diff --git a/init/service.cpp b/init/service.cpp
index c201ec938..6ab60e3ca 100644
--- a/init/service.cpp
+++ b/init/service.cpp
@@ -201,7 +201,10 @@ void Service::NotifyStateChange(const std::string& new_state) const {
 
     if (new_state == "running") {
         uint64_t start_ns = time_started_.time_since_epoch().count();
-        property_set("ro.boottime." + name_, std::to_string(start_ns));
+        std::string boottime_property = "ro.boottime." + name_;
+        if (GetProperty(boottime_property, "").empty()) {
+            property_set(boottime_property, std::to_string(start_ns));
+        }
     }
 }