diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/Change.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/Change.java
index ca13db9..d1826bc 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/Change.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/Change.java
@@ -443,9 +443,6 @@
   /** Globally assigned unique identifier of the change */
   protected Key changeKey;
 
-  /** optimistic locking */
-  protected int rowVersion;
-
   /** When this change was first introduced into the database. */
   protected Timestamp createdOn;
 
@@ -526,7 +523,6 @@
     assignee = other.assignee;
     changeId = other.changeId;
     changeKey = other.changeKey;
-    rowVersion = other.rowVersion;
     createdOn = other.createdOn;
     lastUpdatedOn = other.lastUpdatedOn;
     owner = other.owner;
@@ -587,10 +583,6 @@
     lastUpdatedOn = now;
   }
 
-  public int getRowVersion() {
-    return rowVersion;
-  }
-
   public Account.Id getOwner() {
     return owner;
   }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverter.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverter.java
index 25e68f9..689b4aa 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverter.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverter.java
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
     Entities.Change.Builder builder =
         Entities.Change.newBuilder()
             .setChangeId(changeIdConverter.toProto(change.getId()))
-            .setRowVersion(change.getRowVersion())
             .setChangeKey(changeKeyConverter.toProto(change.getKey()))
             .setCreatedOn(change.getCreatedOn().getTime())
             .setLastUpdatedOn(change.getLastUpdatedOn().getTime())
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/change/ChangeResource.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/change/ChangeResource.java
index 27b71d6..0d0df0d 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/change/ChangeResource.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/change/ChangeResource.java
@@ -167,7 +167,6 @@
   public void prepareETag(Hasher h, CurrentUser user) {
     h.putInt(JSON_FORMAT_VERSION)
         .putLong(getChange().getLastUpdatedOn().getTime())
-        .putInt(getChange().getRowVersion())
         .putInt(user.isIdentifiedUser() ? user.getAccountId().get() : 0);
 
     if (user.isIdentifiedUser()) {
diff --git a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverterTest.java b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverterTest.java
index ae8e06d..8c5e449 100644
--- a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverterTest.java
+++ b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/entities/converter/ChangeProtoConverterTest.java
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@
         Entities.Change.newBuilder()
             .setChangeId(Entities.Change_Id.newBuilder().setId(14))
             .setChangeKey(Entities.Change_Key.newBuilder().setId("change 1"))
-            .setRowVersion(0)
             .setCreatedOn(987654L)
             .setLastUpdatedOn(1234567L)
             .setOwnerAccountId(Entities.Account_Id.newBuilder().setId(35))
@@ -109,7 +108,6 @@
                     .setBranch("refs/heads/branch-74"))
             // Default values which can't be unset.
             .setCurrentPatchSetId(0)
-            .setRowVersion(0)
             .setStatus(Change.STATUS_NEW)
             .setIsPrivate(false)
             .setWorkInProgress(false)
@@ -147,7 +145,6 @@
                     .setBranch("refs/heads/branch-74"))
             .setCurrentPatchSetId(0)
             // Default values which can't be unset.
-            .setRowVersion(0)
             .setStatus(Change.STATUS_NEW)
             .setIsPrivate(false)
             .setWorkInProgress(false)
@@ -185,7 +182,6 @@
             .setCurrentPatchSetId(23)
             .setSubject("subject ABC")
             // Default values which can't be unset.
-            .setRowVersion(0)
             .setStatus(Change.STATUS_NEW)
             .setIsPrivate(false)
             .setWorkInProgress(false)
@@ -251,7 +247,6 @@
     assertThat(change.getSubject()).isNull();
     assertThat(change.currentPatchSetId()).isNull();
     // Default values for unset protobuf fields which can't be unset in the entity object.
-    assertThat(change.getRowVersion()).isEqualTo(0);
     assertThat(change.isNew()).isTrue();
     assertThat(change.isPrivate()).isFalse();
     assertThat(change.isWorkInProgress()).isFalse();
@@ -284,7 +279,6 @@
             ImmutableMap.<String, Type>builder()
                 .put("changeId", Change.Id.class)
                 .put("changeKey", Change.Key.class)
-                .put("rowVersion", int.class)
                 .put("createdOn", Timestamp.class)
                 .put("lastUpdatedOn", Timestamp.class)
                 .put("owner", Account.Id.class)
@@ -309,7 +303,6 @@
   private static void assertEqualChange(Change change, Change expectedChange) {
     assertThat(change.getChangeId()).isEqualTo(expectedChange.getChangeId());
     assertThat(change.getKey()).isEqualTo(expectedChange.getKey());
-    assertThat(change.getRowVersion()).isEqualTo(expectedChange.getRowVersion());
     assertThat(change.getCreatedOn()).isEqualTo(expectedChange.getCreatedOn());
     assertThat(change.getLastUpdatedOn()).isEqualTo(expectedChange.getLastUpdatedOn());
     assertThat(change.getOwner()).isEqualTo(expectedChange.getOwner());
diff --git a/proto/entities.proto b/proto/entities.proto
index 84c7fbd..d4ff736 100644
--- a/proto/entities.proto
+++ b/proto/entities.proto
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
 message Change {
   required Change_Id change_id = 1;
   optional Change_Key change_key = 2;
-  optional int32 row_version = 3;
   optional fixed64 created_on = 4;
   optional fixed64 last_updated_on = 5;
   optional Account_Id owner_account_id = 7;
@@ -54,6 +53,7 @@
   optional PatchSet_Id cherry_pick_of = 24;
 
   // Deleted fields, should not be reused:
+  reserved 3;    // row_version
   reserved 6;    // sortkey
   reserved 9;    // open
   reserved 11;   // nbrPatchSets