diff --git a/applications/utilities/parallelProcessing/decomposePar/decomposePar.C b/applications/utilities/parallelProcessing/decomposePar/decomposePar.C
index f95e42516e..a73bbbb204 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/parallelProcessing/decomposePar/decomposePar.C
+++ b/applications/utilities/parallelProcessing/decomposePar/decomposePar.C
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   =========                 |
   \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
    \\    /   O peration     |
-    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2011-2017 OpenFOAM Foundation
+    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2011-2018 OpenFOAM Foundation
      \\/     M anipulation  |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 License
@@ -287,23 +287,24 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     // Set time from database
     #include "createTime.H"
 
-    fileName dictPath;
-
     // Check if the dictionary is specified on the command-line
+    fileName dictPath = fileName::null;
     if (args.optionFound("dict"))
     {
         dictPath = args["dict"];
 
-        dictPath =
-        (
-            isDir(dictPath)
-          ? dictPath/dictName
-          : dictPath
-        );
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        dictPath = runTime.path()/"system"/dictName;
+        if (!isFile(dictPath))
+        {
+            dictPath = dictPath/dictName;
+        }
+
+        if (!isFile(dictPath))
+        {
+            FatalErrorInFunction
+                << "Specified -dict " << args["dict"] << " but neither "
+                << args["dict"] << " nor " << args["dict"]/dictName
+                << " could be found" << nl << exit(FatalError);
+        }
     }
 
     // Allow override of time
@@ -352,28 +353,37 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
         Info<< "\n\nDecomposing mesh " << regionName << nl << endl;
 
-
         // Determine the existing processor count directly
         label nProcs = fileHandler().nProcs(runTime.path(), regionDir);
 
+        // Get the dictionary IO
+        const IOobject dictIO
+        (
+            dictPath == fileName::null
+          ? IOobject
+            (
+                dictName,
+                runTime.time().system(),
+                regionDir, // use region if non-standard
+                runTime,
+                IOobject::MUST_READ_IF_MODIFIED,
+                IOobject::NO_WRITE,
+                false
+            )
+          : IOobject
+            (
+                dictPath,
+                runTime,
+                IOobject::MUST_READ_IF_MODIFIED,
+                IOobject::NO_WRITE,
+                false
+            )
+        );
+
         // Get requested numberOfSubdomains. Note: have no mesh yet so
         // cannot use decompositionModel::New
-        const label nDomains = readLabel
-        (
-            IOdictionary
-            (
-                IOobject
-                (
-                    dictName,
-                    runTime.time().system(),
-                    regionDir,          // use region if non-standard
-                    runTime,
-                    IOobject::MUST_READ_IF_MODIFIED,
-                    IOobject::NO_WRITE,
-                    false
-                )
-            ).lookup("numberOfSubdomains")
-        );
+        const label nDomains =
+            readLabel(IOdictionary(dictIO).lookup("numberOfSubdomains"));
 
         if (decomposeFieldsOnly)
         {
@@ -465,7 +475,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
                 IOobject::NO_WRITE,
                 false
             ),
-            dictPath
+            dictIO.objectPath()
         );
 
         // Decompose the mesh
@@ -477,7 +487,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
                 fileOperations::collatedFileOperation::maxThreadFileBufferSize;
             fileOperations::collatedFileOperation::maxThreadFileBufferSize = 0;
 
-            mesh.decomposeMesh(dictPath);
+            mesh.decomposeMesh(dictIO.objectPath());
 
             mesh.writeDecomposition(decomposeSets);