diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 17a5f5b5f6a..5093e28515b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@
 ### Bug Fixes
 
 1. [21345](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/pull/21345): Deprecate the unsupported `PostSetupUser` API.
-2. [21356](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/pull/21356): disable MergeFiltersRule until it is more stable
+1. [21356](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/pull/21356): disable MergeFiltersRule until it is more stable
+1. [21369](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/pull/21369): Add limits to the `/api/v2/delete` endpoint for start and stop times with error messages.
 
 ## v2.0.6 [2021-04-29]
 
diff --git a/http/delete_handler.go b/http/delete_handler.go
index 528466f8411..bcf1569ff51 100644
--- a/http/delete_handler.go
+++ b/http/delete_handler.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2/kit/platform/errors"
+	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2/models"
 
 	"github.com/influxdata/httprouter"
 	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2"
@@ -57,6 +58,11 @@ const (
 	prefixDelete = "/api/v2/delete"
 )
 
+var (
+	msgStartTooSoon = fmt.Sprintf("invalid start time, start time must not be before %s", time.Unix(0, models.MinNanoTime).UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano))
+	msgStopTooLate  = fmt.Sprintf("invalid stop time, stop time must not be after %s", time.Unix(0, models.MaxNanoTime).UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano))
+)
+
 // NewDeleteHandler creates a new handler at /api/v2/delete to receive delete requests.
 func NewDeleteHandler(log *zap.Logger, b *DeleteBackend) *DeleteHandler {
 	h := &DeleteHandler{
@@ -197,6 +203,13 @@ func (dr *deleteRequest) UnmarshalJSON(b []byte) error {
 			Msg:  "invalid RFC3339Nano for field start, please format your time with RFC3339Nano format, example: 2009-01-02T23:00:00Z",
 		}
 	}
+	if err = models.CheckTime(start); err != nil {
+		return &errors.Error{
+			Code: errors.EInvalid,
+			Op:   "http/Delete",
+			Msg:  msgStartTooSoon,
+		}
+	}
 	dr.Start = start.UnixNano()
 
 	stop, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, drd.Stop)
@@ -207,6 +220,13 @@ func (dr *deleteRequest) UnmarshalJSON(b []byte) error {
 			Msg:  "invalid RFC3339Nano for field stop, please format your time with RFC3339Nano format, example: 2009-01-01T23:00:00Z",
 		}
 	}
+	if err = models.CheckTime(stop); err != nil {
+		return &errors.Error{
+			Code: errors.EInvalid,
+			Op:   "http/Delete",
+			Msg:  msgStopTooLate,
+		}
+	}
 	dr.Stop = stop.UnixNano()
 	node, err := predicate.Parse(drd.Predicate)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/http/delete_test.go b/http/delete_test.go
index 6e4d4af0a00..b12f85547a8 100644
--- a/http/delete_test.go
+++ b/http/delete_test.go
@@ -3,13 +3,16 @@ package http
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2/kit/platform"
 	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2/kit/platform/errors"
+	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2/models"
 
 	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2"
 	pcontext "github.com/influxdata/influxdb/v2/context"
@@ -91,6 +94,40 @@ func TestDelete(t *testing.T) {
 				  }`,
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "start time too soon",
+			args: args{
+				queryParams: map[string][]string{},
+				body:        []byte(fmt.Sprintf(`{"start":"%s"}`, time.Unix(0, models.MinNanoTime-1).UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano))),
+				authorizer:  &influxdb.Authorization{UserID: user1ID},
+			},
+			fields: fields{},
+			wants: wants{
+				statusCode:  http.StatusBadRequest,
+				contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
+				body: fmt.Sprintf(`{
+					"code": "invalid",
+					"message": "invalid request; error parsing request json: %s"
+				  }`, msgStartTooSoon),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "stop time too late",
+			args: args{
+				queryParams: map[string][]string{},
+				body:        []byte(fmt.Sprintf(`{"start":"2020-01-01T01:01:01Z", "stop":"%s"}`, time.Unix(0, models.MaxNanoTime+1).UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano))),
+				authorizer:  &influxdb.Authorization{UserID: user1ID},
+			},
+			fields: fields{},
+			wants: wants{
+				statusCode:  http.StatusBadRequest,
+				contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
+				body: fmt.Sprintf(`{
+					"code": "invalid",
+					"message": "invalid request; error parsing request json: %s"
+				  }`, msgStopTooLate),
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			name: "missing org",
 			args: args{