diff --git a/privval/socket_dialers_test.go b/privval/socket_dialers_test.go
index 06510ab99..d9c3e3784 100644
--- a/privval/socket_dialers_test.go
+++ b/privval/socket_dialers_test.go
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/crypto/ed25519"
 	cmn "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/common"
 )
 
 func getDialerTestCases(t *testing.T) []dialerTestCase {
-	tcpAddr := fmt.Sprintf("tcp://%s", testFreeTCPAddr(t))
+	tcpAddr := GetFreeLocalhostAddrPort()
 	unixFilePath, err := testUnixAddr()
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	unixAddr := fmt.Sprintf("unix://%s", unixFilePath)
@@ -31,14 +32,16 @@ func getDialerTestCases(t *testing.T) []dialerTestCase {
 
 func TestIsConnTimeoutForFundamentalTimeouts(t *testing.T) {
 	// Generate a networking timeout
-	dialer := DialTCPFn(testFreeTCPAddr(t), time.Millisecond, ed25519.GenPrivKey())
+	tcpAddr := GetFreeLocalhostAddrPort()
+	dialer := DialTCPFn(tcpAddr, time.Millisecond, ed25519.GenPrivKey())
 	_, err := dialer()
 	assert.Error(t, err)
 	assert.True(t, IsConnTimeout(err))
 }
 
 func TestIsConnTimeoutForWrappedConnTimeouts(t *testing.T) {
-	dialer := DialTCPFn(testFreeTCPAddr(t), time.Millisecond, ed25519.GenPrivKey())
+	tcpAddr := GetFreeLocalhostAddrPort()
+	dialer := DialTCPFn(tcpAddr, time.Millisecond, ed25519.GenPrivKey())
 	_, err := dialer()
 	assert.Error(t, err)
 	err = cmn.ErrorWrap(ErrListenerTimeout, err.Error())
diff --git a/privval/utils.go b/privval/utils.go
index b4345ccac..8f94b0d80 100644
--- a/privval/utils.go
+++ b/privval/utils.go
@@ -49,3 +49,11 @@ func NewSignerListener(listenAddr string, logger log.Logger) (*SignerListenerEnd
 
 	return pve, nil
 }
+
+func GetFreeLocalhostAddrPort() string {
+	port, err := cmn.GetFreePort()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", port)
+}
diff --git a/privval/utils_test.go b/privval/utils_test.go
index 851c01ffc..b07186f6c 100644
--- a/privval/utils_test.go
+++ b/privval/utils_test.go
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@ package privval
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"net"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
 	cmn "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/common"
 )
 
@@ -14,12 +13,3 @@ func TestIsConnTimeoutForNonTimeoutErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.False(t, IsConnTimeout(cmn.ErrorWrap(ErrDialRetryMax, "max retries exceeded")))
 	assert.False(t, IsConnTimeout(fmt.Errorf("completely irrelevant error")))
 }
-
-// testFreeTCPAddr claims a free port so we don't block on listener being ready.
-func testFreeTCPAddr(t *testing.T) string {
-	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", "127.0.0.1:0")
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	defer ln.Close()
-
-	return fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port)
-}
diff --git a/tools/tm-signer-harness/internal/test_harness_test.go b/tools/tm-signer-harness/internal/test_harness_test.go
index 296b6d9c4..410ccbe46 100644
--- a/tools/tm-signer-harness/internal/test_harness_test.go
+++ b/tools/tm-signer-harness/internal/test_harness_test.go
@@ -3,19 +3,18 @@ package internal
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
-	"net"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/crypto"
-	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/privval"
-	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
-
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/crypto"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/crypto/ed25519"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/log"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/privval"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -159,7 +158,7 @@ func harnessTest(t *testing.T, rsMaker func(th *TestHarness) *privval.SignerDial
 
 func makeConfig(t *testing.T, acceptDeadline, acceptRetries int) TestHarnessConfig {
 	return TestHarnessConfig{
-		BindAddr:         testFreeTCPAddr(t),
+		BindAddr:         privval.GetFreeLocalhostAddrPort(),
 		KeyFile:          makeTempFile("tm-testharness-keyfile", keyFileContents),
 		StateFile:        makeTempFile("tm-testharness-statefile", stateFileContents),
 		GenesisFile:      makeTempFile("tm-testharness-genesisfile", genesisFileContents),
@@ -191,12 +190,3 @@ func makeTempFile(name, content string) string {
 	}
 	return tempFile.Name()
 }
-
-// testFreeTCPAddr claims a free port so we don't block on listener being ready.
-func testFreeTCPAddr(t *testing.T) string {
-	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", "127.0.0.1:0")
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	defer ln.Close()
-
-	return fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port)
-}