diff --git a/internal/api/handlers.go b/internal/api/handlers.go
index 6737b30..2013487 100644
--- a/internal/api/handlers.go
+++ b/internal/api/handlers.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func NewGoCertRouter(env *Environment) http.Handler {
 
 	router := http.NewServeMux()
 	router.HandleFunc("POST /login", Login(env))
-	router.HandleFunc("/status", HealthCheck)
+	router.HandleFunc("/status", HealthCheck(env))
 	router.Handle("/metrics", m.Handler)
 	router.Handle("/api/v1/", http.StripPrefix("/api/v1", apiV1Router))
 	router.Handle("/", frontendHandler)
@@ -86,9 +86,25 @@ func newFrontendFileServer() http.Handler {
 	})
 }
 
-// the health check endpoint simply returns a http.StatusOK
-func HealthCheck(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK) //nolint:errcheck
+// the health check endpoint returns a http.StatusOK alongside info about the server
+// initialized means the first user has been created
+func HealthCheck(env *Environment) http.HandlerFunc {
+	return func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		users, err := env.DB.RetrieveAllUsers()
+		if err != nil {
+			logErrorAndWriteResponse("couldn't generate status", http.StatusInternalServerError, w)
+			return
+		}
+		response, err := json.Marshal(map[string]any{
+			"initialized": len(users) > 0,
+		})
+		if err != nil {
+			logErrorAndWriteResponse("couldn't generate status", http.StatusInternalServerError, w)
+			return
+		}
+		w.Write(response)            //nolint:errcheck
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK) //nolint:errcheck
+	}
 }
 
 // GetCertificateRequests returns all of the Certificate Requests
@@ -379,7 +395,6 @@ func PostUserAccount(env *Environment) http.HandlerFunc {
 			logErrorAndWriteResponse(err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError, w)
 			return
 		}
-
 		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusCreated)
 		response, err := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"id": id})
@@ -400,6 +415,17 @@ func PostUserAccount(env *Environment) http.HandlerFunc {
 func DeleteUserAccount(env *Environment) http.HandlerFunc {
 	return func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		id := r.PathValue("id")
+		user, err := env.DB.RetrieveUser(id)
+		if err != nil {
+			if !errors.Is(err, certdb.ErrIdNotFound) {
+				logErrorAndWriteResponse(err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError, w)
+				return
+			}
+		}
+		if user.Permissions == 1 {
+			logErrorAndWriteResponse("deleting an Admin account is not allowed.", http.StatusBadRequest, w)
+			return
+		}
 		insertId, err := env.DB.DeleteUser(id)
 		if err != nil {
 			if errors.Is(err, certdb.ErrIdNotFound) {
diff --git a/internal/api/handlers_test.go b/internal/api/handlers_test.go
index 8e0eb33..7635abe 100644
--- a/internal/api/handlers_test.go
+++ b/internal/api/handlers_test.go
@@ -761,8 +761,8 @@ func TestAuthorization(t *testing.T) {
 			path:     "/api/v1/accounts/1",
 			data:     "",
 			auth:     adminToken,
-			response: "error: can't delete admin account",
-			status:   http.StatusConflict,
+			response: "error: deleting an Admin account is not allowed.",
+			status:   http.StatusBadRequest,
 		},
 		{
 			desc:     "admin can delete nonuser",
diff --git a/internal/api/middleware.go b/internal/api/middleware.go
index f74657a..86dbd75 100644
--- a/internal/api/middleware.go
+++ b/internal/api/middleware.go
@@ -128,10 +128,6 @@ func authMiddleware(ctx *middlewareContext) middleware {
 					return
 				}
 			}
-			if r.Method == "DELETE" && strings.HasSuffix(r.URL.Path, "accounts/1") {
-				logErrorAndWriteResponse("can't delete admin account", http.StatusConflict, w)
-				return
-			}
 			next.ServeHTTP(w, r)
 		})
 	}