diff --git a/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorChild.cpp b/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorChild.cpp
index 4de044fcb840..a2f281399e05 100644
--- a/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorChild.cpp
+++ b/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorChild.cpp
@@ -87,13 +87,15 @@ CompositorChild::AllocPLayerTransactionChild(const nsTArray<LayersBackend>& aBac
                                              TextureFactoryIdentifier*,
                                              bool*)
 {
-  return new LayerTransactionChild();
+  LayerTransactionChild* c = new LayerTransactionChild();
+  c->AddIPDLReference();
+  return c;
 }
 
 bool
 CompositorChild::DeallocPLayerTransactionChild(PLayerTransactionChild* actor)
 {
-  delete actor;
+  static_cast<LayerTransactionChild*>(actor)->ReleaseIPDLReference();
   return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorParent.cpp b/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorParent.cpp
index 57ce9baf1b15..4cd2b2a8cee4 100644
--- a/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorParent.cpp
+++ b/gfx/layers/ipc/CompositorParent.cpp
@@ -742,20 +742,24 @@ CompositorParent::AllocPLayerTransactionParent(const nsTArray<LayersBackend>& aB
   if (!mLayerManager) {
     NS_WARNING("Failed to initialise Compositor");
     *aSuccess = false;
-    return new LayerTransactionParent(nullptr, this, 0);
+    LayerTransactionParent* p = new LayerTransactionParent(nullptr, this, 0);
+    p->AddIPDLReference();
+    return p;
   }
 
   mCompositionManager = new AsyncCompositionManager(mLayerManager);
+  *aSuccess = true;
 
   *aTextureFactoryIdentifier = mLayerManager->GetTextureFactoryIdentifier();
-  *aSuccess = true;
-  return new LayerTransactionParent(mLayerManager, this, 0);
+  LayerTransactionParent* p = new LayerTransactionParent(mLayerManager, this, 0);
+  p->AddIPDLReference();
+  return p;
 }
 
 bool
 CompositorParent::DeallocPLayerTransactionParent(PLayerTransactionParent* actor)
 {
-  delete actor;
+  static_cast<LayerTransactionParent*>(actor)->ReleaseIPDLReference();
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -1056,14 +1060,18 @@ CrossProcessCompositorParent::AllocPLayerTransactionParent(const nsTArray<Layers
     LayerManagerComposite* lm = sIndirectLayerTrees[aId].mParent->GetLayerManager();
     *aTextureFactoryIdentifier = lm->GetTextureFactoryIdentifier();
     *aSuccess = true;
-    return new LayerTransactionParent(lm, this, aId);
+    LayerTransactionParent* p = new LayerTransactionParent(lm, this, aId);
+    p->AddIPDLReference();
+    return p;
   }
 
   NS_WARNING("Created child without a matching parent?");
   // XXX: should be false, but that causes us to fail some tests on Mac w/ OMTC.
   // Bug 900745. change *aSuccess to false to see test failures.
   *aSuccess = true;
-  return new LayerTransactionParent(nullptr, this, aId);
+  LayerTransactionParent* p = new LayerTransactionParent(nullptr, this, aId);
+  p->AddIPDLReference();
+  return p;
 }
 
 bool
@@ -1071,7 +1079,7 @@ CrossProcessCompositorParent::DeallocPLayerTransactionParent(PLayerTransactionPa
 {
   LayerTransactionParent* slp = static_cast<LayerTransactionParent*>(aLayers);
   RemoveIndirectTree(slp->GetId());
-  delete aLayers;
+  static_cast<LayerTransactionParent*>(aLayers)->ReleaseIPDLReference();
   return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionChild.h b/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionChild.h
index c99667d7df5f..10b53f382ff4 100644
--- a/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionChild.h
+++ b/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionChild.h
@@ -13,16 +13,20 @@
 #include "mozilla/Attributes.h"         // for MOZ_OVERRIDE
 #include "mozilla/ipc/ProtocolUtils.h"
 #include "mozilla/layers/PLayerTransactionChild.h"
+#include "mozilla/RefPtr.h"
 
 namespace mozilla {
+
+namespace layout {
+class RenderFrameChild;
+}
+
 namespace layers {
 
 class LayerTransactionChild : public PLayerTransactionChild
+                            , public AtomicRefCounted<LayerTransactionChild>
 {
 public:
-  LayerTransactionChild() { }
-  ~LayerTransactionChild() { }
-
   /**
    * Clean this up, finishing with Send__delete__().
    *
@@ -32,7 +36,16 @@ public:
    */
   void Destroy();
 
+  bool IPCOpen() const { return mIPCOpen; }
+
 protected:
+  LayerTransactionChild()
+    : mIPCOpen(false)
+  {}
+  ~LayerTransactionChild() { }
+  friend class AtomicRefCounted<LayerTransactionChild>;
+  friend class detail::RefCounted<LayerTransactionChild, detail::AtomicRefCount>;
+
   virtual PGrallocBufferChild*
   AllocPGrallocBufferChild(const gfxIntSize&,
                       const uint32_t&, const uint32_t&,
@@ -46,6 +59,21 @@ protected:
   virtual PCompositableChild* AllocPCompositableChild(const TextureInfo& aInfo) MOZ_OVERRIDE;
   virtual bool DeallocPCompositableChild(PCompositableChild* actor) MOZ_OVERRIDE;
   virtual void ActorDestroy(ActorDestroyReason why) MOZ_OVERRIDE;
+
+  void AddIPDLReference() {
+    MOZ_ASSERT(mIPCOpen == false);
+    mIPCOpen = true;
+    AddRef();
+  }
+  void ReleaseIPDLReference() {
+    MOZ_ASSERT(mIPCOpen == true);
+    mIPCOpen = false;
+    Release();
+  }
+  friend class CompositorChild;
+  friend class layout::RenderFrameChild;
+
+  bool mIPCOpen;
 };
 
 } // namespace layers
diff --git a/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.cpp b/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.cpp
index 94f7874f3e96..d71dacf16a73 100644
--- a/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.cpp
+++ b/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.cpp
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ LayerTransactionParent::LayerTransactionParent(LayerManagerComposite* aManager,
   , mShadowLayersManager(aLayersManager)
   , mId(aId)
   , mDestroyed(false)
+  , mIPCOpen(false)
 {
   MOZ_COUNT_CTOR(LayerTransactionParent);
 }
diff --git a/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.h b/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.h
index 974ce508f391..6aa651765ae2 100644
--- a/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.h
+++ b/gfx/layers/ipc/LayerTransactionParent.h
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ class CompositableParent;
 class ShadowLayersManager;
 
 class LayerTransactionParent : public PLayerTransactionParent,
-                               public CompositableParentManager
+                               public CompositableParentManager,
+                               public AtomicRefCounted<LayerTransactionParent>
 {
   typedef mozilla::layout::RenderFrameParent RenderFrameParent;
   typedef InfallibleTArray<Edit> EditArray;
@@ -110,6 +111,20 @@ protected:
               CompositableParent* aCompositable,
               bool aIsAsyncVideo);
 
+  void AddIPDLReference() {
+    MOZ_ASSERT(mIPCOpen == false);
+    mIPCOpen = true;
+    AddRef();
+  }
+  void ReleaseIPDLReference() {
+    MOZ_ASSERT(mIPCOpen == true);
+    mIPCOpen = false;
+    Release();
+  }
+  friend class CompositorParent;
+  friend class CrossProcessCompositorParent;
+  friend class layout::RenderFrameParent;
+
 private:
   nsRefPtr<LayerManagerComposite> mLayerManager;
   ShadowLayersManager* mShadowLayersManager;
@@ -135,6 +150,8 @@ private:
   // vice versa.  In both cases though, we want to ignore shadow-layer
   // transactions posted by the child.
   bool mDestroyed;
+
+  bool mIPCOpen;
 };
 
 } // namespace layers
diff --git a/layout/ipc/RenderFrameChild.cpp b/layout/ipc/RenderFrameChild.cpp
index 7e091338b05b..008fe5abccf7 100644
--- a/layout/ipc/RenderFrameChild.cpp
+++ b/layout/ipc/RenderFrameChild.cpp
@@ -35,13 +35,15 @@ RenderFrameChild::Destroy()
 PLayerTransactionChild*
 RenderFrameChild::AllocPLayerTransactionChild()
 {
-  return new LayerTransactionChild();
+  LayerTransactionChild* c = new LayerTransactionChild();
+  c->AddIPDLReference();
+  return c;
 }
 
 bool
 RenderFrameChild::DeallocPLayerTransactionChild(PLayerTransactionChild* aLayers)
 {
-  delete aLayers;
+  static_cast<LayerTransactionChild*>(aLayers)->ReleaseIPDLReference();
   return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/layout/ipc/RenderFrameParent.cpp b/layout/ipc/RenderFrameParent.cpp
index c1c9d6dbb3e5..c65ff48db0a9 100644
--- a/layout/ipc/RenderFrameParent.cpp
+++ b/layout/ipc/RenderFrameParent.cpp
@@ -915,13 +915,15 @@ RenderFrameParent::AllocPLayerTransactionParent()
     return nullptr;
   }
   nsRefPtr<LayerManager> lm = GetFrom(mFrameLoader);
-  return new LayerTransactionParent(lm->AsLayerManagerComposite(), this, 0);
+  LayerTransactionParent* result = new LayerTransactionParent(lm->AsLayerManagerComposite(), this, 0);
+  result->AddIPDLReference();
+  return result;
 }
 
 bool
 RenderFrameParent::DeallocPLayerTransactionParent(PLayerTransactionParent* aLayers)
 {
-  delete aLayers;
+  static_cast<LayerTransactionParent*>(aLayers)->ReleaseIPDLReference();
   return true;
 }