diff --git a/sqlx-core/src/pool/inner.rs b/sqlx-core/src/pool/inner.rs
index 4254aee325..58e0c1a7fa 100644
--- a/sqlx-core/src/pool/inner.rs
+++ b/sqlx-core/src/pool/inner.rs
@@ -370,7 +370,11 @@ impl<DB: Database> PoolInner<DB> {
                 }
 
                 // an IO error while connecting is assumed to be the system starting up
-                Ok(Err(Error::Io(e))) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused => (),
+                Ok(Err(Error::Io(e))) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused => {
+                    if self.options.return_con_refused {
+                        return Err(Error::Io(e));
+                    }
+                }
 
                 // We got a transient database error, retry.
                 Ok(Err(Error::Database(error))) if error.is_transient_in_connect_phase() => (),
diff --git a/sqlx-core/src/pool/options.rs b/sqlx-core/src/pool/options.rs
index 3d048f1795..89477985ac 100644
--- a/sqlx-core/src/pool/options.rs
+++ b/sqlx-core/src/pool/options.rs
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ pub struct PoolOptions<DB: Database> {
     pub(crate) max_connections: u32,
     pub(crate) acquire_time_level: LevelFilter,
     pub(crate) acquire_slow_level: LevelFilter,
+    pub(crate) return_con_refused: bool,
     pub(crate) acquire_slow_threshold: Duration,
     pub(crate) acquire_timeout: Duration,
     pub(crate) min_connections: u32,
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ impl<DB: Database> Clone for PoolOptions<DB> {
             acquire_time_level: self.acquire_time_level,
             acquire_slow_threshold: self.acquire_slow_threshold,
             acquire_slow_level: self.acquire_slow_level,
+            return_con_refused: self.return_con_refused,
             acquire_timeout: self.acquire_timeout,
             min_connections: self.min_connections,
             max_lifetime: self.max_lifetime,
@@ -154,6 +156,7 @@ impl<DB: Database> PoolOptions<DB> {
             acquire_time_level: LevelFilter::Off,
             // Default to warning, because an acquire timeout will be an error
             acquire_slow_level: LevelFilter::Warn,
+            return_con_refused: false,
             // Fast enough to catch problems (e.g. a full pool); slow enough
             // to not flag typical time to add a new connection to a pool.
             acquire_slow_threshold: Duration::from_secs(2),
@@ -229,6 +232,13 @@ impl<DB: Database> PoolOptions<DB> {
         self
     }
 
+    /// immediately return connection refused errors instead of hanging
+    /// until returning PoolTimedOut
+    pub fn return_con_refused(mut self, value: bool) -> Self {
+        self.return_con_refused = value;
+        self
+    }
+
     /// Set a threshold for reporting excessive time taken to acquire a connection from
     /// the connection pool via [`Pool::acquire()`]. When the threshold is exceeded, a warning is logged.
     ///