diff --git a/src/octoprint/__init__.py b/src/octoprint/__init__.py
index dbd06e7d..6d5dad46 100644
--- a/src/octoprint/__init__.py
+++ b/src/octoprint/__init__.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from octoprint.server import Server
 
 
 class Main(Daemon):
-	def __init__(self, pidfile, configfile, basedir, host, port, debug, allowRoot):
+	def __init__(self, pidfile, configfile, basedir, host, port, debug, allowRoot, logConf):
 		Daemon.__init__(self, pidfile)
 
 		self._configfile = configfile
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ class Main(Daemon):
 		self._port = port
 		self._debug = debug
 		self._allowRoot = allowRoot
+		self._logConf = logConf
 
 	def run(self):
 		octoprint = Server(self._configfile, self._basedir, self._host, self._port, self._debug, self._allowRoot)
@@ -36,6 +37,8 @@ def main():
 						help="Specify the config file to use. OctoPrint needs to have write access for the settings dialog to work. Defaults to ~/.octoprint/config.yaml")
 	parser.add_argument("-b", "--basedir", action="store", dest="basedir",
 						help="Specify the basedir to use for uploads, timelapses etc. OctoPrint needs to have write access. Defaults to ~/.octoprint")
+	parser.add_argument("--logging", action="store", dest="logConf",
+						help="Specify the config file to use for configuring logging. Defaults to ~/.octoprint/logging.yaml")
 
 	parser.add_argument("--daemon", action="store", type=str, choices=["start", "stop", "restart"],
 						help="Daemonize/control daemonized OctoPrint instance (only supported under Linux right now)")
@@ -52,7 +55,7 @@ def main():
 			print >> sys.stderr, "Sorry, daemon mode is only supported under Linux right now"
 			sys.exit(2)
 
-		daemon = Main(args.pidfile, args.config, args.basedir, args.host, args.port, args.debug, args.allowRoot)
+		daemon = Main(args.pidfile, args.config, args.basedir, args.host, args.port, args.debug, args.allowRoot, args.logConf)
 		if "start" == args.daemon:
 			daemon.start()
 		elif "stop" == args.daemon:
@@ -60,7 +63,7 @@ def main():
 		elif "restart" == args.daemon:
 			daemon.restart()
 	else:
-		octoprint = Server(args.config, args.basedir, args.host, args.port, args.debug, args.allowRoot)
+		octoprint = Server(args.config, args.basedir, args.host, args.port, args.debug, args.allowRoot, args.logConf)
 		octoprint.run()
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/src/octoprint/server/__init__.py b/src/octoprint/server/__init__.py
index cc1eb51f..9e0416d2 100644
--- a/src/octoprint/server/__init__.py
+++ b/src/octoprint/server/__init__.py
@@ -102,13 +102,14 @@ def load_user(id):
 
 
 class Server():
-	def __init__(self, configfile=None, basedir=None, host="0.0.0.0", port=5000, debug=False, allowRoot=False):
+	def __init__(self, configfile=None, basedir=None, host="0.0.0.0", port=5000, debug=False, allowRoot=False, logConf=None):
 		self._configfile = configfile
 		self._basedir = basedir
 		self._host = host
 		self._port = port
 		self._debug = debug
 		self._allowRoot = allowRoot
+		self._logConf = logConf
 
 		  
 	def run(self):
@@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ class Server():
 		self._initSettings(self._configfile, self._basedir)
 
 		# then initialize logging
-		self._initLogging(self._debug)
+		self._initLogging(self._debug, self._logConf)
 		logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 		eventManager = events.eventManager()
@@ -229,8 +230,8 @@ class Server():
 	def _initSettings(self, configfile, basedir):
 		settings(init=True, basedir=basedir, configfile=configfile)
 
-	def _initLogging(self, debug):
-		config = {
+	def _initLogging(self, debug, logConf=None):
+		defaultConfig = {
 			"version": 1,
 			"formatters": {
 				"simple": {
@@ -261,12 +262,6 @@ class Server():
 				}
 			},
 			"loggers": {
-				#"octoprint.timelapse": {
-				#	"level": "DEBUG"
-				#},
-				#"octoprint.events": {
-				#	"level": "DEBUG"
-				#},
 				"SERIAL": {
 					"level": "CRITICAL",
 					"handlers": ["serialFile"],
@@ -280,8 +275,18 @@ class Server():
 		}
 
 		if debug:
-			config["root"]["level"] = "DEBUG"
+			defaultConfig["root"]["level"] = "DEBUG"
 
+		if logConf is None:
+			logConf = os.path.join(settings().settings_dir, "logging.yaml")
+
+		configFromFile = {}
+		if os.path.exists(logConf) and os.path.isfile(logConf):
+			import yaml
+			with open(logConf, "r") as f:
+				configFromFile = yaml.safe_load(f)
+
+		config = util.dict_merge(defaultConfig, configFromFile)
 		logging.config.dictConfig(config)
 
 		if settings().getBoolean(["serial", "log"]):
diff --git a/src/octoprint/util/__init__.py b/src/octoprint/util/__init__.py
index ae4bbe73..ce01b87c 100644
--- a/src/octoprint/util/__init__.py
+++ b/src/octoprint/util/__init__.py
@@ -225,3 +225,22 @@ def getJsonCommandFromRequest(request, valid_commands):
 
 	return command, data, None
 
+
+def dict_merge(a, b):
+	'''recursively merges dict's. not just simple a['key'] = b['key'], if
+	both a and bhave a key who's value is a dict then dict_merge is called
+	on both values and the result stored in the returned dictionary.
+
+	Taken from https://www.xormedia.com/recursively-merge-dictionaries-in-python/'''
+
+	from copy import deepcopy
+
+	if not isinstance(b, dict):
+		return b
+	result = deepcopy(a)
+	for k, v in b.iteritems():
+		if k in result and isinstance(result[k], dict):
+			result[k] = dict_merge(result[k], v)
+		else:
+			result[k] = deepcopy(v)
+	return result