diff --git a/src/finit.c b/src/finit.c
index 67709761..aac922a1 100644
--- a/src/finit.c
+++ b/src/finit.c
@@ -387,6 +387,12 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
 			break;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * Initialize .conf system and load static /etc/finit.conf
+	 * Also initializes global_rlimit[] for udevd, below.
+	 */
+	conf_init();
+
 	/*
 	 * Some non-embedded systems without an initramfs may not have /dev mounted yet
 	 * If they do, check if system has udevadm and perform cleanup from initramfs
@@ -462,11 +468,6 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
 		}
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * Initialize .conf system and load static /etc/finit.conf 
-	 */
-	conf_init();
-
 	/*
 	 * Start built-in watchdog as soon as possible, if enabled
 	 */