diff --git a/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease.go b/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease.go
index b04fc276baea..3586b2b17b8e 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease.go
@@ -1586,17 +1586,20 @@ func (m *Manager) checkRangeFeedStatus(ctx context.Context) (forceRefresh bool)
 // range feed progress / recovery, and supporting legacy expiry
 // based leases.
 func (m *Manager) RunBackgroundLeasingTask(ctx context.Context) {
-	_ = m.stopper.RunAsyncTask(ctx, "lease-refresher", func(ctx context.Context) {
-		refreshTimerDuration := LeaseDuration.Get(&m.storage.settings.SV)
-		renewalsDisabled := false
-		if refreshTimerDuration <= 0 {
+	renewalsDisabled := false
+	getRefreshTimerDuration := func() time.Duration {
+		if LeaseDuration.Get(&m.storage.settings.SV) <= 0 {
 			// Session based leasing still needs a refresh loop to expire
 			// leases, so we will execute that without any renewals.
-			refreshTimerDuration = time.Millisecond * 200
 			renewalsDisabled = true
+			return 200 * time.Millisecond
 		} else {
-			refreshTimerDuration = m.storage.jitteredLeaseDuration()
+			renewalsDisabled = false
+			return m.storage.jitteredLeaseDuration()
 		}
+	}
+	_ = m.stopper.RunAsyncTask(ctx, "lease-refresher", func(ctx context.Context) {
+		refreshTimerDuration := getRefreshTimerDuration()
 		var refreshTimer timeutil.Timer
 		defer refreshTimer.Stop()
 		refreshTimer.Reset(refreshTimerDuration / 2)
@@ -1633,7 +1636,7 @@ func (m *Manager) RunBackgroundLeasingTask(ctx context.Context) {
 				m.refreshSomeLeases(ctx, true /*refreshAll*/)
 			case <-refreshTimer.C:
 				refreshTimer.Read = true
-				refreshTimer.Reset(m.storage.jitteredLeaseDuration() / 2)
+				refreshTimer.Reset(getRefreshTimerDuration() / 2)
 
 				// Check for any react to any range feed availability problems, and
 				// if needed refresh the full set of descriptors.
diff --git a/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease_test.go b/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease_test.go
index d50ba16b7e5a..585196aefcee 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/catalog/lease/lease_test.go
@@ -3675,7 +3675,7 @@ func TestLeaseDescriptorRangeFeedFailure(t *testing.T) {
 						// so the update is detected.
 						if p.Params.ExecutionPhase == scop.PostCommitPhase &&
 							enableAfterStageKnob.Load() &&
-							strings.Contains(p.Statements[0].Statement, "ADD COLUMN") {
+							strings.Contains(p.Statements[0].Statement, "ALTER TABLE t1 ADD COLUMN j INT DEFAULT 64") {
 							rangeFeedResetChan = srv.ApplicationLayer(1).LeaseManager().(*lease.Manager).TestingSetDisableRangeFeedCheckpointFn(true)
 						}
 						return nil
@@ -3685,7 +3685,7 @@ func TestLeaseDescriptorRangeFeedFailure(t *testing.T) {
 						// so the update is detected.
 						if p.Params.ExecutionPhase == scop.PostCommitPhase &&
 							enableAfterStageKnob.Load() &&
-							strings.Contains(p.Statements[0].Statement, "ADD COLUMN") {
+							strings.Contains(p.Statements[0].Statement, "ALTER TABLE t1 ADD COLUMN j INT DEFAULT 64") {
 							<-rangeFeedResetChan
 							srv.ApplicationLayer(1).LeaseManager().(*lease.Manager).TestingSetDisableRangeFeedCheckpointFn(false)
 							enableAfterStageKnob.Swap(false)