diff --git a/encodings/dict/src/array.rs b/encodings/dict/src/array.rs
index 193c8bfc539..718216bb8ee 100644
--- a/encodings/dict/src/array.rs
+++ b/encodings/dict/src/array.rs
@@ -4,14 +4,14 @@
 use std::fmt::Debug;
 
 use arrow_buffer::BooleanBuffer;
-use vortex_array::compute::{cast, take};
+use vortex_array::compute::take;
 use vortex_array::stats::{ArrayStats, StatsSetRef};
 use vortex_array::vtable::{ArrayVTable, CanonicalVTable, NotSupported, VTable, ValidityVTable};
 use vortex_array::{
     Array, ArrayRef, Canonical, EncodingId, EncodingRef, IntoArray, ToCanonical, vtable,
 };
 use vortex_dtype::{DType, match_each_integer_ptype};
-use vortex_error::{VortexExpect as _, VortexResult, vortex_bail, vortex_ensure};
+use vortex_error::{VortexExpect as _, VortexResult, vortex_bail};
 use vortex_mask::{AllOr, Mask};
 
 vtable!(Dict);
@@ -83,28 +83,11 @@ impl DictArray {
     /// of the `values` array. Otherwise, this constructor returns an error.
     ///
     /// It is an error to provide a nullable `codes` with non-nullable `values`.
-    pub fn try_new(mut codes: ArrayRef, values: ArrayRef) -> VortexResult<Self> {
+    pub fn try_new(codes: ArrayRef, values: ArrayRef) -> VortexResult<Self> {
         if !codes.dtype().is_unsigned_int() {
             vortex_bail!(MismatchedTypes: "unsigned int", codes.dtype());
         }
 
-        let dtype = values.dtype();
-        if dtype.is_nullable() {
-            // If the values are nullable, we force codes to be nullable as well.
-            codes = cast(&codes, &codes.dtype().as_nullable())?;
-        } else {
-            // If the values are non-nullable, we assert the codes are non-nullable as well.
-            vortex_ensure!(
-                !codes.dtype().is_nullable(),
-                "Cannot have nullable codes for non-nullable dict array"
-            );
-        }
-
-        vortex_ensure!(
-            codes.dtype().nullability() == values.dtype().nullability(),
-            "Mismatched nullability between codes and values"
-        );
-
         Ok(Self {
             codes,
             values,
@@ -289,6 +272,24 @@ mod test {
         assert_eq!(indices, [2, 4]);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn nullable_codes_and_non_null_values() {
+        let dict = DictArray::try_new(
+            PrimitiveArray::new(
+                buffer![0u32, 1, 2, 2, 1],
+                Validity::from(BooleanBuffer::from(vec![true, false, true, false, true])),
+            )
+            .into_array(),
+            PrimitiveArray::new(buffer![3, 6, 9], Validity::NonNullable).into_array(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        let mask = dict.validity_mask();
+        let AllOr::Some(indices) = mask.indices() else {
+            vortex_panic!("Expected indices from mask")
+        };
+        assert_eq!(indices, [0, 2, 4]);
+    }
+
     fn make_dict_primitive_chunks<T: NativePType, U: NativePType>(
         len: usize,
         unique_values: usize,
diff --git a/encodings/dict/src/serde.rs b/encodings/dict/src/serde.rs
index fb7e05bbefd..eb33131fcfa 100644
--- a/encodings/dict/src/serde.rs
+++ b/encodings/dict/src/serde.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use vortex_array::{
     Array, ArrayBufferVisitor, ArrayChildVisitor, Canonical, DeserializeMetadata, ProstMetadata,
 };
 use vortex_buffer::ByteBuffer;
-use vortex_dtype::{DType, PType};
+use vortex_dtype::{DType, Nullability, PType};
 use vortex_error::{VortexResult, vortex_bail, vortex_err};
 
 use crate::builders::dict_encode;
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ pub struct DictMetadata {
     values_len: u32,
     #[prost(enumeration = "PType", tag = "2")]
     codes_ptype: i32,
+    // nullable codes are optional since they were added after stabilisation
+    #[prost(optional, bool, tag = "3")]
+    is_nullable_codes: Option<bool>,
 }
 
 impl SerdeVTable<DictVTable> for DictVTable {
@@ -33,6 +36,7 @@ impl SerdeVTable<DictVTable> for DictVTable {
                     array.values().len()
                 )
             })?,
+            is_nullable_codes: Some(array.codes().dtype().is_nullable()),
         })))
     }
 
@@ -50,7 +54,13 @@ impl SerdeVTable<DictVTable> for DictVTable {
                 children.len()
             )
         }
-        let codes_dtype = DType::Primitive(metadata.codes_ptype(), dtype.nullability());
+        let codes_nullable: Nullability = metadata
+            .is_nullable_codes
+            // The old behaviour of (without `is_nullable_codes` metadata) used the nullability
+            // of the values (and whole array).
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| dtype.is_nullable())
+            .into();
+        let codes_dtype = DType::Primitive(metadata.codes_ptype(), codes_nullable);
         let codes = children.get(0, &codes_dtype, len)?;
         let values = children.get(1, dtype, metadata.values_len as usize)?;
 
@@ -93,6 +103,7 @@ mod test {
             ProstMetadata(DictMetadata {
                 codes_ptype: PType::U64 as i32,
                 values_len: u32::MAX,
+                is_nullable_codes: None,
             }),
         );
     }