diff --git a/CHANGES.rst b/CHANGES.rst
index 676e58b1..2154362e 100644
--- a/CHANGES.rst
+++ b/CHANGES.rst
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ Changes
 
 Features / Changes
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-* n/a
+* Allow startup `Service` registration to update the ``type`` field if a change is detected when loading ``providers``
+  configurations. Note that modifying ``type`` of a `Service` with existing `Resource` or `Permission` definitions on
+  the `Service` itself or any of its children could break the `Magpie` instance if those definitions are not compatible.
 
 Bug Fixes
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/magpie/register.py b/magpie/register.py
index 20870416..7122c6b4 100644
--- a/magpie/register.py
+++ b/magpie/register.py
@@ -494,8 +494,15 @@ def _magpie_register_services_with_db_session(services_dict, db_session, push_to
                           .format(url=svc.url, svc=svc_name), logger=LOGGER)
             else:
                 print_log("Service URL update [{url_old}] => [{url_new}] ({svc})"
-                          .format(url_old=svc.url, url_new=svc_new_url, svc=svc_name), logger=LOGGER)
+                          .format(url_old=svc.url, url_new=svc_new_url, svc=svc_name),
+                          logger=LOGGER, level=logging.WARN)
                 svc.url = svc_new_url
+            if svc.type != svc_type:
+                print_log("Service type update [{type_old}] => [{type_new}] ({svc}). "
+                          "If children resources/permissions are not compatible, this could break the instance."
+                          .format(type_old=svc.type, type_new=svc_type, svc=svc_name),
+                          logger=LOGGER, level=logging.WARN)
+                svc.type = svc_type
             svc.sync_type = svc_sync_type
             svc.configuration = svc_config
         elif not force_update and svc_name in existing_services_names: