diff --git a/.github/workflows/minimal.yml b/.github/workflows/minimal.yml
index eb6ebd5d25..a87e374de7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/minimal.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/minimal.yml
@@ -22,12 +22,16 @@ jobs:
           activate-environment: minimal
     - name: Tests
       shell: "bash -l {0}"
+      env:
+        ZARR_V3_EXPERIMENTAL_API: 1
       run: |
         conda activate minimal
         python -m pip install .
         pytest -svx --timeout=300
     - name: Fixture generation
       shell: "bash -l {0}"
+      env:
+        ZARR_V3_EXPERIMENTAL_API: 1
       run: |
         conda activate minimal
         rm -rf fixture/
diff --git a/.github/workflows/python-package.yml b/.github/workflows/python-package.yml
index 2cc1de1769..37000350cb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/python-package.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/python-package.yml
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ jobs:
         ZARR_TEST_ABS: 1
         ZARR_TEST_MONGO: 1
         ZARR_TEST_REDIS: 1
-        ZARR_V3_API_AVAILABLE: 1
+        ZARR_V3_EXPERIMENTAL_API: 1
       run: |
         conda activate zarr-env
         mkdir ~/blob_emulator
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows-testing.yml b/.github/workflows/windows-testing.yml
index 0bb5c1da70..8c249a4db4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows-testing.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows-testing.yml
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ jobs:
           pytest -sv --timeout=300
         env:
           ZARR_TEST_ABS: 1
+          ZARR_V3_EXPERIMENTAL_API: 1
       - name: Conda info
         shell: bash -l {0}
         run: conda info
diff --git a/docs/release.rst b/docs/release.rst
index 0dbaacb8f7..09a0a4499c 100644
--- a/docs/release.rst
+++ b/docs/release.rst
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Enhancements
   package has the necessary classes and functions for evaluating Zarr V3.
   Since the format is not yet finalized, the classes and functions are not
   automatically imported into the regular `zarr` name space. Setting the
-  `ZARR_V3_API_AVAILABLE` environment variable will activate them.
+  `ZARR_V3_EXPERIMENTAL_API` environment variable will activate them.
   By :user:`Greggory Lee <grlee77>`; :issue:`898`, :issue:`1006`, and :issue:`1007`.
 
 * **Create FSStore from an existing fsspec filesystem**. If you have created
diff --git a/zarr/_storage/store.py b/zarr/_storage/store.py
index 152c9abd6b..36a5c0bff5 100644
--- a/zarr/_storage/store.py
+++ b/zarr/_storage/store.py
@@ -18,7 +18,15 @@
 
 DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION = 2
 
-v3_api_available = os.environ.get('ZARR_V3_API_AVAILABLE', '0').lower() not in ['0', 'false']
+v3_api_available = os.environ.get('ZARR_V3_EXPERIMENTAL_API', '0').lower() not in ['0', 'false']
+
+
+def assert_zarr_v3_api_available():
+    if not v3_api_available:
+        raise NotImplementedError(
+            "# V3 reading and writing is experimental! To enable support, set:\n"
+            "ZARR_V3_EXPERIMENTAL_API=1"
+        )  # pragma: no cover
 
 
 class BaseStore(MutableMapping):
diff --git a/zarr/convenience.py b/zarr/convenience.py
index 60e47dc339..93dc860477 100644
--- a/zarr/convenience.py
+++ b/zarr/convenience.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 import re
 from collections.abc import Mapping, MutableMapping
 
-from zarr._storage.store import data_root, meta_root
+from zarr._storage.store import data_root, meta_root, assert_zarr_v3_api_available
 from zarr.core import Array
 from zarr.creation import array as _create_array
 from zarr.creation import open_array
@@ -1209,6 +1209,8 @@ def is_zarr_key(key):
 
     else:
 
+        assert_zarr_v3_api_available()
+
         sfx = _get_metadata_suffix(store)  # type: ignore
 
         def is_zarr_key(key):
@@ -1288,6 +1290,7 @@ def open_consolidated(store: StoreLike, metadata_key=".zmetadata", mode="r+", **
     if store._store_version == 2:
         ConsolidatedStoreClass = ConsolidatedMetadataStore
     else:
+        assert_zarr_v3_api_available()
         ConsolidatedStoreClass = ConsolidatedMetadataStoreV3
         # default is to store within 'consolidated' group on v3
         if not metadata_key.startswith('meta/root/'):
diff --git a/zarr/core.py b/zarr/core.py
index a60269d2e9..6ce2fa8800 100644
--- a/zarr/core.py
+++ b/zarr/core.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 from numcodecs.compat import ensure_bytes, ensure_ndarray
 
-from zarr._storage.store import _prefix_to_attrs_key
+from zarr._storage.store import _prefix_to_attrs_key, assert_zarr_v3_api_available
 from zarr.attrs import Attributes
 from zarr.codecs import AsType, get_codec
 from zarr.errors import ArrayNotFoundError, ReadOnlyError, ArrayIndexError
@@ -171,6 +171,9 @@ def __init__(
         if zarr_version is None:
             zarr_version = store._store_version
 
+        if zarr_version != 2:
+            assert_zarr_v3_api_available()
+
         if chunk_store is not None:
             chunk_store = normalize_store_arg(chunk_store,
                                               zarr_version=zarr_version)
diff --git a/zarr/hierarchy.py b/zarr/hierarchy.py
index d92af08ffb..b9052408b4 100644
--- a/zarr/hierarchy.py
+++ b/zarr/hierarchy.py
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 
-from zarr._storage.store import _get_metadata_suffix, data_root, meta_root, DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION
+from zarr._storage.store import (_get_metadata_suffix, data_root, meta_root,
+                                 DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION, assert_zarr_v3_api_available)
 from zarr.attrs import Attributes
 from zarr.core import Array
 from zarr.creation import (array, create, empty, empty_like, full, full_like,
@@ -117,6 +118,10 @@ def __init__(self, store, path=None, read_only=False, chunk_store=None,
         store: BaseStore = _normalize_store_arg(store, zarr_version=zarr_version)
         if zarr_version is None:
             zarr_version = getattr(store, '_store_version', DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION)
+
+        if zarr_version != 2:
+            assert_zarr_v3_api_available()
+
         if chunk_store is not None:
             chunk_store: BaseStore = _normalize_store_arg(chunk_store, zarr_version=zarr_version)
         self._store = store
@@ -1178,6 +1183,10 @@ def _normalize_store_arg(store, *, storage_options=None, mode="r",
                          zarr_version=None):
     if zarr_version is None:
         zarr_version = getattr(store, '_store_version', DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION)
+
+    if zarr_version != 2:
+        assert_zarr_v3_api_available()
+
     if store is None:
         return MemoryStore() if zarr_version == 2 else MemoryStoreV3()
     return normalize_store_arg(store,
@@ -1234,6 +1243,10 @@ def group(store=None, overwrite=False, chunk_store=None,
     store = _normalize_store_arg(store, zarr_version=zarr_version)
     if zarr_version is None:
         zarr_version = getattr(store, '_store_version', DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION)
+
+    if zarr_version != 2:
+        assert_zarr_v3_api_available()
+
     if zarr_version == 3 and path is None:
         raise ValueError(f"path must be provided for a v{zarr_version} group")
     path = normalize_storage_path(path)
@@ -1305,6 +1318,10 @@ def open_group(store=None, mode='a', cache_attrs=True, synchronizer=None, path=N
         zarr_version=zarr_version)
     if zarr_version is None:
         zarr_version = getattr(store, '_store_version', DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION)
+
+    if zarr_version != 2:
+        assert_zarr_v3_api_available()
+
     if chunk_store is not None:
         chunk_store = _normalize_store_arg(chunk_store,
                                            storage_options=storage_options,
diff --git a/zarr/tests/test_convenience.py b/zarr/tests/test_convenience.py
index ce8f03d0da..d0d293a694 100644
--- a/zarr/tests/test_convenience.py
+++ b/zarr/tests/test_convenience.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
     meta_root,
     getsize,
 )
+from zarr._storage.store import v3_api_available
 from zarr._storage.v3 import (
     ConsolidatedMetadataStoreV3,
     DirectoryStoreV3,
@@ -44,6 +45,8 @@
 )
 from zarr.tests.util import have_fsspec
 
+_VERSIONS = v3_api_available and (2, 3) or (2,)
+
 
 def _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version):
     kwargs = {'zarr_version': zarr_version}
@@ -52,7 +55,7 @@ def _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version):
     return kwargs
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_open_array(path_type, zarr_version):
 
     store = tempfile.mkdtemp()
@@ -86,7 +89,7 @@ def test_open_array(path_type, zarr_version):
         open('doesnotexist', mode='r')
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", _VERSIONS)
 def test_open_group(path_type, zarr_version):
 
     store = tempfile.mkdtemp()
@@ -116,7 +119,7 @@ def test_open_group(path_type, zarr_version):
     assert g.read_only
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", _VERSIONS)
 def test_save_errors(zarr_version):
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         # no arrays provided
@@ -129,6 +132,7 @@ def test_save_errors(zarr_version):
         save('data/group.zarr', zarr_version=zarr_version)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 def test_zarr_v3_save_multiple_unnamed():
     x = np.ones(8)
     y = np.zeros(8)
@@ -142,6 +146,7 @@ def test_zarr_v3_save_multiple_unnamed():
     assert meta_root + 'dataset/arr_1.array.json' in store
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 def test_zarr_v3_save_errors():
     x = np.ones(8)
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
@@ -155,7 +160,7 @@ def test_zarr_v3_save_errors():
         save('data/group.zr3', x, zarr_version=3)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", _VERSIONS)
 def test_lazy_loader(zarr_version):
     foo = np.arange(100)
     bar = np.arange(100, 0, -1)
@@ -173,7 +178,7 @@ def test_lazy_loader(zarr_version):
     assert 'LazyLoader: ' in repr(loader)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", _VERSIONS)
 def test_load_array(zarr_version):
     foo = np.arange(100)
     bar = np.arange(100, 0, -1)
@@ -192,7 +197,7 @@ def test_load_array(zarr_version):
             assert_array_equal(bar, array)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("zarr_version", _VERSIONS)
 def test_tree(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     g1 = zarr.group(**kwargs)
@@ -205,7 +210,7 @@ def test_tree(zarr_version):
     assert str(zarr.tree(g1)) == str(g1.tree())
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('stores_from_path', [False, True])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     'with_chunk_store,listable',
@@ -531,6 +536,7 @@ def test_if_exists(self):
             copy_store(source, dest, if_exists='foobar')
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestCopyStoreV3(TestCopyStore):
 
     _version = 3
@@ -666,6 +672,7 @@ def test_copy_all():
     assert destination_group.subgroup.attrs["info"] == "sub attrs"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 def test_copy_all_v3():
     """
     https://github.com/zarr-developers/zarr-python/issues/269
@@ -931,6 +938,7 @@ def test_logging(self, source, dest, tmpdir):
             copy(source['foo'], dest, dry_run=True, log=True)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestCopyV3(TestCopy):
 
     @pytest.fixture(params=['zarr', 'hdf5'])
diff --git a/zarr/tests/test_core.py b/zarr/tests/test_core.py
index 2212b035c2..f5f043e6e3 100644
--- a/zarr/tests/test_core.py
+++ b/zarr/tests/test_core.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 from pkg_resources import parse_version
 
 from zarr._storage.store import (
+    v3_api_available,
     _prefix_to_array_key,
     _prefix_to_attrs_key,
     _prefix_to_group_key
@@ -2704,7 +2705,7 @@ def test_read_from_all_blocks(self):
 
 # Start with TestArrayWithPathV3 not TestArrayV3 since path must be supplied
 
-
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayV3(unittest.TestCase):
 
     version = 3
@@ -2734,6 +2735,7 @@ def test_prefix_exceptions(self):
             _prefix_to_attrs_key(store, '')
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithPathV3(TestArrayWithPath):
 
     version = 3
@@ -2868,6 +2870,7 @@ def test_nchunks_initialized(self):
         z.store.close()
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithChunkStoreV3(TestArrayWithChunkStore, TestArrayWithPathV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -2910,6 +2913,7 @@ def test_nbytes_stored(self):
         assert -1 == z.nbytes_stored
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithDirectoryStoreV3(TestArrayWithDirectoryStore, TestArrayWithPathV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -2937,6 +2941,7 @@ def test_nbytes_stored(self):
 
 
 @skip_test_env_var("ZARR_TEST_ABS")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithABSStoreV3(TestArrayWithABSStore, TestArrayWithPathV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -2961,6 +2966,7 @@ def create_array(self, array_path='arr1', read_only=False, **kwargs):
 # class TestArrayWithN5StoreV3(TestArrayWithDirectoryStoreV3):
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithDBMStoreV3(TestArrayWithDBMStore, TestArrayWithPathV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -2980,6 +2986,7 @@ def test_nbytes_stored(self):
         pass  # not implemented
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithDBMStoreV3BerkeleyDB(TestArrayWithDBMStoreBerkeleyDB, TestArrayWithPathV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3000,6 +3007,7 @@ def test_nbytes_stored(self):
         pass  # not implemented
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithLMDBStoreV3(TestArrayWithLMDBStore, TestArrayWithPathV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3023,6 +3031,7 @@ def test_nbytes_stored(self):
         pass  # not implemented
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithLMDBStoreV3NoBuffers(TestArrayWithLMDBStoreNoBuffers, TestArrayWithPathV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3043,6 +3052,7 @@ def test_nbytes_stored(self):
         pass  # not implemented
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithSQLiteStoreV3(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayWithSQLiteStore):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3076,6 +3086,7 @@ def test_nbytes_stored(self):
 # custom store, does not support getsize()
 # Note: this custom mapping doesn't actually have all methods in the
 #       v3 spec (e.g. erase), but they aren't needed here.
+
 class CustomMappingV3(StoreV3):
 
     def __init__(self):
@@ -3112,6 +3123,7 @@ def __contains__(self, item):
         return item in self.inner
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithCustomMappingV3(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayWithCustomMapping):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3140,6 +3152,7 @@ def test_len(self):
         assert len(z._store) == 2
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayNoCacheV3(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayNoCache):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3158,6 +3171,7 @@ def test_object_arrays_danger(self):
         pass
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithStoreCacheV3(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayWithStoreCache):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3177,6 +3191,7 @@ def test_store_has_bytes_values(self):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(have_fsspec is False, reason="needs fsspec")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithFSStoreV3(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayWithFSStore):
     @staticmethod
     def create_array(array_path='arr1', read_only=False, **kwargs):
@@ -3208,6 +3223,7 @@ def expected(self):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(have_fsspec is False, reason="needs fsspec")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithFSStoreV3FromFilesystem(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayWithFSStore):
     @staticmethod
     def create_array(array_path='arr1', read_only=False, **kwargs):
@@ -3236,6 +3252,7 @@ def expected(self):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(have_fsspec is False, reason="needs fsspec")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithFSStoreV3PartialRead(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayWithFSStorePartialRead):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3269,6 +3286,7 @@ def expected(self):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(have_fsspec is False, reason="needs fsspec")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithFSStoreV3Nested(TestArrayWithPathV3, TestArrayWithFSStoreNested):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -3296,6 +3314,7 @@ def expected(self):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(have_fsspec is False, reason="needs fsspec")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestArrayWithFSStoreV3NestedPartialRead(TestArrayWithPathV3,
                                               TestArrayWithFSStoreNestedPartialRead):
     @staticmethod
@@ -3329,6 +3348,7 @@ def expected(self):
         ]
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 def test_array_mismatched_store_versions():
     store_v3 = KVStoreV3(dict())
     store_v2 = KVStore(dict())
diff --git a/zarr/tests/test_creation.py b/zarr/tests/test_creation.py
index 863b987d9b..48d6aee4f5 100644
--- a/zarr/tests/test_creation.py
+++ b/zarr/tests/test_creation.py
@@ -17,9 +17,13 @@
 from zarr.hierarchy import open_group
 from zarr.n5 import N5Store
 from zarr.storage import DirectoryStore, KVStore
+from zarr._storage.store import v3_api_available
 from zarr._storage.v3 import DirectoryStoreV3, KVStoreV3
 from zarr.sync import ThreadSynchronizer
 
+_VERSIONS = v3_api_available and (None, 2, 3) or (None, 2)
+_VERSIONS2 = v3_api_available and (2, 3) or (2,)
+
 
 # something bcolz-like
 class MockBcolzArray:
@@ -56,7 +60,7 @@ def _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version):
     return kwargs
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_array(zarr_version):
 
     expected_zarr_version = DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION if zarr_version is None else zarr_version
@@ -116,7 +120,7 @@ def test_array(zarr_version):
     assert np.dtype('i8') == z.dtype
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_empty(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     z = empty(100, chunks=10, **kwargs)
@@ -124,7 +128,7 @@ def test_empty(zarr_version):
     assert (10,) == z.chunks
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_zeros(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     z = zeros(100, chunks=10, **kwargs)
@@ -133,7 +137,7 @@ def test_zeros(zarr_version):
     assert_array_equal(np.zeros(100), z[:])
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_ones(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     z = ones(100, chunks=10, **kwargs)
@@ -142,7 +146,7 @@ def test_ones(zarr_version):
     assert_array_equal(np.ones(100), z[:])
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_full(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     z = full(100, chunks=10, fill_value=42, dtype='i4', **kwargs)
@@ -155,7 +159,7 @@ def test_full(zarr_version):
     assert np.all(np.isnan(z[:]))
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2])  # TODO
 def test_full_additional_dtypes(zarr_version):
     """Test additional types that aren't part of the base v3 spec."""
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
@@ -190,7 +194,7 @@ def test_full_additional_dtypes(zarr_version):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('dimension_separator', ['.', '/', None])
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_open_array(zarr_version, dimension_separator):
 
     store = 'data/array.zarr'
@@ -317,7 +321,7 @@ def test_open_array_none():
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('dimension_separator', ['.', '/', None])
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS2)
 def test_open_array_infer_separator_from_store(zarr_version, dimension_separator):
 
     if zarr_version == 3:
@@ -386,7 +390,7 @@ def test_open_array_n5(zarr_version):
     assert_array_equal(np.full(100, fill_value=42), a[:])
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_open_array_dict_store(zarr_version):
 
     # dict will become a KVStore
@@ -404,7 +408,7 @@ def test_open_array_dict_store(zarr_version):
     assert_array_equal(np.full(100, fill_value=42), z[:])
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_create_in_dict(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     expected_store_type = KVStoreV3 if zarr_version == 3 else KVStore
@@ -417,7 +421,7 @@ def test_create_in_dict(zarr_version):
     assert isinstance(a.store, expected_store_type)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_empty_like(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     expected_zarr_version = DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION if zarr_version is None else zarr_version
@@ -466,7 +470,7 @@ def test_empty_like(zarr_version):
     assert isinstance(z.chunks, tuple)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_zeros_like(zarr_version):
 
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
@@ -493,7 +497,7 @@ def test_zeros_like(zarr_version):
     assert 0 == z3.fill_value
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_ones_like(zarr_version):
 
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
@@ -521,7 +525,7 @@ def test_ones_like(zarr_version):
     assert z3._store._store_version == expected_zarr_version
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_full_like(zarr_version):
 
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
@@ -551,7 +555,7 @@ def test_full_like(zarr_version):
         full_like(a, chunks=10, **kwargs)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_open_like(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     expected_zarr_version = DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION if zarr_version is None else zarr_version
@@ -582,7 +586,7 @@ def test_open_like(zarr_version):
     assert z3._store._store_version == expected_zarr_version
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_create(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
     expected_zarr_version = DEFAULT_ZARR_VERSION if zarr_version is None else zarr_version
@@ -654,7 +658,7 @@ def test_create(zarr_version):
     assert z.chunks == z.shape
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version',  _VERSIONS)
 def test_compression_args(zarr_version):
     kwargs = _init_creation_kwargs(zarr_version)
 
@@ -689,7 +693,7 @@ def test_compression_args(zarr_version):
             create(100, compressor=Zlib(9), compression_opts=1, **kwargs)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [None, 2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_create_read_only(zarr_version):
     # https://github.com/alimanfoo/zarr/issues/151
 
diff --git a/zarr/tests/test_hierarchy.py b/zarr/tests/test_hierarchy.py
index 3bcd826882..7c2eaa3f75 100644
--- a/zarr/tests/test_hierarchy.py
+++ b/zarr/tests/test_hierarchy.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 from numcodecs import Zlib
 from numpy.testing import assert_array_equal
 
-from zarr._storage.store import _get_metadata_suffix
+from zarr._storage.store import _get_metadata_suffix, v3_api_available
 from zarr.attrs import Attributes
 from zarr.core import Array
 from zarr.creation import open_array
@@ -35,7 +35,11 @@
 from zarr.tests.util import skip_test_env_var, have_fsspec, abs_container
 
 
+_VERSIONS = v3_api_available and (2, 3) or (2,)
+
 # noinspection PyStatementEffect
+
+
 class TestGroup(unittest.TestCase):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1095,6 +1099,7 @@ def test_group_init_from_dict(chunk_dict):
 
 
 # noinspection PyStatementEffect
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3(TestGroup, unittest.TestCase):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1153,6 +1158,7 @@ def create_store():
 
 
 # noinspection PyStatementEffect
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithMemoryStore(TestGroupWithMemoryStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1170,6 +1176,7 @@ def create_store():
         return store, None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithDirectoryStore(TestGroupWithDirectoryStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1197,6 +1204,7 @@ def test_pickle(self):
 
 
 @skip_test_env_var("ZARR_TEST_ABS")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithABSStore(TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1246,6 +1254,7 @@ def test_round_trip_nd(self):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(have_fsspec is False, reason="needs fsspec")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithFSStore(TestGroupWithFSStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1303,6 +1312,7 @@ def test_inconsistent_dimension_separator(self):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(have_fsspec is False, reason="needs fsspec")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithNestedFSStore(TestGroupV3WithFSStore):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1352,6 +1362,7 @@ def test_move(self):
         pass
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithZipStore(TestGroupWithZipStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1372,6 +1383,7 @@ def create_store():
         return store, None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithDBMStore(TestGroupWithDBMStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1393,6 +1405,7 @@ def create_store():
         return store, None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithDBMStoreBerkeleyDB(TestGroupWithDBMStoreBerkeleyDB, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1415,6 +1428,7 @@ def create_store():
         return store, None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithLMDBStore(TestGroupWithLMDBStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1436,6 +1450,7 @@ def create_store(self):
         return store, None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithSQLiteStore(TestGroupWithSQLiteStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     def create_store(self):
@@ -1477,6 +1492,7 @@ def test_chunk_store(self):
         assert expect == actual
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithChunkStore(TestGroupWithChunkStore, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1520,6 +1536,7 @@ def create_store():
         return store, None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 class TestGroupV3WithStoreCache(TestGroupWithStoreCache, TestGroupV3):
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -1528,7 +1545,7 @@ def create_store():
         return store, None
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_group(zarr_version):
     # test the group() convenience function
 
@@ -1572,7 +1589,7 @@ def test_group(zarr_version):
     assert store is g.store
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_open_group(zarr_version):
     # test the open_group() convenience function
 
@@ -1639,7 +1656,7 @@ def test_open_group(zarr_version):
     assert 'foo/bar' == g.path
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_group_completions(zarr_version):
     path = None if zarr_version == 2 else 'group1'
     g = group(path=path, zarr_version=zarr_version)
@@ -1670,7 +1687,7 @@ def test_group_completions(zarr_version):
     assert '456' not in d  # not valid identifier
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_group_key_completions(zarr_version):
     path = None if zarr_version == 2 else 'group1'
     g = group(path=path, zarr_version=zarr_version)
@@ -1754,7 +1771,7 @@ def _check_tree(g, expect_bytes, expect_text):
         isinstance(widget, ipytree.Tree)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_tree(zarr_version):
     # setup
     path = None if zarr_version == 2 else 'group1'
@@ -1821,6 +1838,7 @@ def test_tree(zarr_version):
     _check_tree(g3, expect_bytes, expect_text)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not v3_api_available, reason="V3 is disabled")
 def test_group_mismatched_store_versions():
     store_v3 = KVStoreV3(dict())
     store_v2 = KVStore(dict())
@@ -1854,7 +1872,7 @@ def test_group_mismatched_store_versions():
         Group(store_v3, path='group2', read_only=True, chunk_store=chunk_store_v3)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', [2, 3])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('zarr_version', _VERSIONS)
 def test_open_group_from_paths(zarr_version):
     """Verify zarr_version is applied to both the store and chunk_store."""
     store = tempfile.mkdtemp()
diff --git a/zarr/tests/test_storage_v3.py b/zarr/tests/test_storage_v3.py
index a5011cf696..a33f274621 100644
--- a/zarr/tests/test_storage_v3.py
+++ b/zarr/tests/test_storage_v3.py
@@ -41,6 +41,12 @@
                            skip_if_nested_chunks)
 
 
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not v3_api_available,
+    reason="v3 api is not available"
+)
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(params=[
     (None, "/"),
     (".", "."),