpp\n");
     testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
+    make_deprecation_warnings_fatal();
     int result = RUN_ALL_TESTS();
     appdelete();
     return result;
diff --git a/test/general/string_processing.cpp b/test/general/string_processing.cpp
index 6a6c28b42..578a0b937 100644
--- a/test/general/string_processing.cpp
+++ b/test/general/string_processing.cpp
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
     printf("Running main() from string_processing.cpp\n");
     testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
+    Cantera::make_deprecation_warnings_fatal();
     int result = RUN_ALL_TESTS();
     Cantera::appdelete();
     return result;
diff --git a/test/kinetics/pdep.cpp b/test/kinetics/pdep.cpp
index bccfe67a9..683831b32 100644
--- a/test/kinetics/pdep.cpp
+++ b/test/kinetics/pdep.cpp
@@ -229,6 +229,7 @@ TEST_F(PdepTest, ChebyshevEdgeCases)
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
     printf("Running main() from pdep.cpp\n");
+    Cantera::make_deprecation_warnings_fatal();
     testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
     int result = RUN_ALL_TESTS();
     Cantera::appdelete();
diff --git a/test/python/runCythonTests.py b/test/python/runCythonTests.py
index 5a757d67b..df6407f9d 100644
--- a/test/python/runCythonTests.py
+++ b/test/python/runCythonTests.py
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ from cantera.test.utilities import unittest
 import cantera
 import cantera.test
 
+cantera.make_deprecation_warnings_fatal()
+
 class TestResult(unittest.TextTestResult):
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         unittest.TextTestResult.__init__(self, *args, **kwargs)
diff --git a/test/thermo/nasapoly.cpp b/test/thermo/nasapoly.cpp
index 8864d9c57..2154eb67d 100644
--- a/test/thermo/nasapoly.cpp
+++ b/test/thermo/nasapoly.cpp
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ TEST(Nasa9Test, Nasa9Thermo) {
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
     printf("Running main() from nasapoly.cpp\n");
+    Cantera::make_deprecation_warnings_fatal();
     testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
     int result = RUN_ALL_TESTS();
     Cantera::appdelete();
diff --git a/test/transport/transportFromScratch.cpp b/test/transport/transportFromScratch.cpp
index 14e4b663e..149b6eaf2 100644
--- a/test/transport/transportFromScratch.cpp
+++ b/test/transport/transportFromScratch.cpp
@@ -169,6 +169,7 @@ TEST_F(TransportFromScratch, thermalConductivityMulti)
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
     printf("Running main() from transportFromScratch.cpp\n");
+    Cantera::make_deprecation_warnings_fatal();
     testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
     int result = RUN_ALL_TESTS();
     appdelete();