diff --git a/zerver/forms.py b/zerver/forms.py
index a07637fa98..aeded481f0 100644
--- a/zerver/forms.py
+++ b/zerver/forms.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from django.db.models.query import QuerySet
 from jinja2 import Markup as mark_safe
 from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
 from django.utils.translation import ugettext as _
-from zerver.models import resolve_subdomain_to_realm
+from zerver.models import get_realm_by_string_id
 from zerver.lib.utils import get_subdomain, check_subdomain
 
 import logging
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ class RegistrationForm(forms.Form):
     def clean_realm_subdomain(self):
         # type: () -> str
         data = self.cleaned_data['realm_subdomain']
-        realm = resolve_subdomain_to_realm(data)
+        realm = get_realm_by_string_id(data)
         if realm is not None:
             raise ValidationError(subdomain_unavailable(data))
         return data
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ class HomepageForm(forms.Form):
             return data
 
         # If the subdomain encodes a complete open realm, pass
-        subdomain_realm = resolve_subdomain_to_realm(self.subdomain)
+        subdomain_realm = get_realm_by_string_id(self.subdomain)
         if (subdomain_realm is not None and
             completely_open(subdomain_realm.domain)):
             return data
diff --git a/zerver/middleware.py b/zerver/middleware.py
index d8de1d7b76..d32871bb12 100644
--- a/zerver/middleware.py
+++ b/zerver/middleware.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ from zerver.lib.utils import statsd, get_subdomain
 from zerver.lib.queue import queue_json_publish
 from zerver.lib.cache import get_remote_cache_time, get_remote_cache_requests
 from zerver.lib.bugdown import get_bugdown_time, get_bugdown_requests
-from zerver.models import flush_per_request_caches, resolve_subdomain_to_realm
+from zerver.models import flush_per_request_caches, get_realm_by_string_id
 from zerver.exceptions import RateLimited
 from django.contrib.sessions.middleware import SessionMiddleware
 from django.views.csrf import csrf_failure as html_csrf_failure
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ class SessionHostDomainMiddleware(SessionMiddleware):
                     return redirect("%s%s" % (settings.EXTERNAL_URI_SCHEME,
                                               settings.EXTERNAL_HOST))
                 if subdomain != "":
-                    realm = resolve_subdomain_to_realm(subdomain)
+                    realm = get_realm_by_string_id(subdomain)
                     if (realm is None):
                         return render_to_response("zerver/invalid_realm.html")
         """
diff --git a/zerver/models.py b/zerver/models.py
index b311eac7c8..f67f313bcb 100644
--- a/zerver/models.py
+++ b/zerver/models.py
@@ -284,13 +284,6 @@ def resolve_email_to_domain(email):
         domain = alias.realm.domain
     return domain
 
-def resolve_subdomain_to_realm(subdomain):
-    # type: (text_type) -> Optional[Realm]
-    try:
-        return Realm.objects.get(string_id=subdomain)
-    except Realm.DoesNotExist:
-        return None
-
 # Is a user with the given email address allowed to be in the given realm?
 # (This function does not check whether the user has been invited to the realm.
 # So for invite-only realms, this is the test for whether a user can be invited,
diff --git a/zerver/views/__init__.py b/zerver/views/__init__.py
index bf227d6a7b..209cf6e701 100644
--- a/zerver/views/__init__.py
+++ b/zerver/views/__init__.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ from zerver.models import Message, UserProfile, Stream, Subscription, Huddle, \
     get_stream, UserPresence, get_recipient, name_changes_disabled, \
     split_email_to_domain, resolve_email_to_domain, email_to_username, get_realm, \
     completely_open, get_unique_open_realm, email_allowed_for_realm, \
-    resolve_subdomain_to_realm, list_of_domains_for_realm
+    get_realm_by_string_id, list_of_domains_for_realm
 from zerver.lib.actions import do_change_password, do_change_full_name, do_change_is_admin, \
     do_activate_user, do_create_user, do_create_realm, set_default_streams, \
     update_user_presence, do_events_register, \
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def accounts_register(request):
         realm = None
         domain = None
     elif settings.REALMS_HAVE_SUBDOMAINS:
-        subdomain_realm = resolve_subdomain_to_realm(get_subdomain(request))
+        subdomain_realm = get_realm_by_string_id(get_subdomain(request))
         domain = resolve_email_to_domain(email)
         domain = subdomain_realm.domain if subdomain_realm else domain
         if completely_open(domain):