diff --git a/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.cpp b/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.cpp
index 460a3fe7..bc245703 100755
--- a/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.cpp
+++ b/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.cpp
@@ -1835,33 +1835,69 @@ int execute_pipe_cmd(const char *command, char *result, unsigned int result_size
 #define PIPE_COMMAND_RESPON_LEN (100)
 #endif
 
-system_state_enum get_system_state ( void )
+const char * get_system_state_str ( system_state_enum system_state )
 {
-    char pipe_cmd_output [PIPE_COMMAND_RESPON_LEN] ;
-    execute_pipe_cmd ( "systemctl is-system-running", &pipe_cmd_output[0], PIPE_COMMAND_RESPON_LEN );
-    if ( strnlen ( pipe_cmd_output, PIPE_COMMAND_RESPON_LEN ) > 0 )
+    switch(system_state)
     {
-        ilog ("systemctl reports host as '%s'\n", pipe_cmd_output );
-        string temp = pipe_cmd_output ;
-        if ( temp.find ("stopping") != string::npos )
-            return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STOPPING;
-        if ( temp.find ("running") != string::npos )
-            return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__RUNNING;
-        if ( temp.find ("degraded") != string::npos )
-            return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__DEGRADED;
-        if ( temp.find ("starting") != string::npos )
-            return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STARTING;
-        if ( temp.find ("initializing") != string::npos )
-            return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__INITIALIZING;
-        if ( temp.find ("offline") != string::npos )
-            return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__OFFLINE;
-        if ( temp.find ("maintenance") != string::npos )
-            return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__MAINTENANCE;
-        slog ("unexpected response: <%s>\n", temp.c_str());
+        case MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__RUNNING:      return("running");
+        case MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STOPPING:     return("stopping");
+        case MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STARTING:     return("starting");
+        case MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__DEGRADED:     return("degraded");
+        case MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__INITIALIZING: return("initializing");
+        case MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__OFFLINE:      return("offline");
+        case MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__MAINTENANCE:  return("maintenance");
+        default:                             return("unknown");
     }
-    else
-    {
-        wlog ("systemctl is-system-running yielded no response\n");
-    }
-    return MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__UNKNOWN ;
+}
+
+system_state_enum get_system_state ( bool verbose )
+{
+
+    int retry = 0 ;
+    bool unexpected_response = false ;
+    string temp = "" ;
+    system_state_enum system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__UNKNOWN ;
+    for ( ; retry < 3 ; retry++ )
+    {
+        char pipe_cmd_output [PIPE_COMMAND_RESPON_LEN] ;
+        execute_pipe_cmd ( "systemctl is-system-running",
+               &pipe_cmd_output[0], PIPE_COMMAND_RESPON_LEN );
+        if ( strnlen ( pipe_cmd_output, PIPE_COMMAND_RESPON_LEN ) > 0 )
+        {
+            temp = pipe_cmd_output ;
+            if ( temp.find ("stopping") != string::npos )
+                system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STOPPING;
+            else if ( temp.find ("running") != string::npos )
+                system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__RUNNING;
+            else if ( temp.find ("degraded") != string::npos )
+                system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__DEGRADED;
+            else if ( temp.find ("starting") != string::npos )
+                system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STARTING;
+            else if ( temp.find ("initializing") != string::npos )
+                system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__INITIALIZING;
+            else if ( temp.find ("offline") != string::npos )
+                system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__OFFLINE;
+            else if ( temp.find ("maintenance") != string::npos )
+                system_state = MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__MAINTENANCE;
+            else
+                unexpected_response = true ;
+        }
+
+        if ( system_state != MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__UNKNOWN )
+            break ;
+    }
+
+    if ( verbose || unexpected_response )
+    {
+        if ( unexpected_response )
+        {
+            ilog ("systemctl provided unexpected response:'%s'", temp.c_str());
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            ilog ("systemctl reports host in '%s' state (%d)",
+                   get_system_state_str(system_state), retry);
+        }
+    }
+    return system_state ;
 }
diff --git a/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.h b/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.h
index 00a6828b..c56f3796 100755
--- a/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.h
+++ b/mtce-common/src/common/nodeUtil.h
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ typedef enum
    MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__UNKNOWN
 } system_state_enum ;
 
-system_state_enum get_system_state ( void );
+system_state_enum get_system_state ( bool verbose=true );
+const char * get_system_state_str ( system_state_enum system_state );
 
 #endif
diff --git a/mtce/src/pmon/pmonHdlr.cpp b/mtce/src/pmon/pmonHdlr.cpp
index 7b5977d1..7ab0a8ee 100644
--- a/mtce/src/pmon/pmonHdlr.cpp
+++ b/mtce/src/pmon/pmonHdlr.cpp
@@ -1807,7 +1807,7 @@ void pmon_service ( pmon_ctrl_type * ctrl_ptr )
     ilog ("Starting 'Degrade Audit' timer (%d secs)\n", degrade_period );
     mtcTimer_start ( pmonTimer_degrade, pmon_timer_handler, degrade_period );
 
-    ilog ("Starting 'Pulse' timer (%d secs)\n", pulse_period );
+    ilog ("Starting 'Pulse' timer (%d msecs)\n", pulse_period );
     mtcTimer_start_msec ( pmonTimer_pulse, pmon_timer_handler, pulse_period );
 
     ilog ("Starting 'Host Watchdog' timer (%d secs)\n", hostwd_period );
@@ -1887,17 +1887,6 @@ void pmon_service ( pmon_ctrl_type * ctrl_ptr )
             }
         }
 
-        /* Avoid pmond thrashing trying to recover processes during
-         * system shutdown. */
-        if ( _pmon_ctrl_ptr->system_state == MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STOPPING )
-        {
-            wlog_throttled ( shutdown_log_throttle, 500,
-                             "process monitoring disabled during system shutdown\n");
-            usleep (500);
-            continue ;
-        }
-        if ( shutdown_log_throttle ) shutdown_log_throttle = 0 ;
-
         if ( inotify_fault == false )
         {
             if ( get_inotify_events ( ctrl_ptr->fd ) == true )
@@ -1992,9 +1981,48 @@ void pmon_service ( pmon_ctrl_type * ctrl_ptr )
             _get_events ( );
         }
 
+        /* Check system state before managing processes.
+         *
+         * Prevent process recoverty while not in the
+         * running or degraded state. */
+        if (( _pmon_ctrl_ptr->system_state != MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__RUNNING ) &&
+            ( _pmon_ctrl_ptr->system_state != MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__DEGRADED ))
+        {
+            system_state_enum system_state = get_system_state(false);
+            if ( system_state != _pmon_ctrl_ptr->system_state )
+            {
+                _pmon_ctrl_ptr->system_state = system_state ;
+                if (( system_state != MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__RUNNING ) &&
+                    ( system_state != MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__DEGRADED ))
+                {
+                    /* log every state change that is not running / degraded */
+                    wlog ("process monitoring disabled while in '%s' state",
+                           get_system_state_str(system_state));
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    /* log every state change that is not running / degraded */
+                    wlog ("process monitoring re-enabled while in '%s' state",
+                           get_system_state_str(system_state));
+                }
+            }
+
+            /* throttle the disabled state during shutdown log */
+            if ( _pmon_ctrl_ptr->system_state == MTC_SYSTEM_STATE__STOPPING )
+            {
+                wlog_throttled ( shutdown_log_throttle, 60,
+                    "process monitoring disabled during system shutdown\n");
+            }
+            sleep (1);
+            continue ;
+        }
+        else if ( shutdown_log_throttle )
+            shutdown_log_throttle = 0 ;
+
         /* Monitor Processes */
         for ( int i = 0 ; i < ctrl_ptr->processes ; i++ )
         {
+
             /* Allow a process to be ignored */
             if ( process_config[i].ignore == true )
             {