diff --git a/web/src/components/FOI/Home/utils.js b/web/src/components/FOI/Home/utils.js
index ef736a94..5f7e7dda 100644
--- a/web/src/components/FOI/Home/utils.js
+++ b/web/src/components/FOI/Home/utils.js
@@ -517,6 +517,9 @@ const constructPageFlagsForAddOrEdit = (
   pageFlags
 ) => {
   let pagesToUpdate = {};
+  if (annotationsInfo.section === undefined) {
+    return getValidObject(pagesToUpdate); // non redaction annotations do not need page flags automatically applied
+  }
   const foundBlank = ["", "  "].includes(annotationsInfo.section);
   const foundNR = annotationsInfo.section == "NR";
   // section with a valid number found
@@ -791,4 +794,4 @@ export const findNROrDuplicatePageFlag = (pageFlags, docObj, pageFlagTypes) => {
       return pageFlag;
     }
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}