diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index df6a331d14783148482fe0bde46be0864a2701c7..1afa7e4523cf05a35163159cfacef1eda4a7ae5a 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -2857,8 +2857,7 @@ int
 qemuBuildControllerDevStr(const virDomainDef *domainDef,
                           virDomainControllerDefPtr def,
                           virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps,
-                          char **devstr,
-                          int *nusbcontroller)
+                          char **devstr)
 {
     virBuffer buf = VIR_BUFFER_INITIALIZER;
 
@@ -2941,9 +2940,6 @@ qemuBuildControllerDevStr(const virDomainDef *domainDef,
         if (qemuBuildUSBControllerDevStr(domainDef, def, qemuCaps, &buf) == -1)
             goto error;
 
-        if (nusbcontroller)
-            *nusbcontroller += 1;
-
         break;
 
     case VIR_DOMAIN_CONTROLLER_TYPE_PCI: {
@@ -3149,7 +3145,6 @@ qemuBuildControllerDevCommandLine(virCommandPtr cmd,
                                   virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps)
 {
     size_t i, j;
-    int usbcontroller = 0;
     int contOrder[] = {
         /*
          * List of controller types that we add commandline args for,
@@ -3212,8 +3207,7 @@ qemuBuildControllerDevCommandLine(virCommandPtr cmd,
                 continue;
             }
 
-            if (qemuBuildControllerDevStr(def, cont, qemuCaps,
-                                          &devstr, &usbcontroller) < 0)
+            if (qemuBuildControllerDevStr(def, cont, qemuCaps, &devstr) < 0)
                 goto cleanup;
 
             if (devstr) {
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.h b/src/qemu/qemu_command.h
index 1a4f1f5da40ef71a1c05b86015e441be5a990040..d9f8a818b59c9ea68135d50f45c472f3e14bc8fc 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.h
@@ -117,8 +117,7 @@ char
 int qemuBuildControllerDevStr(const virDomainDef *domainDef,
                               virDomainControllerDefPtr def,
                               virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps,
-                              char **devstr,
-                              int *nusbcontroller);
+                              char **devstr);
 
 int qemuBuildMemoryBackendProps(virJSONValuePtr *backendProps,
                                 const char *alias,
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c b/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
index 5894c3dd491c4b3e92fdb39f52ffa85829384271..6138ad8005574aa6617605e43c3625c30ea04ea3 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
@@ -1022,7 +1022,7 @@ int qemuDomainAttachControllerDevice(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
     if (qemuAssignDeviceControllerAlias(vm->def, priv->qemuCaps, controller) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (qemuBuildControllerDevStr(vm->def, controller, priv->qemuCaps, &devstr, NULL) < 0)
+    if (qemuBuildControllerDevStr(vm->def, controller, priv->qemuCaps, &devstr) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (!devstr)