diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/colorbar.py b/lib/matplotlib/colorbar.py
index 6d2121bdc1cd..c98a62abe11f 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/colorbar.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/colorbar.py
@@ -1212,17 +1212,16 @@ def _reset_locator_formatter_scale(self):
         self._minorlocator = None
         self._formatter = None
         self._minorformatter = None
-        if (isinstance(self.mappable, contour.ContourSet) and
-                isinstance(self.norm, colors.LogNorm)):
-            # if contours have lognorm, give them a log scale...
-            self._set_scale('log')
-        elif (self.boundaries is not None or
+        if (self.boundaries is not None or
                 isinstance(self.norm, colors.BoundaryNorm)):
             if self.spacing == 'uniform':
                 funcs = (self._forward_boundaries, self._inverse_boundaries)
                 self._set_scale('function', functions=funcs)
             elif self.spacing == 'proportional':
-                self._set_scale('linear')
+                if isinstance(self.norm, colors.LogNorm):
+                    self._set_scale('linear')
+                else:
+                    self._set_scale('log')
         elif getattr(self.norm, '_scale', None):
             # use the norm's scale (if it exists and is not None):
             self._set_scale(self.norm._scale)