diff --git a/src/chunktransformer.ts b/src/chunktransformer.ts
index 6404beada..986ceaf6f 100644
--- a/src/chunktransformer.ts
+++ b/src/chunktransformer.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 import {Transform, TransformOptions} from 'stream';
 import {Bytes, Mutation} from './mutation';
+import {TableUtils} from './utils/table';
 
 export type Value = string | number | boolean | Uint8Array;
 
@@ -259,6 +260,11 @@ export class ChunkTransformer extends Transform {
       errorMessage = 'A new row cannot be reset';
     } else if (lastRowKey === newRowKey) {
       errorMessage = 'A commit happened but the same key followed';
+    } else if (
+      typeof lastRowKey !== 'undefined' &&
+      TableUtils.lessThanOrEqualTo(newRowKey as string, lastRowKey as string)
+    ) {
+      errorMessage = 'A row key must be strictly increasing';
     } else if (!chunk.familyName) {
       errorMessage = 'A family must be set';
     } else if (chunk.qualifier === null || chunk.qualifier === undefined) {
diff --git a/src/table.ts b/src/table.ts
index 71b3f7e3d..e744c9855 100644
--- a/src/table.ts
+++ b/src/table.ts
@@ -786,18 +786,6 @@ Please use the format 'prezzy' or '${instance.name}/tables/prezzy'.`);
       };
 
       if (lastRowKey) {
-        // TODO: lhs and rhs type shouldn't be string, it could be
-        // string, number, Uint8Array, boolean. Fix the type
-        // and clean up the casting.
-        const lessThan = (lhs: string, rhs: string) => {
-          const lhsBytes = Mutation.convertToBytes(lhs);
-          const rhsBytes = Mutation.convertToBytes(rhs);
-          return (lhsBytes as Buffer).compare(rhsBytes as Uint8Array) === -1;
-        };
-        const greaterThan = (lhs: string, rhs: string) => lessThan(rhs, lhs);
-        const lessThanOrEqualTo = (lhs: string, rhs: string) =>
-          !greaterThan(lhs, rhs);
-
         // Readjust and/or remove ranges based on previous valid row reads.
         // Iterate backward since items may need to be removed.
         for (let index = ranges.length - 1; index >= 0; index--) {
@@ -810,11 +798,14 @@ Please use the format 'prezzy' or '${instance.name}/tables/prezzy'.`);
             : range.end;
           const startKeyIsRead =
             !startValue ||
-            lessThanOrEqualTo(startValue as string, lastRowKey as string);
+            TableUtils.lessThanOrEqualTo(
+              startValue as string,
+              lastRowKey as string
+            );
           const endKeyIsNotRead =
             !endValue ||
             (endValue as Buffer).length === 0 ||
-            lessThan(lastRowKey as string, endValue as string);
+            TableUtils.lessThan(lastRowKey as string, endValue as string);
           if (startKeyIsRead) {
             if (endKeyIsNotRead) {
               // EndKey is not read, reset the range to start from lastRowKey open
@@ -831,7 +822,7 @@ Please use the format 'prezzy' or '${instance.name}/tables/prezzy'.`);
 
         // Remove rowKeys already read.
         rowKeys = rowKeys.filter(rowKey =>
-          greaterThan(rowKey, lastRowKey as string)
+          TableUtils.greaterThan(rowKey, lastRowKey as string)
         );
 
         // If there was a row limit in the original request and
diff --git a/src/utils/table.ts b/src/utils/table.ts
index af82695d6..8785ad516 100644
--- a/src/utils/table.ts
+++ b/src/utils/table.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 // limitations under the License.
 
 import {GetRowsOptions, PrefixRange} from '../table';
+import {Mutation} from '../mutation';
 
 export class TableUtils {
   static getRanges(options: GetRowsOptions) {
@@ -49,6 +50,23 @@ export class TableUtils {
     return ranges;
   }
 
+  // TODO: lhs and rhs type shouldn't be string, it could be
+  // string, number, Uint8Array, boolean. Fix the type
+  // and clean up the casting.
+  static lessThan(lhs: string, rhs: string) {
+    const lhsBytes = Mutation.convertToBytes(lhs);
+    const rhsBytes = Mutation.convertToBytes(rhs);
+    return (lhsBytes as Buffer).compare(rhsBytes as Uint8Array) === -1;
+  }
+
+  static greaterThan(lhs: string, rhs: string) {
+    return this.lessThan(rhs, lhs);
+  }
+
+  static lessThanOrEqualTo(lhs: string, rhs: string) {
+    return !this.greaterThan(lhs, rhs);
+  }
+
   static createPrefixRange(start: string): PrefixRange {
     const prefix = start.replace(new RegExp('[\xff]+$'), '');
     let endKey = '';
diff --git a/testproxy/services/read-rows.js b/testproxy/services/read-rows.js
index dfae9e4e0..809cc3e5c 100644
--- a/testproxy/services/read-rows.js
+++ b/testproxy/services/read-rows.js
@@ -65,12 +65,15 @@ const readRows = ({clientMap}) =>
     const bigtable = clientMap.get(clientId);
     const table = getTableInfo(bigtable, tableName);
     const rowsOptions = getRowsOptions(readRowsRequest);
-    const [rows] = await table.getRows(rowsOptions);
-
-    return {
-      status: {code: grpc.status.OK, details: []},
-      row: rows.map(getRowResponse),
-    };
+    try {
+      const [rows] = await table.getRows(rowsOptions);
+      return {
+        status: {code: grpc.status.OK, details: []},
+        row: rows.map(getRowResponse),
+      };
+    } catch (e) {
+      return {status: e};
+    }
   });
 
 module.exports = readRows;