diff --git a/.changelog/3882.txt b/.changelog/3882.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..de20a905be4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/3882.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+sql: fixed an issue where `google_sql_database_instance` would throw an error when removing `private_network`. Removing `private_network` now recreates the resource.
+```
diff --git a/google/resource_sql_database_instance.go b/google/resource_sql_database_instance.go
index d1b631ec575..0056b6e057d 100644
--- a/google/resource_sql_database_instance.go
+++ b/google/resource_sql_database_instance.go
@@ -96,7 +96,8 @@ func resourceSqlDatabaseInstance() *schema.Resource {
 		},
 
 		CustomizeDiff: customdiff.All(
-			customdiff.ForceNewIfChange("settings.0.disk_size", isDiskShrinkage)),
+			customdiff.ForceNewIfChange("settings.0.disk_size", isDiskShrinkage),
+			privateNetworkCustomizeDiff),
 
 		Schema: map[string]*schema.Schema{
 			"region": {
@@ -602,6 +603,18 @@ func isFirstGen(d *schema.ResourceData) bool {
 	return !regexp.MustCompile("db*").Match([]byte(tier))
 }
 
+// Makes private_network ForceNew if it is changing from set to nil. The API returns an error
+// if this change is attempted in-place.
+func privateNetworkCustomizeDiff(d *schema.ResourceDiff, meta interface{}) error {
+	old, new := d.GetChange("settings.0.ip_configuration.0.private_network")
+
+	if old != "" && new == "" {
+		d.ForceNew("settings.0.ip_configuration.0.private_network")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func resourceSqlDatabaseInstanceCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
 	config := meta.(*Config)