diff --git a/fs/btrfs/file.c b/fs/btrfs/file.c
index 5e7ea996f105696fdb054923e257412f1660cfe9..5ba87b0d2ef86d1563705df7ae62f48e59b7cbae 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/file.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/file.c
@@ -310,11 +310,6 @@ static int __btrfs_run_defrag_inode(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info,
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
-	if (btrfs_root_refs(&inode_root->root_item) == 0) {
-		ret = -ENOENT;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
 	key.objectid = defrag->ino;
 	btrfs_set_key_type(&key, BTRFS_INODE_ITEM_KEY);
 	key.offset = 0;
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/relocation.c b/fs/btrfs/relocation.c
index cf5e30ff7093ea5dbe4c2a1244848ebd3f6b7760..aacc2121e87c5df2f7dac46e90daca2514a7912f 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/relocation.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/relocation.c
@@ -2354,9 +2354,6 @@ int merge_reloc_roots(struct reloc_control *rc)
 			if (IS_ERR(root))
 				continue;
 
-			if (btrfs_root_refs(&root->root_item) == 0)
-				continue;
-
 			trans = btrfs_join_transaction(root);
 			BUG_ON(IS_ERR(trans));
 
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/scrub.c b/fs/btrfs/scrub.c
index ec6a33a20200ca813fd65c31a561b3310a569f38..0afcd452fcb3d62c9804089ef1cb056687917784 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/scrub.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/scrub.c
@@ -3217,11 +3217,6 @@ static int copy_nocow_pages_for_inode(u64 inum, u64 offset, u64 root, void *ctx)
 		return PTR_ERR(local_root);
 	}
 
-	if (btrfs_root_refs(&local_root->root_item) == 0) {
-		srcu_read_unlock(&fs_info->subvol_srcu, srcu_index);
-		return -ENOENT;
-	}
-
 	key.type = BTRFS_INODE_ITEM_KEY;
 	key.objectid = inum;
 	key.offset = 0;