diff --git a/zerver/tests/test_logging_handlers.py b/zerver/tests/test_logging_handlers.py
index b29eea7af9..6be0e23ebc 100644
--- a/zerver/tests/test_logging_handlers.py
+++ b/zerver/tests/test_logging_handlers.py
@@ -59,21 +59,17 @@ class AdminZulipHandlerTest(ZulipTestCase):
         # type: () -> None
         settings.LOGGING_NOT_DISABLED = True
 
-    def get_admin_zulip_handler(self, logger):
-        # type: (logging.Logger) -> Any
-
-        # Ensure that AdminEmailHandler does not get filtered out
-        # even with DEBUG=True.
-        admin_email_handler = [
-            h for h in logger.handlers
+    def get_admin_zulip_handler(self):
+        # type: () -> Any
+        return [
+            h for h in logging.getLogger('').handlers
             if h.__class__.__name__ == "AdminZulipHandler"
         ][0]
-        return admin_email_handler
 
     def test_basic(self):
         # type: () -> None
         """A random exception passes happily through AdminZulipHandler"""
-        handler = self.get_admin_zulip_handler(self.logger)
+        handler = self.get_admin_zulip_handler()
         try:
             raise Exception("Testing Error!")
         except Exception:
diff --git a/zproject/settings.py b/zproject/settings.py
index f024a53bf5..30c25c32ba 100644
--- a/zproject/settings.py
+++ b/zproject/settings.py
@@ -1116,24 +1116,39 @@ LOGGING = {
         },
     },
     'loggers': {
+        # The Python logging module uses a hierarchy of logger names for config:
+        # "foo.bar" has parent "foo" has parent "", the root.  But the semantics
+        # are subtle: it walks this hierarchy once to find the log level to
+        # decide whether to log the record at all, then a separate time to find
+        # handlers to emit the record.
+        #
+        # For `level`, the most specific ancestor that has a `level` counts.
+        # For `handlers`, the most specific ancestor that has a `handlers`
+        # counts (assuming we set `propagate=False`, which we always do.)
+        # These are independent -- they might come at the same layer, or
+        # either one could come before the other.
+        #
+        # For `filters`, no ancestors count at all -- only the exact logger name
+        # the record was logged at.
+        #
+        # Upstream docs: https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging
+        #
+        # Style rules:
+        #  * Always set `propagate=False` if setting `handlers`.
+        #  * Setting `level` equal to the parent is redundant; don't.
+        #  * Setting `handlers` equal to the parent is redundant; don't.
+        #  * Always write in order: level, filters, handlers, propagate.
+
         # root logger
         '': {
-            'handlers': DEFAULT_ZULIP_HANDLERS,
-            'filters': ['require_logging_enabled'],
             'level': 'INFO',
-            'propagate': False,
+            'filters': ['require_logging_enabled'],
+            'handlers': DEFAULT_ZULIP_HANDLERS,
         },
 
         # Django, alphabetized
-        'django': {
-            'handlers': DEFAULT_ZULIP_HANDLERS,
-            'level': 'INFO',
-            'propagate': False,
-        },
         'django.request': {
-            'handlers': DEFAULT_ZULIP_HANDLERS,
             'level': 'WARNING',
-            'propagate': False,
             'filters': ['skip_boring_404s'],
         },
         'django.security.DisallowedHost': {
@@ -1141,21 +1156,21 @@ LOGGING = {
             'propagate': False,
         },
         'django.server': {
+            'filters': ['skip_200_and_304'],
             'handlers': ['console', 'file'],
             'propagate': False,
-            'filters': ['skip_200_and_304'],
         },
         'django.template': {
-            'handlers': ['console'],
-            'filters': ['require_debug_true', 'skip_site_packages_logs'],
             'level': 'DEBUG',
+            'filters': ['require_debug_true', 'skip_site_packages_logs'],
+            'handlers': ['console'],
             'propagate': False,
         },
 
         ## Uncomment the following to get all database queries logged to the console
         # 'django.db': {
-        #     'handlers': ['console'],
         #     'level': 'DEBUG',
+        #     'handlers': ['console'],
         #     'propagate': False,
         # },
 
@@ -1164,35 +1179,23 @@ LOGGING = {
             'level': 'WARNING',
         },
         'requests': {
-            'handlers': DEFAULT_ZULIP_HANDLERS,
             'level': 'WARNING',
-            'propagate': False,
         },
 
         # our own loggers, alphabetized
         'zulip.management': {
             'handlers': ['file', 'errors_file'],
-            'level': 'INFO',
             'propagate': False,
         },
         'zulip.queue': {
-            'handlers': DEFAULT_ZULIP_HANDLERS,
             'level': 'WARNING',
-            'propagate': False,
-        },
-        'zulip.requests': {
-            'handlers': DEFAULT_ZULIP_HANDLERS,
-            'level': 'INFO',
-            'propagate': False,
         },
         'zulip.soft_deactivation': {
             'handlers': ['file', 'errors_file'],
-            'level': 'INFO',
             'propagate': False,
         },
         'zulip.zerver.webhooks': {
             'handlers': ['file', 'errors_file'],
-            'level': 'INFO',
             'propagate': False,
         },
     }
diff --git a/zproject/test_settings.py b/zproject/test_settings.py
index 7764d1bbdf..4bd8445aeb 100644
--- a/zproject/test_settings.py
+++ b/zproject/test_settings.py
@@ -109,10 +109,13 @@ else:
     CACHES['default'] = {
         'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.locmem.LocMemCache'
     }
-    LOGGING['loggers']['zulip.requests']['level'] = 'CRITICAL'
-    LOGGING['loggers']['zulip.management']['level'] = 'CRITICAL'
-    LOGGING['loggers']['django.request'] = {'level': 'ERROR'}
-    LOGGING['loggers']['fakeldap'] = {'level': 'ERROR'}
+
+    def set_loglevel(logger_name, level):
+        LOGGING['loggers'].setdefault(logger_name, {})['level'] = level
+    set_loglevel('zulip.requests', 'CRITICAL')
+    set_loglevel('zulip.management', 'CRITICAL')
+    set_loglevel('django.request', 'ERROR')
+    set_loglevel('fakeldap', 'ERROR')
 
 # Enable file:/// hyperlink support by default in tests
 ENABLE_FILE_LINKS = True