diff --git a/app/helpers/utils.py b/app/helpers/utils.py
index 7bacad1..2741a7b 100644
--- a/app/helpers/utils.py
+++ b/app/helpers/utils.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 from flask import request
 
 from app.settings import KML_FILE_CONTENT_TYPE
+from app.settings import KML_MAX_SIZE
 from app.settings import KML_STORAGE_HOST_URL
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -78,24 +79,14 @@ def wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
     return inner_decorator
 
 
-def validate_content_length(max_length):
-
-    def inner_decorator(func):
-
-        @wraps(func)
-        def wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
-            if request.content_length > max_length:
-                logger.error(
-                    'Payload too large: payload=%s MB, max_allowed=%s MB',
-                    bytes_conversion(request.content_length, 'MB'),
-                    bytes_conversion(max_length, 'MB'),
-                )
-                abort(413, "Payload too large")
-            return func(*args, **kwargs)
-
-        return wrapped
-
-    return inner_decorator
+def validate_content_length(file_content, max_length):
+    if len(file_content) > max_length:
+        logger.error(
+            'Payload too large: payload=%s MB, max_allowed=%s MB',
+            bytes_conversion(request.content_length, 'MB'),
+            bytes_conversion(max_length, 'MB'),
+        )
+        abort(413, "KML file too large")
 
 
 def validate_kml_string(kml_string):
@@ -147,7 +138,9 @@ def validate_kml_file():
             KML_FILE_CONTENT_TYPE
         )
         abort(415, "Unsupported KML media type")
-    file_content = decompress_if_gzipped(file)
+    file_content = file.read()
+    validate_content_length(file_content, KML_MAX_SIZE)
+    file_content = decompress_if_gzipped(file_content)
     try:
         if 'charset' in file.mimetype_params:
             quoted_data = file_content.decode(file.mimetype_params['charset'])
@@ -196,10 +189,9 @@ def gzip_string(string):
     return gzipped_data
 
 
-def decompress_if_gzipped(file):
+def decompress_if_gzipped(file_content):
     '''Returns the file content as bytes object, after unzipping the file if necessary'''
 
-    file_content = file.read()
     try:
         ret = gzip.decompress(file_content)
     except OSError as error:
diff --git a/app/routes.py b/app/routes.py
index 97c94a8..d8cf7d8 100644
--- a/app/routes.py
+++ b/app/routes.py
@@ -14,11 +14,9 @@
 from app.helpers.dynamodb import get_db
 from app.helpers.s3 import get_storage
 from app.helpers.utils import get_kml_file_link
-from app.helpers.utils import validate_content_length
 from app.helpers.utils import validate_content_type
 from app.helpers.utils import validate_kml_file
 from app.helpers.utils import validate_permissions
-from app.settings import KML_MAX_SIZE
 from app.settings import SCRIPT_NAME
 from app.version import APP_VERSION
 
@@ -35,7 +33,6 @@ def checker():
 
 @app.route('/admin', methods=['POST'])
 @validate_content_type("multipart/form-data")
-@validate_content_length(KML_MAX_SIZE)
 def create_kml():
     # Get the kml file data
     kml_string_gzip, empty = validate_kml_file()
@@ -124,7 +121,6 @@ def get_kml_metadata(kml_id):
 
 @app.route('/admin/<kml_id>', methods=['PUT'])
 @validate_content_type("multipart/form-data")
-@validate_content_length(KML_MAX_SIZE)
 def update_kml(kml_id):
     db = get_db()
 
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/base.py b/tests/unit_tests/base.py
index b380d8c..215741d 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/base.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/base.py
@@ -198,7 +198,8 @@ def assertKml(self, response, expected_kml_file):
         expected_kml_path = f'./tests/samples/{expected_kml_file}'
         # read the expected kml file
         with open(expected_kml_path, 'rb') as fd:
-            expected_kml = decompress_if_gzipped(fd).decode('utf-8')
+            content = fd.read()
+            expected_kml = decompress_if_gzipped(content).decode('utf-8')
         kml_id = response.json['id']
         item = self.dynamodb.Table(AWS_DB_TABLE_NAME).get_item(Key={
             'kml_id': kml_id
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ def assertKml(self, response, expected_kml_file):
             else:
                 self.fail(f'S3 client error: {error}')
 
-        body = decompress_if_gzipped((obj['Body']))
+        body = decompress_if_gzipped((obj['Body'].read()))
         self.assertEqual(body.decode('utf-8'), expected_kml)
 
     def get_s3_object(self, file_key):
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/test_routes.py b/tests/unit_tests/test_routes.py
index cb05cee..e71e2ce 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/test_routes.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/test_routes.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import logging
 import uuid
 from datetime import timedelta
+from unittest.mock import patch
 
 from flask import url_for
 
@@ -49,6 +50,19 @@ def test_valid_gzipped_kml_post(self):
         self.assertEqual(response.content_type, "application/json")  # pylint: disable=no-member
         self.assertKml(response, kml_file)
 
+    @patch('app.helpers.utils.KML_MAX_SIZE', 10)
+    def test_too_big_kml_post(self):
+        kml_file = 'valid-kml.xml'
+        response = self.app.post(
+            url_for('create_kml'),
+            data=prepare_kml_payload(kml_file=kml_file),
+            content_type="multipart/form-data",
+            headers=self.origin_headers["allowed"]
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 413)
+        self.assertCors(response, ['GET', 'HEAD', 'POST', 'OPTIONS'])
+        self.assertEqual(response.content_type, "application/json")  # pylint: disable=no-member
+
     def test_invalid_kml_post(self):
         response = self.app.post(
             url_for('create_kml'),