diff --git a/evidence/pool.go b/evidence/pool.go
index 34c267c0c..bc09ea94e 100644
--- a/evidence/pool.go
+++ b/evidence/pool.go
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ import (
 
 const (
 	// prefixes are unique across all tm db's
-	prefixCommitted = int64(8)
-	prefixPending   = int64(9)
+	prefixCommitted = int64(9)
+	prefixPending   = int64(10)
 )
 
 // Pool maintains a pool of valid evidence to be broadcasted and committed
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ func (evpool *Pool) Update(state sm.State, ev types.EvidenceList) {
 	evpool.updateState(state)
 
 	// move committed evidence out from the pending pool and into the committed pool
-	evpool.markEvidenceAsCommitted(ev)
+	evpool.markEvidenceAsCommitted(ev, state.LastBlockHeight)
 
 	// Prune pending evidence when it has expired. This also updates when the next
 	// evidence will expire.
@@ -386,23 +386,18 @@ func (evpool *Pool) addPendingEvidence(ev types.Evidence) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (evpool *Pool) removePendingEvidence(evidence types.Evidence) {
-	key := keyPending(evidence)
-	if err := evpool.evidenceStore.Delete(key); err != nil {
-		evpool.logger.Error("failed to delete pending evidence", "err", err)
-	} else {
-		atomic.AddUint32(&evpool.evidenceSize, ^uint32(0))
-		evpool.logger.Debug("deleted pending evidence", "evidence", evidence)
-	}
-}
-
 // markEvidenceAsCommitted processes all the evidence in the block, marking it as
 // committed and removing it from the pending database.
-func (evpool *Pool) markEvidenceAsCommitted(evidence types.EvidenceList) {
+func (evpool *Pool) markEvidenceAsCommitted(evidence types.EvidenceList, height int64) {
 	blockEvidenceMap := make(map[string]struct{}, len(evidence))
+	batch := evpool.evidenceStore.NewBatch()
+	defer batch.Close()
+
 	for _, ev := range evidence {
 		if evpool.isPending(ev) {
-			evpool.removePendingEvidence(ev)
+			if err := batch.Delete(keyPending(ev)); err != nil {
+				evpool.logger.Error("failed to batch pending evidence", "err", err)
+			}
 			blockEvidenceMap[evMapKey(ev)] = struct{}{}
 		}
 
@@ -410,7 +405,7 @@ func (evpool *Pool) markEvidenceAsCommitted(evidence types.EvidenceList) {
 		// we only need to record the height that it was saved at.
 		key := keyCommitted(ev)
 
-		h := gogotypes.Int64Value{Value: ev.Height()}
+		h := gogotypes.Int64Value{Value: height}
 		evBytes, err := proto.Marshal(&h)
 		if err != nil {
 			evpool.logger.Error("failed to marshal committed evidence", "key(height/hash)", key, "err", err)
@@ -424,10 +419,22 @@ func (evpool *Pool) markEvidenceAsCommitted(evidence types.EvidenceList) {
 		evpool.logger.Debug("marked evidence as committed", "evidence", ev)
 	}
 
-	// remove committed evidence from the clist
-	if len(blockEvidenceMap) != 0 {
-		evpool.removeEvidenceFromList(blockEvidenceMap)
+	// check if we need to remove any pending evidence
+	if len(blockEvidenceMap) == 0 {
+		return
 	}
+
+	// remove committed evidence from pending bucket
+	if err := batch.WriteSync(); err != nil {
+		evpool.logger.Error("failed to batch delete pending evidence", "err", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// remove committed evidence from the clist
+	evpool.removeEvidenceFromList(blockEvidenceMap)
+
+	// update the evidence size
+	atomic.AddUint32(&evpool.evidenceSize, ^uint32(len(blockEvidenceMap)-1))
 }
 
 // listEvidence retrieves lists evidence from oldest to newest within maxBytes.
@@ -481,44 +488,73 @@ func (evpool *Pool) listEvidence(prefixKey int64, maxBytes int64) ([]types.Evide
 }
 
 func (evpool *Pool) removeExpiredPendingEvidence() (int64, time.Time) {
-	iter, err := dbm.IteratePrefix(evpool.evidenceStore, prefixToBytes(prefixPending))
-	if err != nil {
-		evpool.logger.Error("failed to iterate over pending evidence", "err", err)
+	batch := evpool.evidenceStore.NewBatch()
+	defer batch.Close()
+
+	height, time, blockEvidenceMap := evpool.batchExpiredPendingEvidence(batch)
+
+	// if we haven't removed any evidence then return early
+	if len(blockEvidenceMap) == 0 {
+		return height, time
+	}
+
+	evpool.logger.Debug("removing expired evidence",
+		"height", evpool.State().LastBlockHeight,
+		"time", evpool.State().LastBlockTime,
+		"expired evidence", len(blockEvidenceMap),
+	)
+
+	// remove expired evidence from pending bucket
+	if err := batch.WriteSync(); err != nil {
+		evpool.logger.Error("failed to batch delete pending evidence", "err", err)
 		return evpool.State().LastBlockHeight, evpool.State().LastBlockTime
 	}
 
-	defer iter.Close()
+	// remove evidence from the clist
+	evpool.removeEvidenceFromList(blockEvidenceMap)
 
+	// update the evidence size
+	atomic.AddUint32(&evpool.evidenceSize, ^uint32(len(blockEvidenceMap)-1))
+
+	return height, time
+}
+
+func (evpool *Pool) batchExpiredPendingEvidence(batch dbm.Batch) (int64, time.Time, map[string]struct{}) {
 	blockEvidenceMap := make(map[string]struct{})
+	iter, err := dbm.IteratePrefix(evpool.evidenceStore, prefixToBytes(prefixPending))
+	if err != nil {
+		evpool.logger.Error("failed to iterate over pending evidence", "err", err)
+		return evpool.State().LastBlockHeight, evpool.State().LastBlockTime, blockEvidenceMap
+	}
+	defer iter.Close()
 
 	for ; iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
 		ev, err := bytesToEv(iter.Value())
 		if err != nil {
-			evpool.logger.Error("failed to transition evidence from protobuf", "err", err)
+			evpool.logger.Error("failed to transition evidence from protobuf", "err", err, "ev", ev)
 			continue
 		}
 
+		// if true, we have looped through all expired evidence
 		if !evpool.isExpired(ev.Height(), ev.Time()) {
-			if len(blockEvidenceMap) != 0 {
-				evpool.removeEvidenceFromList(blockEvidenceMap)
-			}
-
 			// Return the height and time with which this evidence will have expired
 			// so we know when to prune next.
 			return ev.Height() + evpool.State().ConsensusParams.Evidence.MaxAgeNumBlocks + 1,
-				ev.Time().Add(evpool.State().ConsensusParams.Evidence.MaxAgeDuration).Add(time.Second)
+				ev.Time().Add(evpool.State().ConsensusParams.Evidence.MaxAgeDuration).Add(time.Second),
+				blockEvidenceMap
 		}
 
-		evpool.removePendingEvidence(ev)
-		blockEvidenceMap[evMapKey(ev)] = struct{}{}
-	}
+		// else add to the batch
+		if err := batch.Delete(iter.Key()); err != nil {
+			evpool.logger.Error("failed to batch evidence", "err", err, "ev", ev)
+			continue
+		}
 
-	// we either have no pending evidence or all evidence has expired
-	if len(blockEvidenceMap) != 0 {
-		evpool.removeEvidenceFromList(blockEvidenceMap)
+		// and add to the map to remove the evidence from the clist
+		blockEvidenceMap[evMapKey(ev)] = struct{}{}
 	}
 
-	return evpool.State().LastBlockHeight, evpool.State().LastBlockTime
+	return evpool.State().LastBlockHeight, evpool.State().LastBlockTime, blockEvidenceMap
 }
 
 func (evpool *Pool) removeEvidenceFromList(
diff --git a/evidence/pool_test.go b/evidence/pool_test.go
index 3d17fef13..522419a08 100644
--- a/evidence/pool_test.go
+++ b/evidence/pool_test.go
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ func TestEvidencePoolUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 	pool, val := defaultTestPool(t, height)
 	state := pool.State()
 
-	// create new block (no need to save it to blockStore)
+	// create two lots of old evidence that we expect to be pruned when we update
 	prunedEv := types.NewMockDuplicateVoteEvidenceWithValidator(
 		1,
 		defaultEvidenceTime.Add(1*time.Minute),
@@ -180,7 +180,15 @@ func TestEvidencePoolUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 		evidenceChainID,
 	)
 
+	notPrunedEv := types.NewMockDuplicateVoteEvidenceWithValidator(
+		2,
+		defaultEvidenceTime.Add(2*time.Minute),
+		val,
+		evidenceChainID,
+	)
+
 	require.NoError(t, pool.AddEvidence(prunedEv))
+	require.NoError(t, pool.AddEvidence(notPrunedEv))
 
 	ev := types.NewMockDuplicateVoteEvidenceWithValidator(
 		height,
@@ -195,14 +203,23 @@ func TestEvidencePoolUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 	state.LastBlockHeight = height + 1
 	state.LastBlockTime = defaultEvidenceTime.Add(22 * time.Minute)
 
+	evList, _ := pool.PendingEvidence(2 * defaultEvidenceMaxBytes)
+	require.Equal(t, 2, len(evList))
+
+	require.Equal(t, uint32(2), pool.Size())
+
 	require.NoError(t, pool.CheckEvidence(types.EvidenceList{ev}))
 
+	evList, _ = pool.PendingEvidence(3 * defaultEvidenceMaxBytes)
+	require.Equal(t, 3, len(evList))
+
+	require.Equal(t, uint32(3), pool.Size())
+
 	pool.Update(state, block.Evidence.Evidence)
 
 	// a) Update marks evidence as committed so pending evidence should be empty
-	evList, evSize := pool.PendingEvidence(defaultEvidenceMaxBytes)
-	require.Empty(t, evList)
-	require.Zero(t, evSize)
+	evList, _ = pool.PendingEvidence(defaultEvidenceMaxBytes)
+	require.Equal(t, []types.Evidence{notPrunedEv}, evList)
 
 	// b) If we try to check this evidence again it should fail because it has already been committed
 	err := pool.CheckEvidence(types.EvidenceList{ev})
diff --git a/light/store/db/db.go b/light/store/db/db.go
index ee3973c8e..9ed121a80 100644
--- a/light/store/db/db.go
+++ b/light/store/db/db.go
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	prefixLightBlock = int64(0x0a)
-	prefixSize       = int64(0x0b)
+	prefixLightBlock = int64(11)
+	prefixSize       = int64(12)
 )
 
 type dbs struct {
@@ -230,27 +230,11 @@ func (s *dbs) Prune(size uint16) error {
 	}
 	numToPrune := sSize - size
 
-	// 2) Iterate over headers and perform a batch operation.
-	itr, err := s.db.Iterator(
-		s.lbKey(1),
-		append(s.lbKey(1<<63-1), byte(0x00)),
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-	defer itr.Close()
-
 	b := s.db.NewBatch()
 	defer b.Close()
 
-	for itr.Valid() && numToPrune > 0 {
-		if err = b.Delete(itr.Key()); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		itr.Next()
-		numToPrune--
-	}
-	if err = itr.Error(); err != nil {
+	// 2) use an iterator to batch together all the blocks that need to be deleted
+	if err := s.batchDelete(b, numToPrune); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -261,12 +245,7 @@ func (s *dbs) Prune(size uint16) error {
 	}
 
 	// 4) write batch deletion to disk
-	err = b.WriteSync()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return b.WriteSync()
 }
 
 // Size returns the number of header & validator set pairs.
@@ -278,6 +257,27 @@ func (s *dbs) Size() uint16 {
 	return s.size
 }
 
+func (s *dbs) batchDelete(batch dbm.Batch, numToPrune uint16) error {
+	itr, err := s.db.Iterator(
+		s.lbKey(1),
+		append(s.lbKey(1<<63-1), byte(0x00)),
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer itr.Close()
+
+	for itr.Valid() && numToPrune > 0 {
+		if err = batch.Delete(itr.Key()); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		itr.Next()
+		numToPrune--
+	}
+
+	return itr.Error()
+}
+
 func (s *dbs) sizeKey() []byte {
 	key, err := orderedcode.Append(nil, prefixSize)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/state/state.go b/state/state.go
index ffebaf3b4..430dbf88b 100644
--- a/state/state.go
+++ b/state/state.go
@@ -16,11 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/version"
 )
 
-// database keys
-var (
-	stateKey = []byte("stateKey")
-)
-
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 type Version struct {
diff --git a/state/store.go b/state/store.go
index 19ac01daa..4829a8b75 100644
--- a/state/store.go
+++ b/state/store.go
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ const (
 	prefixValidators      = int64(5)
 	prefixConsensusParams = int64(6)
 	prefixABCIResponses   = int64(7)
+	prefixState           = int64(8)
 )
 
 func encodeKey(prefix int64, height int64) []byte {
@@ -54,6 +55,17 @@ func abciResponsesKey(height int64) []byte {
 	return encodeKey(prefixABCIResponses, height)
 }
 
+// stateKey should never change after being set in init()
+var stateKey []byte
+
+func init() {
+	var err error
+	stateKey, err = orderedcode.Append(nil, prefixState)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+}
+
 //----------------------
 
 //go:generate mockery --case underscore --name Store
@@ -239,11 +251,16 @@ func (store dbStore) PruneStates(retainHeight int64) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("height %v must be greater than 0", retainHeight)
 	}
 
-	if err := store.pruneValidatorSets(retainHeight); err != nil {
+	// NOTE: We need to prune consensus params first because the validator
+	// sets have always one extra height. If validator sets were pruned first
+	// we could get a situation where we prune up to the last validator set
+	// yet don't have the respective consensus params at that height and thus
+	// return an error
+	if err := store.pruneConsensusParams(retainHeight); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := store.pruneConsensusParams(retainHeight); err != nil {
+	if err := store.pruneValidatorSets(retainHeight); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -257,37 +274,48 @@ func (store dbStore) PruneStates(retainHeight int64) error {
 // pruneValidatorSets calls a reverse iterator from base height to retain height (exclusive), deleting
 // all validator sets in between. Due to the fact that most validator sets stored reference an earlier
 // validator set, it is likely that there will remain one validator set left after pruning.
-func (store dbStore) pruneValidatorSets(height int64) error {
-	valInfo, err := loadValidatorsInfo(store.db, height)
+func (store dbStore) pruneValidatorSets(retainHeight int64) error {
+	valInfo, err := loadValidatorsInfo(store.db, retainHeight)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("validators at height %v not found: %w", height, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("validators at height %v not found: %w", retainHeight, err)
 	}
 
 	// We will prune up to the validator set at the given "height". As we don't save validator sets every
 	// height but only when they change or at a check point, it is likely that the validator set at the height
 	// we prune to is empty and thus dependent on the validator set saved at a previous height. We must find
 	// that validator set and make sure it is not pruned.
-	lastRecordedValSetHeight := lastStoredHeightFor(height, valInfo.LastHeightChanged)
+	lastRecordedValSetHeight := lastStoredHeightFor(retainHeight, valInfo.LastHeightChanged)
 	lastRecordedValSet, err := loadValidatorsInfo(store.db, lastRecordedValSetHeight)
 	if err != nil || lastRecordedValSet.ValidatorSet == nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("couldn't find validators at height %d (height %d was originally requested): %w",
-			lastStoredHeightFor(height, valInfo.LastHeightChanged),
-			height,
+			lastStoredHeightFor(retainHeight, valInfo.LastHeightChanged),
+			retainHeight,
 			err,
 		)
 	}
 
-	// batch delete all the validators sets up to height
-	return store.batchDelete(
+	// if this is not equal to the retain height, prune from the retain height to the height above
+	// the last saved validator set. This way we can skip over the dependent validator set.
+	if lastRecordedValSetHeight < retainHeight {
+		err := store.pruneRange(
+			validatorsKey(lastRecordedValSetHeight+1),
+			validatorsKey(retainHeight),
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// prune all the validators sets up to last saved validator set
+	return store.pruneRange(
 		validatorsKey(1),
-		validatorsKey(height),
 		validatorsKey(lastRecordedValSetHeight),
 	)
 }
 
 // pruneConsensusParams calls a reverse iterator from base height to retain height batch deleting
 // all consensus params in between. If the consensus params at the new base height is dependent
-// on a prior height then this will keep that lower height to.
+// on a prior height then this will keep that lower height too.
 func (store dbStore) pruneConsensusParams(retainHeight int64) error {
 	paramsInfo, err := store.loadConsensusParamsInfo(retainHeight)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -298,21 +326,31 @@ func (store dbStore) pruneConsensusParams(retainHeight int64) error {
 	// we must not prune (or save) the last consensus params that the consensus params info at height
 	// is dependent on.
 	if paramsInfo.ConsensusParams.Equal(&tmproto.ConsensusParams{}) {
+		// sanity check that the consensus params at the last height it was changed is there
 		lastRecordedConsensusParams, err := store.loadConsensusParamsInfo(paramsInfo.LastHeightChanged)
 		if err != nil || lastRecordedConsensusParams.ConsensusParams.Equal(&tmproto.ConsensusParams{}) {
 			return fmt.Errorf(
-				"couldn't find consensus params at height %d as last changed from height %d: %w",
+				"couldn't find consensus params at height %d (height %d was originally requested): %w",
 				paramsInfo.LastHeightChanged,
 				retainHeight,
 				err,
 			)
 		}
+
+		// prune the params above the height with which it last changed and below the retain height.
+		err = store.pruneRange(
+			consensusParamsKey(paramsInfo.LastHeightChanged+1),
+			consensusParamsKey(retainHeight),
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 
-	// batch delete all the consensus params up to the retain height
-	return store.batchDelete(
+	// prune all the consensus params up to either the last height the params changed or if the params
+	// last changed at the retain height, then up to the retain height.
+	return store.pruneRange(
 		consensusParamsKey(1),
-		consensusParamsKey(retainHeight),
 		consensusParamsKey(paramsInfo.LastHeightChanged),
 	)
 }
@@ -320,72 +358,69 @@ func (store dbStore) pruneConsensusParams(retainHeight int64) error {
 // pruneABCIResponses calls a reverse iterator from base height to retain height batch deleting
 // all abci responses in between
 func (store dbStore) pruneABCIResponses(height int64) error {
-	return store.batchDelete(abciResponsesKey(1), abciResponsesKey(height), nil)
+	return store.pruneRange(abciResponsesKey(1), abciResponsesKey(height))
 }
 
-// batchDelete is a generic function for deleting a range of keys in reverse order. It will
-// skip keys that have been
-func (store dbStore) batchDelete(start []byte, end []byte, exception []byte) error {
-	iter, err := store.db.ReverseIterator(start, end)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("iterator error: %w", err)
-	}
-	defer iter.Close()
-
+// pruneRange is a generic function for deleting a range of keys in reverse order.
+// we keep filling up batches of at most 1000 keys, perform a deletion and continue until
+// we have gone through all of keys in the range. This avoids doing any writes whilst
+// iterating.
+func (store dbStore) pruneRange(start []byte, end []byte) error {
+	var err error
 	batch := store.db.NewBatch()
 	defer batch.Close()
 
-	pruned := 0
-	for iter.Valid() {
-		key := iter.Key()
-		if bytes.Equal(key, exception) {
-			iter.Next()
-			continue
+	end, err = store.reverseBatchDelete(batch, start, end)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// iterate until the last batch of the pruning range in which case we will perform a
+	// write sync
+	for !bytes.Equal(start, end) {
+		if err := batch.Write(); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 
-		if err := batch.Delete(key); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", key, err)
+		if err := batch.Close(); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 
-		pruned++
-		// avoid batches growing too large by flushing to disk regularly
-		if pruned%1000 == 0 {
-			if err := iter.Error(); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			if err := iter.Close(); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-
-			if err := batch.Write(); err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", key, err)
-			}
-			if err := batch.Close(); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-
-			iter, err = store.db.ReverseIterator(start, end)
-			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("iterator error: %w", err)
-			}
-			defer iter.Close()
-
-			batch = store.db.NewBatch()
-			defer batch.Close()
-		} else {
-			iter.Next()
+		batch = store.db.NewBatch()
+
+		// fill a new batch of keys for deletion over the remainding range
+		end, err = store.reverseBatchDelete(batch, start, end)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 
-	if err := iter.Error(); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("iterator error: %w", err)
-	}
+	return batch.WriteSync()
+}
 
-	if err := batch.WriteSync(); err != nil {
-		return err
+// reverseBatchDelete runs a reverse iterator (from end to start) filling up a batch until either
+// (a) the iterator reaches the start or (b) the iterator has added a 1000 keys (this avoids the
+// batch from growing too large)
+func (store dbStore) reverseBatchDelete(batch dbm.Batch, start, end []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	iter, err := store.db.ReverseIterator(start, end)
+	if err != nil {
+		return end, fmt.Errorf("iterator error: %w", err)
 	}
+	defer iter.Close()
 
-	return nil
+	size := 0
+	for ; iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
+		if err := batch.Delete(iter.Key()); err != nil {
+			return end, fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", iter.Key(), err)
+		}
+
+		// avoid batches growing too large by capping them
+		size++
+		if size == 1000 {
+			return iter.Key(), iter.Error()
+		}
+	}
+	return start, iter.Error()
 }
 
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -584,7 +619,7 @@ func (store dbStore) LoadConsensusParams(height int64) (types.ConsensusParams, e
 		paramsInfo2, err := store.loadConsensusParamsInfo(paramsInfo.LastHeightChanged)
 		if err != nil {
 			return empty, fmt.Errorf(
-				"couldn't find consensus params at height %d as last changed from height %d: %w",
+				"couldn't find consensus params at height %d (height %d was originally requested): %w",
 				paramsInfo.LastHeightChanged,
 				height,
 				err,
diff --git a/state/store_test.go b/state/store_test.go
index b51a25739..927f3ff45 100644
--- a/state/store_test.go
+++ b/state/store_test.go
@@ -159,26 +159,28 @@ func TestStoreLoadConsensusParams(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPruneStates(t *testing.T) {
 	testcases := map[string]struct {
-		makeHeights  int64
-		pruneHeight  int64
-		expectErr    bool
-		expectVals   []int64
-		expectParams []int64
-		expectABCI   []int64
+		startHeight           int64
+		endHeight             int64
+		pruneHeight           int64
+		expectErr             bool
+		remainingValSetHeight int64
+		remainingParamsHeight int64
 	}{
-		"error when prune height is 0":           {100, 0, true, nil, nil, nil},
-		"error when prune height is negative":    {100, -10, true, nil, nil, nil},
-		"error when prune height does not exist": {100, 101, true, nil, nil, nil},
-		"prune all":                              {100, 100, false, []int64{93, 100}, []int64{95, 100}, []int64{100}},
-		"prune some": {10, 8, false, []int64{3, 8, 9, 10},
-			[]int64{5, 8, 9, 10}, []int64{8, 9, 10}},
-		"prune across checkpoint": {100002, 100002, false, []int64{100000, 100002},
-			[]int64{99995, 100002}, []int64{100002}},
+		"error when prune height is 0":           {1, 100, 0, true, 0, 0},
+		"error when prune height is negative":    {1, 100, -10, true, 0, 0},
+		"error when prune height does not exist": {1, 100, 101, true, 0, 0},
+		"prune all":                              {1, 100, 100, false, 93, 95},
+		"prune from non 1 height":                {10, 50, 40, false, 33, 35},
+		"prune some":                             {1, 10, 8, false, 3, 5},
+		// we test this because we flush to disk every 1000 "states"
+		"prune more than 1000 state": {1, 1010, 1010, false, 1003, 1005},
+		"prune across checkpoint":    {99900, 100002, 100002, false, 100000, 99995},
 	}
 	for name, tc := range testcases {
 		tc := tc
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			db := dbm.NewMemDB()
+
 			stateStore := sm.NewStore(db)
 			pk := ed25519.GenPrivKey().PubKey()
 
@@ -192,7 +194,7 @@ func TestPruneStates(t *testing.T) {
 			valsChanged := int64(0)
 			paramsChanged := int64(0)
 
-			for h := int64(1); h <= tc.makeHeights; h++ {
+			for h := tc.startHeight; h <= tc.endHeight; h++ {
 				if valsChanged == 0 || h%10 == 2 {
 					valsChanged = h + 1 // Have to add 1, since NextValidators is what's stored
 				}
@@ -237,36 +239,44 @@ func TestPruneStates(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 
-			expectVals := sliceToMap(tc.expectVals)
-			expectParams := sliceToMap(tc.expectParams)
-			expectABCI := sliceToMap(tc.expectABCI)
+			for h := tc.pruneHeight; h <= tc.endHeight; h++ {
+				vals, err := stateStore.LoadValidators(h)
+				require.NoError(t, err, h)
+				require.NotNil(t, vals, h)
+
+				params, err := stateStore.LoadConsensusParams(h)
+				require.NoError(t, err, h)
+				require.NotNil(t, params, h)
+
+				abci, err := stateStore.LoadABCIResponses(h)
+				require.NoError(t, err, h)
+				require.NotNil(t, abci, h)
+			}
 
-			for h := int64(1); h <= tc.makeHeights; h++ {
+			emptyParams := types.ConsensusParams{}
+
+			for h := tc.startHeight; h < tc.pruneHeight; h++ {
 				vals, err := stateStore.LoadValidators(h)
-				if expectVals[h] {
-					require.NoError(t, err, "validators height %v", h)
-					require.NotNil(t, vals)
+				if h == tc.remainingValSetHeight {
+					require.NoError(t, err, h)
+					require.NotNil(t, vals, h)
 				} else {
-					require.Error(t, err, "validators height %v", h)
-					require.Equal(t, sm.ErrNoValSetForHeight{Height: h}, err)
+					require.Error(t, err, h)
+					require.Nil(t, vals, h)
 				}
 
 				params, err := stateStore.LoadConsensusParams(h)
-				if expectParams[h] {
-					require.NoError(t, err, "params height %v", h)
-					require.False(t, params.Equals(&types.ConsensusParams{}), "params should not be empty")
+				if h == tc.remainingParamsHeight {
+					require.NoError(t, err, h)
+					require.NotEqual(t, emptyParams, params, h)
 				} else {
-					require.Error(t, err, "params height %v", h)
+					require.Error(t, err, h)
+					require.Equal(t, emptyParams, params, h)
 				}
 
 				abci, err := stateStore.LoadABCIResponses(h)
-				if expectABCI[h] {
-					require.NoError(t, err, "abci height %v", h)
-					require.NotNil(t, abci)
-				} else {
-					require.Error(t, err, "abci height %v", h)
-					require.Equal(t, sm.ErrNoABCIResponsesForHeight{Height: h}, err)
-				}
+				require.Error(t, err, h)
+				require.Nil(t, abci, h)
 			}
 		})
 	}
@@ -293,11 +303,3 @@ func TestABCIResponsesResultsHash(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.NoError(t, proof.Verify(root, bz))
 }
-
-func sliceToMap(s []int64) map[int64]bool {
-	m := make(map[int64]bool, len(s))
-	for _, i := range s {
-		m[i] = true
-	}
-	return m
-}
diff --git a/store/store.go b/store/store.go
index 6d1ac870f..ed335c3c8 100644
--- a/store/store.go
+++ b/store/store.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package store
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"strconv"
 
@@ -315,99 +316,111 @@ func (bs *BlockStore) PruneBlocks(height int64) (uint64, error) {
 
 	// remove block meta first as this is used to indicate whether the block exists.
 	// For this reason, we also use ony block meta as a measure of the amount of blocks pruned
-	pruned, err := bs.batchDelete(blockMetaKey(0), blockMetaKey(height), removeBlockHash)
+	pruned, err := bs.pruneRange(blockMetaKey(0), blockMetaKey(height), removeBlockHash)
 	if err != nil {
 		return pruned, err
 	}
 
-	if _, err := bs.batchDelete(blockPartKey(0, 0), blockPartKey(height, 0), nil); err != nil {
+	if _, err := bs.pruneRange(blockPartKey(0, 0), blockPartKey(height, 0), nil); err != nil {
 		return pruned, err
 	}
 
-	if _, err := bs.batchDelete(blockCommitKey(0), blockCommitKey(height), nil); err != nil {
+	if _, err := bs.pruneRange(blockCommitKey(0), blockCommitKey(height), nil); err != nil {
 		return pruned, err
 	}
 
-	if _, err := bs.batchDelete(seenCommitKey(0), seenCommitKey(height), nil); err != nil {
+	if _, err := bs.pruneRange(seenCommitKey(0), seenCommitKey(height), nil); err != nil {
 		return pruned, err
 	}
 
 	return pruned, nil
 }
 
-// batchDelete is a generic function for deleting a range of values based on the lowest
+// pruneRange is a generic function for deleting a range of values based on the lowest
 // height up to but excluding retainHeight. For each key/value pair, an optional hook can be
-// executed before the deletion itself is made
-func (bs *BlockStore) batchDelete(
+// executed before the deletion itself is made. pruneRange will use batch delete to delete
+// keys in batches of at most 1000 keys.
+func (bs *BlockStore) pruneRange(
 	start []byte,
 	end []byte,
 	preDeletionHook func(key, value []byte, batch dbm.Batch) error,
 ) (uint64, error) {
+	var (
+		err         error
+		pruned      uint64
+		totalPruned uint64 = 0
+	)
+
+	batch := bs.db.NewBatch()
+	defer batch.Close()
+
+	pruned, start, err = bs.batchDelete(batch, start, end, preDeletionHook)
+	if err != nil {
+		return totalPruned, err
+	}
+
+	// loop until we have finished iterating over all the keys by writing, opening a new batch
+	// and incrementing through the next range of keys.
+	for !bytes.Equal(start, end) {
+		if err := batch.Write(); err != nil {
+			return totalPruned, err
+		}
+
+		totalPruned += pruned
+
+		if err := batch.Close(); err != nil {
+			return totalPruned, err
+		}
+
+		batch = bs.db.NewBatch()
+
+		pruned, start, err = bs.batchDelete(batch, start, end, preDeletionHook)
+		if err != nil {
+			return totalPruned, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// once we looped over all keys we do a final flush to disk
+	if err := batch.WriteSync(); err != nil {
+		return totalPruned, err
+	}
+	totalPruned += pruned
+	return totalPruned, nil
+}
+
+// batchDelete runs an iterator over a set of keys, first preforming a pre deletion hook before adding it to the batch.
+// The function ends when either 1000 keys have been added to the batch or the iterator has reached the end.
+func (bs *BlockStore) batchDelete(
+	batch dbm.Batch,
+	start, end []byte,
+	preDeletionHook func(key, value []byte, batch dbm.Batch) error,
+) (uint64, []byte, error) {
+	var pruned uint64 = 0
 	iter, err := bs.db.Iterator(start, end)
 	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
+		return pruned, start, err
 	}
 	defer iter.Close()
 
-	batch := bs.db.NewBatch()
-	defer batch.Close()
-
-	pruned := uint64(0)
-	flushed := pruned
-	for iter.Valid() {
+	for ; iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
 		key := iter.Key()
 		if preDeletionHook != nil {
 			if err := preDeletionHook(key, iter.Value(), batch); err != nil {
-				return flushed, err
+				return 0, start, fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", iter.Key(), err)
 			}
 		}
 
 		if err := batch.Delete(key); err != nil {
-			return flushed, fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", iter.Key(), err)
+			return 0, start, fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", iter.Key(), err)
 		}
 
 		pruned++
-		// avoid batches growing too large by flushing to database regularly
-		if pruned%1000 == 0 {
-			if err := iter.Error(); err != nil {
-				return flushed, err
-			}
-			if err := iter.Close(); err != nil {
-				return flushed, err
-			}
-
-			err := batch.Write()
-			if err != nil {
-				return flushed, fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", iter.Key(), err)
-			}
-			if err := batch.Close(); err != nil {
-				return flushed, err
-			}
-			flushed = pruned
-
-			iter, err = bs.db.Iterator(start, end)
-			if err != nil {
-				panic(err)
-			}
-			defer iter.Close()
-
-			batch = bs.db.NewBatch()
-			defer batch.Close()
-		} else {
-			iter.Next()
+		if pruned == 1000 {
+			return pruned, iter.Key(), iter.Error()
 		}
 	}
-	flushed = pruned
-	if err := iter.Error(); err != nil {
-		return flushed, err
-	}
-
-	err = batch.WriteSync()
-	if err != nil {
-		return flushed, fmt.Errorf("pruning error at key %X: %w", iter.Key(), err)
-	}
 
-	return flushed, nil
+	return pruned, end, iter.Error()
 }
 
 // SaveBlock persists the given block, blockParts, and seenCommit to the underlying db.