diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 9ad31b1..787ad05 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -36,20 +36,30 @@ type ListenOpts struct {
 	BindHost          string
 	NoRedirect        bool
 	TLSListenerConfig dynamiclistener.Config
+
+	// Override legacy behavior where server logs written to the application's logrus object
+	// were dropped unless logrus was set to debug-level (such as by launching steve with '--debug').
+	// Setting this to true results in server logs appearing at an ERROR level.
+	DisplayServerLogs bool
 }
 
 func ListenAndServe(ctx context.Context, httpsPort, httpPort int, handler http.Handler, opts *ListenOpts) error {
+	logger := logrus.StandardLogger()
+	writer := logger.WriterLevel(logrus.DebugLevel)
 	if opts == nil {
 		opts = &ListenOpts{}
 	}
+	if opts.DisplayServerLogs {
+		writer = logger.WriterLevel(logrus.ErrorLevel)
+	}
+	// Otherwise preserve legacy behaviour of displaying server logs only in debug mode.
+
+	errorLog := log.New(writer, "", log.LstdFlags)
 
 	if opts.TLSListenerConfig.TLSConfig == nil {
 		opts.TLSListenerConfig.TLSConfig = &tls.Config{}
 	}
 
-	logger := logrus.StandardLogger()
-	errorLog := log.New(logger.WriterLevel(logrus.DebugLevel), "", log.LstdFlags)
-
 	if httpsPort > 0 {
 		tlsTCPListener, err := dynamiclistener.NewTCPListener(opts.BindHost, httpsPort)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/server/server_test.go b/server/server_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..28a17b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/server_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"net/http"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	assertPkg "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+type alwaysPanicHandler struct {
+	msg string
+}
+
+func (z *alwaysPanicHandler) ServeHTTP(_ http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+	panic(z.msg)
+}
+
+// safeWriter is used to allow writing to a buffer-based log in a web server
+// and safely read from it in the client (i.e. this test code)
+type safeWriter struct {
+	writer *bytes.Buffer
+	mutex  *sync.Mutex
+}
+
+func newSafeWriter(writer *bytes.Buffer, mutex *sync.Mutex) *safeWriter {
+	return &safeWriter{writer: writer, mutex: mutex}
+}
+
+func (s *safeWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	s.mutex.Lock()
+	defer s.mutex.Unlock()
+	return s.writer.Write(p)
+}
+
+func TestHttpServerLogWithLogrus(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assertPkg.New(t)
+	message := "debug-level writer"
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf("panicking context: %s", message)
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	var mutex sync.Mutex
+	safeWriter := newSafeWriter(&buf, &mutex)
+	err := doRequest(safeWriter, message, logrus.ErrorLevel)
+	assert.Nil(err)
+
+	mutex.Lock()
+	s := buf.String()
+	assert.Greater(len(s), 0)
+	assert.Contains(s, msg)
+	assert.Contains(s, "panic serving 127.0.0.1")
+	mutex.Unlock()
+}
+
+func TestHttpNoServerLogsWithLogrus(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assertPkg.New(t)
+
+	message := "error-level writer"
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	var mutex sync.Mutex
+	safeWriter := newSafeWriter(&buf, &mutex)
+	err := doRequest(safeWriter, message, logrus.DebugLevel)
+	assert.Nil(err)
+
+	mutex.Lock()
+	s := buf.String()
+	if len(s) > 0 {
+		assert.NotContains(s, message)
+	}
+	mutex.Unlock()
+}
+
+func doRequest(safeWriter *safeWriter, message string, logLevel logrus.Level) error {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	host := "127.0.0.1"
+	httpPort := 9012
+	httpsPort := 0
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf("panicking context: %s", message)
+	handler := alwaysPanicHandler{msg: msg}
+	listenOpts := &ListenOpts{
+		BindHost: host,
+		DisplayServerLogs: logLevel == logrus.ErrorLevel,
+	}
+
+	logrus.StandardLogger().SetOutput(safeWriter)
+	if err := ListenAndServe(ctx, httpsPort, httpPort, &handler, listenOpts); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	addr := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", host, httpPort)
+	return makeTheHttpRequest(addr)
+}
+
+func makeTheHttpRequest(addr string) error {
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/", "http", addr)
+
+	waitTime := 10 * time.Millisecond
+	totalTime := 0 * time.Millisecond
+	const maxWaitTime = 10 * time.Second
+	// Waiting for server to be ready..., max of maxWaitTime
+	for {
+		conn, err := net.Dial("tcp", addr)
+		if err == nil {
+			conn.Close()
+			break
+		} else if totalTime > maxWaitTime {
+			return fmt.Errorf("timed out waiting for the server to start after %d msec", totalTime/1e6)
+		}
+		time.Sleep(waitTime)
+		totalTime += waitTime
+		waitTime += 10 * time.Millisecond
+	}
+
+	client := &http.Client{
+		Timeout: 30 * time.Second,
+	}
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", url, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error creating request: %w", err)
+	}
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
+	if err == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("server should have panicked on request")
+	}
+	if resp != nil {
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+	}
+	return nil
+}