diff --git a/crates/config/src/config.rs b/crates/config/src/config.rs
index f0dfb4ac2bbb..40836b8c02c5 100644
--- a/crates/config/src/config.rs
+++ b/crates/config/src/config.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use reth_downloaders::{
     headers::reverse_headers::ReverseHeadersDownloaderBuilder,
 };
 use reth_network::{NetworkConfigBuilder, PeersConfig, SessionsConfig};
-use reth_primitives::PruneMode;
+use reth_primitives::{serde_helper::deserialize_opt_prune_mode_with_min_distance, PruneMode};
 use secp256k1::SecretKey;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::path::PathBuf;
@@ -305,7 +305,10 @@ pub struct PruneParts {
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub transaction_lookup: Option<PruneMode>,
     /// Receipts pruning configuration.
-    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    #[serde(
+        skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none",
+        deserialize_with = "deserialize_opt_prune_mode_with_min_distance::<64, _>"
+    )]
     pub receipts: Option<PruneMode>,
     /// Account History pruning configuration.
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
diff --git a/crates/primitives/src/serde_helper/mod.rs b/crates/primitives/src/serde_helper/mod.rs
index c63e7f62756f..7cd85f892f98 100644
--- a/crates/primitives/src/serde_helper/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/primitives/src/serde_helper/mod.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ use crate::H256;
 pub use jsonu256::*;
 
 pub mod num;
+mod prune;
+pub use prune::deserialize_opt_prune_mode_with_min_distance;
 
 /// serde functions for handling primitive `u64` as [U64](crate::U64)
 pub mod u64_hex {
diff --git a/crates/primitives/src/serde_helper/prune.rs b/crates/primitives/src/serde_helper/prune.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7dffafdf8f7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/primitives/src/serde_helper/prune.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+use crate::PruneMode;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Deserializer};
+
+/// Deserializes [`Option<PruneMode>`] and validates that the value contained in
+/// [PruneMode::Distance] (if any) is not less than the const generic parameter `MIN_DISTANCE`.
+pub fn deserialize_opt_prune_mode_with_min_distance<
+    'de,
+    const MIN_DISTANCE: u64,
+    D: Deserializer<'de>,
+>(
+    deserializer: D,
+) -> Result<Option<PruneMode>, D::Error> {
+    let prune_mode = Option::<PruneMode>::deserialize(deserializer)?;
+
+    match prune_mode {
+        Some(PruneMode::Distance(distance)) if distance < MIN_DISTANCE => {
+            Err(serde::de::Error::invalid_value(
+                serde::de::Unexpected::Unsigned(distance),
+                // This message should have "expected" wording, so we say "not less than"
+                &format!("prune mode distance not less than {MIN_DISTANCE} blocks").as_str(),
+            ))
+        }
+        _ => Ok(prune_mode),
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use crate::PruneMode;
+    use assert_matches::assert_matches;
+    use serde::Deserialize;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn deserialize_opt_prune_mode_with_min_distance() {
+        #[derive(Debug, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
+        struct V(
+            #[serde(
+                deserialize_with = "super::deserialize_opt_prune_mode_with_min_distance::<10, _>"
+            )]
+            Option<PruneMode>,
+        );
+
+        assert!(serde_json::from_str::<V>(r#"{"distance": 10}"#).is_ok());
+        assert_matches!(
+            serde_json::from_str::<V>(r#"{"distance": 9}"#),
+            Err(err) if err.to_string() == "invalid value: integer `9`, expected prune mode distance not less than 10 blocks"
+        );
+    }
+}