diff --git a/ra/ra.go b/ra/ra.go
index ee264258a..afbce312d 100644
--- a/ra/ra.go
+++ b/ra/ra.go
@@ -532,16 +532,19 @@ func (ra *RegistrationAuthorityImpl) validateContacts(contacts []string) error {
 func (ra *RegistrationAuthorityImpl) checkPendingAuthorizationLimit(ctx context.Context, regID int64) error {
 	limit := ra.rlPolicies.PendingAuthorizationsPerAccount()
 	if limit.Enabled() {
+		// This rate limit's threshold can only be overridden on a per-regID basis,
+		// not based on any other key.
+		threshold := limit.GetThreshold("", regID)
+		if threshold == -1 {
+			return nil
+		}
 		countPB, err := ra.SA.CountPendingAuthorizations2(ctx, &sapb.RegistrationID{
 			Id: regID,
 		})
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		// Most rate limits have a key for overrides, but there is no meaningful key
-		// here.
-		noKey := ""
-		if countPB.Count >= limit.GetThreshold(noKey, regID) {
+		if countPB.Count >= threshold {
 			ra.rateLimitCounter.WithLabelValues("pending_authorizations_by_registration_id", "exceeded").Inc()
 			ra.log.Infof("Rate limit exceeded, PendingAuthorizationsByRegID, regID: %d", regID)
 			return berrors.RateLimitError(0, "too many currently pending authorizations: %d", countPB.Count)
diff --git a/ra/ra_test.go b/ra/ra_test.go
index d6bc3bcb0..595d5084a 100644
--- a/ra/ra_test.go
+++ b/ra/ra_test.go
@@ -2127,6 +2127,38 @@ func TestNewOrderReuseInvalidAuthz(t *testing.T) {
 	test.AssertNotEquals(t, secondOrder.V2Authorizations[0], order.V2Authorizations[0])
 }
 
+// mockSACountPendingFails has a CountPendingAuthorizations2 implementation
+// that always returns error
+type mockSACountPendingFails struct {
+	mocks.StorageAuthority
+}
+
+func (mock *mockSACountPendingFails) CountPendingAuthorizations2(ctx context.Context, req *sapb.RegistrationID, _ ...grpc.CallOption) (*sapb.Count, error) {
+	return nil, errors.New("counting is slow and boring")
+}
+
+// Ensure that we don't bother to call the SA to count pending authorizations
+// when an "unlimited" limit is set.
+func TestPendingAuthorizationsUnlimited(t *testing.T) {
+	_, _, ra, _, cleanUp := initAuthorities(t)
+	defer cleanUp()
+
+	ra.rlPolicies = &dummyRateLimitConfig{
+		PendingAuthorizationsPerAccountPolicy: ratelimit.RateLimitPolicy{
+			Threshold: 1,
+			Window:    cmd.ConfigDuration{Duration: 24 * time.Hour},
+			RegistrationOverrides: map[int64]int64{
+				13: -1,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	ra.SA = &mockSACountPendingFails{}
+
+	err := ra.checkPendingAuthorizationLimit(context.Background(), 13)
+	test.AssertNotError(t, err, "checking pending authorization limit")
+}
+
 // Test that the failed authorizations limit is checked before authz reuse.
 func TestNewOrderCheckFailedAuthorizationsFirst(t *testing.T) {
 	_, _, ra, _, cleanUp := initAuthorities(t)
diff --git a/ratelimit/rate-limits.go b/ratelimit/rate-limits.go
index 822f820cc..c1f084730 100644
--- a/ratelimit/rate-limits.go
+++ b/ratelimit/rate-limits.go
@@ -185,7 +185,8 @@ type RateLimitPolicy struct {
 	// For instance, a rate limit on the number of certificates per name uses name as
 	// a key, while a rate limit on the number of registrations per IP subnet would
 	// use subnet as a key. Note that a zero entry in the overrides map does not
-	// mean "no limit," it means a limit of zero.
+	// mean "no limit," it means a limit of zero. An entry of -1 means
+	// "no limit", only for the pending authorizations rate limit.
 	Overrides map[string]int64 `yaml:"overrides"`
 	// A per-registration override setting. This can be used, e.g. if there are
 	// hosting providers that we would like to grant a higher rate of issuance