diff --git a/common/ruletypes.h b/common/ruletypes.h
index 2f5b9f246..f4ca7c2d9 100644
--- a/common/ruletypes.h
+++ b/common/ruletypes.h
@@ -280,6 +280,7 @@ RULE_BOOL(Zone, UseZoneController, true, "Enables the ability to use persistent
 RULE_BOOL(Zone, EnableZoneControllerGlobals, false, "Enables the ability to use quest globals with the zone controller NPC")
 RULE_INT(Zone, GlobalLootMultiplier, 1, "Sets Global Loot drop multiplier for database based drops, useful for double, triple loot etc")
 RULE_BOOL(Zone, KillProcessOnDynamicShutdown, true, "When process has booted a zone and has hit its zone shut down timer, it will hard kill the process to free memory back to the OS")
+RULE_INT(Zone, SecondsBeforeIdle, 60, "Seconds before IDLE_WHEN_EMPTY define kicks in")
 RULE_CATEGORY_END()
 
 RULE_CATEGORY(Map)
diff --git a/zone/entity.cpp b/zone/entity.cpp
index 23ff268fc..0441aac48 100644
--- a/zone/entity.cpp
+++ b/zone/entity.cpp
@@ -498,11 +498,30 @@ void EntityList::MobProcess()
 		size_t sz = mob_list.size();
 
 #ifdef IDLE_WHEN_EMPTY
+		static int old_client_count=0;
+		static Timer *mob_settle_timer = new Timer();
+
+		if (numclients == 0 && old_client_count > 0 &&
+			RuleI(Zone, SecondsBeforeIdle) > 0) {
+			// Start Timer to allow any mobs that chased chars from zone
+			// to return home.
+			mob_settle_timer->Start(RuleI(Zone, SecondsBeforeIdle) * 1000);
+		}
+
+		old_client_count = numclients;
+
+		// Disable settle timer if someone zones into empty zone
+		if (numclients > 0 || mob_settle_timer->Check()) {
+			mob_settle_timer->Disable();
+		}
+
 		if (numclients > 0 ||
-			mob->GetWanderType() == 4 || mob->GetWanderType() == 6) {
+			mob->GetWanderType() == 4 || mob->GetWanderType() == 6 ||
+			mob_settle_timer->Enabled()) {
 			// Normal processing, or assuring that spawns that should
 			// path and depop do that.  Otherwise all of these type mobs
-			// will be up and at starting positions when idle zone wakes up.
+			// will be up and at starting positions, or waiting at the zoneline
+			// if they chased the PCs  when idle zone wakes up.
 			mob_dead = !mob->Process();
 		}
 		else {