diff --git a/packages/pg-connection-string/index.js b/packages/pg-connection-string/index.js
index a5a0fe193..e02567525 100644
--- a/packages/pg-connection-string/index.js
+++ b/packages/pg-connection-string/index.js
@@ -68,23 +68,19 @@ function parse(str) {
     config.ssl = {}
   }
 
-  try {
-    if (config.sslcert) {
-      const fs = require('fs')
-      config.ssl.cert = fs.readFileSync(config.sslcert).toString()
-    }
+  // Only try to load fs if we expect to read from the disk
+  const fs = config.sslcert || config.sslkey || config.sslrootcert ? require('fs') : null
 
-    if (config.sslkey) {
-      const fs = require('fs')
-      config.ssl.key = fs.readFileSync(config.sslkey).toString()
-    }
+  if (config.sslcert) {
+    config.ssl.cert = fs.readFileSync(config.sslcert).toString()
+  }
 
-    if (config.sslrootcert) {
-      const fs = require('fs')
-      config.ssl.ca = fs.readFileSync(config.sslrootcert).toString()
-    }
-  } catch (e) {
-    throw new Error('filesystem not supported')
+  if (config.sslkey) {
+    config.ssl.key = fs.readFileSync(config.sslkey).toString()
+  }
+
+  if (config.sslrootcert) {
+    config.ssl.ca = fs.readFileSync(config.sslrootcert).toString()
   }
 
   switch (config.sslmode) {
diff --git a/packages/pg-connection-string/test/parse.js b/packages/pg-connection-string/test/parse.js
index 92dfcddda..772a8a0df 100644
--- a/packages/pg-connection-string/test/parse.js
+++ b/packages/pg-connection-string/test/parse.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 'use strict'
 
 var chai = require('chai')
-var fs = require('fs')
 var expect = chai.expect
 chai.should()
 
@@ -318,19 +317,4 @@ describe('parse', function () {
     var subject = parse(connectionString)
     subject.keepalives.should.equal('0')
   })
-
-  it('should fail gracefully if there is no filesystem', function () {
-    const og_readFileSync = fs.readFileSync
-    fs.readFileSync = null
-    let error
-    try {
-      var connectionString = 'pg:///?sslcert=' + __dirname + '/example.cert'
-      parse(connectionString)
-    } catch (e) {
-      error = e
-    } finally {
-      fs.readFileSync = og_readFileSync
-    }
-    error.message.should.equal('filesystem not supported')
-  })
 })