diff --git a/frigate/test/test_builtin.py b/frigate/test/test_builtin.py
index 7cf47de5c6..1391c0eec7 100644
--- a/frigate/test/test_builtin.py
+++ b/frigate/test/test_builtin.py
@@ -36,6 +36,31 @@ class TestEventsPerSecond(unittest.TestCase):
             clock[0] += 100.0
             self.assertEqual(eps.eps(), 0.0)
 
+    def test_burst_after_start_is_not_divided_by_a_tiny_window(self) -> None:
+        eps = EventsPerSecond(last_n_seconds=10)
+        clock = [1000.0]
+        with patch("frigate.util.builtin.time.monotonic", side_effect=lambda: clock[0]):
+            eps.start()
+            # eleven buffered frames arrive within 100 ms of starting
+            for _ in range(11):
+                clock[0] += 0.01
+                eps.update()
+            # 11 events over less than a second is at most 11 per second
+            self.assertLessEqual(eps.eps(), 11.0)
+
+    def test_subsecond_window_keeps_its_rate(self) -> None:
+        eps = EventsPerSecond(last_n_seconds=0.5)
+        clock = [1000.0]
+        with patch("frigate.util.builtin.time.monotonic", side_effect=lambda: clock[0]):
+            eps.start()
+            # twenty events per second for two seconds
+            for _ in range(40):
+                clock[0] += 0.05
+                eps.update()
+            # read between events, so none sits exactly on the window edge
+            clock[0] += 0.01
+            self.assertAlmostEqual(eps.eps(), 20.0)
+
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/frigate/util/builtin.py b/frigate/util/builtin.py
index fbc53e2cd9..7b93ca8183 100644
--- a/frigate/util/builtin.py
+++ b/frigate/util/builtin.py
@@ -56,10 +56,13 @@ class EventsPerSecond:
             self._start = now
         # compute the (approximate) events in the last n seconds
         self.expire_timestamps(now)
-        seconds = min(now - self._start, self._last_n_seconds)
-        # avoid divide by zero
-        if seconds == 0:
-            seconds = 1
+        # rate over at least one second (or the whole window, if shorter),
+        # so a burst of events right after start() is not divided by a
+        # tiny window
+        seconds = max(
+            min(now - self._start, self._last_n_seconds),
+            min(1.0, self._last_n_seconds),
+        )
         return len(self._timestamps) / seconds
 
     # remove aged out timestamps