diff --git a/patroni/config.py b/patroni/config.py
index e523bc08..78db1801 100644
--- a/patroni/config.py
+++ b/patroni/config.py
@@ -145,7 +145,6 @@ class Config(object):
         if validator:  # patronictl uses validator=None and we don't want to load anything from local cache in this case
             self._load_cache()
         self._cache_needs_saving = False
-        self._validate_failover_tags()
 
     @property
     def config_file(self) -> Optional[str]:
@@ -746,14 +745,11 @@ class Config(object):
             dcs = bootstrap.setdefault('dcs', {})
             dcs.setdefault('synchronous_mode', True)
 
-        updated_fields = (
-            'name',
-            'scope',
-            'retry_timeout',
-            'citus'
-        )
+        if 'tags' in config:
+            self._validate_failover_tags(config['tags'])
 
-        pg_config.update({p: config[p] for p in updated_fields if p in config})
+        # Add params required inside Postgresql class to PG config
+        pg_config.update({p: config[p] for p in ('name', 'scope', 'retry_timeout', 'citus') if p in config})
 
         return config
 
@@ -801,8 +797,11 @@ class Config(object):
         """
         return deepcopy(self.__effective_configuration)
 
-    def _validate_failover_tags(self) -> None:
-        """Check ``nofailover``/``failover_priority`` config and warn user if it's contradictory.
+    @staticmethod
+    def _validate_failover_tags(tags_config: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+        """Check ``nofailover``/``failover_priority`` config, remove contradictory tag and warn user.
+
+        :param tags_config: dictionary representing values under the ``tags`` configuration section.
 
         .. note::
           To preserve sanity (and backwards compatibility) the ``nofailover`` tag will still exist. A contradictory
@@ -813,11 +812,11 @@ class Config(object):
           The behaviour is as if ``failover_priority`` were not provided (i.e ``nofailover`` is the
           bedrock source of truth)
         """
-        tags = self.get('tags', {})
-        nofailover_tag = tags.get('nofailover')
-        failover_priority_tag = parse_int(tags.get('failover_priority'))
+        nofailover_tag = tags_config.get('nofailover')
+        failover_priority_tag = parse_int(tags_config.get('failover_priority'))
         if failover_priority_tag is not None \
                 and (nofailover_tag is True and failover_priority_tag > 0
                      or nofailover_tag is False and failover_priority_tag <= 0):
             logger.warning('Conflicting configuration between nofailover: %s and failover_priority: %s. '
                            'Defaulting to nofailover: %s', nofailover_tag, failover_priority_tag, nofailover_tag)
+            tags_config.pop('failover_priority')
diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
index 7bf01f56..1b95af9b 100644
--- a/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -155,34 +155,36 @@ class TestConfig(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_invalid_path(self):
         self.assertRaises(ConfigParseError, Config, 'postgres0')
 
-    @patch.object(Config, 'get')
     @patch('patroni.config.logger')
-    def test__validate_failover_tags(self, mock_logger, mock_get):
+    def test__validate_failover_tags(self, mock_logger):
         """Ensures that only one of `nofailover` or `failover_priority` can be provided"""
-        mock_logger.warning.reset_mock()
-        config = Config("postgres0.yml")
         # Providing one of `nofailover` or `failover_priority` is fine
-        just_nofailover = {"nofailover": True}
-        mock_get.side_effect = [just_nofailover] * 2
-        self.assertIsNone(config._validate_failover_tags())
+        config = {"nofailover": True}
+        self.assertIsNone(Config._validate_failover_tags(config))
         mock_logger.warning.assert_not_called()
-        just_failover_priority = {"failover_priority": 1}
-        mock_get.side_effect = [just_failover_priority] * 2
-        self.assertIsNone(config._validate_failover_tags())
+
+        config = {"failover_priority": 1}
+        self.assertIsNone(Config._validate_failover_tags(config))
         mock_logger.warning.assert_not_called()
+
         # Providing both `nofailover` and `failover_priority` is fine if consistent
-        consistent_false = {"nofailover": False, "failover_priority": 1}
-        mock_get.side_effect = [consistent_false] * 2
-        self.assertIsNone(config._validate_failover_tags())
+        config = {"nofailover": False, "failover_priority": 1}
+        self.assertIsNone(Config._validate_failover_tags(config))
+        self.assertIn('nofailover', config)
+        self.assertIn('failover_priority', config)
         mock_logger.warning.assert_not_called()
-        consistent_true = {"nofailover": True, "failover_priority": 0}
-        mock_get.side_effect = [consistent_true] * 2
-        self.assertIsNone(config._validate_failover_tags())
+
+        config = {"nofailover": True, "failover_priority": 0}
+        self.assertIsNone(Config._validate_failover_tags(config))
+        self.assertIn('nofailover', config)
+        self.assertIn('failover_priority', config)
         mock_logger.warning.assert_not_called()
+
         # Providing both inconsistently should log a warning
-        inconsistent_false = {"nofailover": False, "failover_priority": 0}
-        mock_get.side_effect = [inconsistent_false] * 2
-        self.assertIsNone(config._validate_failover_tags())
+        config = {"nofailover": False, "failover_priority": 0}
+        self.assertIsNone(Config._validate_failover_tags(config))
+        self.assertIn('nofailover', config)
+        self.assertNotIn('failover_priority', config)
         mock_logger.warning.assert_called_once_with(
             'Conflicting configuration between nofailover: %s and failover_priority: %s.'
             + ' Defaulting to nofailover: %s',
@@ -191,9 +193,11 @@ class TestConfig(unittest.TestCase):
             False
         )
         mock_logger.warning.reset_mock()
-        inconsistent_true = {"nofailover": True, "failover_priority": 1}
-        mock_get.side_effect = [inconsistent_true] * 2
-        self.assertIsNone(config._validate_failover_tags())
+
+        config = {"nofailover": True, "failover_priority": 1}
+        self.assertIsNone(Config._validate_failover_tags(config))
+        self.assertIn('nofailover', config)
+        self.assertNotIn('failover_priority', config)
         mock_logger.warning.assert_called_once_with(
             'Conflicting configuration between nofailover: %s and failover_priority: %s.'
             + ' Defaulting to nofailover: %s',