diff --git a/lemur/factory.py b/lemur/factory.py
index 2029667a..1adc18c5 100644
--- a/lemur/factory.py
+++ b/lemur/factory.py
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ def configure_logging(app):
     app.logger.addHandler(handler)
 
     stream_handler = StreamHandler()
-    stream_handler.setLevel(app.config.get('LOG_LEVEL'))
+    stream_handler.setLevel(app.config.get('LOG_LEVEL', 'DEBUG'))
     app.logger.addHandler(stream_handler)