diff --git a/app/services/protected_branches/api_service.rb b/app/services/protected_branches/api_service.rb
index 4340d3e82606cddb26838eda937152142688a566..9b85e13107bd202f422154722686355018efb20f 100644
--- a/app/services/protected_branches/api_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/protected_branches/api_service.rb
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@ module ProtectedBranches
       @push_params = AccessLevelParams.new(:push, params)
       @merge_params = AccessLevelParams.new(:merge, params)
 
-      verify_params!
-
       protected_branch_params = {
         name: params[:name],
         push_access_levels_attributes: @push_params.access_levels,
@@ -16,11 +14,5 @@ module ProtectedBranches
 
       ::ProtectedBranches::CreateService.new(@project, @current_user, protected_branch_params).execute
     end
-
-    private
-
-    def verify_params!
-      # EE-only
-    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/git_access_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/git_access_spec.rb
index 3e34dd592f20bae6a9fe2445ac9ad57835a8db45..634c370d21104cf1278b3f27f72834bfcbf2d8b4 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/git_access_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/git_access_spec.rb
@@ -776,10 +776,13 @@ describe Gitlab::GitAccess do
         it "has the correct permissions for #{role}s" do
           if role == :admin
             user.update_attribute(:admin, true)
+            project.add_guest(user)
           else
             project.add_role(user, role)
           end
 
+          protected_branch.save
+
           aggregate_failures do
             matrix.each do |action, allowed|
               check = -> { push_changes(changes[action]) }
@@ -861,25 +864,19 @@ describe Gitlab::GitAccess do
 
     [%w(feature exact), ['feat*', 'wildcard']].each do |protected_branch_name, protected_branch_type|
       context do
-        before do
-          create(:protected_branch, name: protected_branch_name, project: project)
-        end
+        let(:protected_branch) { create(:protected_branch, :maintainers_can_push, name: protected_branch_name, project: project) }
 
         run_permission_checks(permissions_matrix)
       end
 
       context "when developers are allowed to push into the #{protected_branch_type} protected branch" do
-        before do
-          create(:protected_branch, :developers_can_push, name: protected_branch_name, project: project)
-        end
+        let(:protected_branch) { create(:protected_branch, :developers_can_push, name: protected_branch_name, project: project) }
 
         run_permission_checks(permissions_matrix.deep_merge(developer: { push_protected_branch: true, push_all: true, merge_into_protected_branch: true }))
       end
 
       context "developers are allowed to merge into the #{protected_branch_type} protected branch" do
-        before do
-          create(:protected_branch, :developers_can_merge, name: protected_branch_name, project: project)
-        end
+        let(:protected_branch) { create(:protected_branch, :developers_can_merge, name: protected_branch_name, project: project) }
 
         context "when a merge request exists for the given source/target branch" do
           context "when the merge request is in progress" do
@@ -906,17 +903,13 @@ describe Gitlab::GitAccess do
       end
 
       context "when developers are allowed to push and merge into the #{protected_branch_type} protected branch" do
-        before do
-          create(:protected_branch, :developers_can_merge, :developers_can_push, name: protected_branch_name, project: project)
-        end
+        let(:protected_branch) { create(:protected_branch, :developers_can_merge, :developers_can_push, name: protected_branch_name, project: project) }
 
         run_permission_checks(permissions_matrix.deep_merge(developer: { push_protected_branch: true, push_all: true, merge_into_protected_branch: true }))
       end
 
       context "when no one is allowed to push to the #{protected_branch_name} protected branch" do
-        before do
-          create(:protected_branch, :no_one_can_push, name: protected_branch_name, project: project)
-        end
+        let(:protected_branch) { build(:protected_branch, :no_one_can_push, name: protected_branch_name, project: project) }
 
         run_permission_checks(permissions_matrix.deep_merge(developer: { push_protected_branch: false, push_all: false, merge_into_protected_branch: false },
                                                             maintainer: { push_protected_branch: false, push_all: false, merge_into_protected_branch: false },