diff --git a/app-header-layout/app-header-layout.html b/app-header-layout/app-header-layout.html
index 61076265..e7eb4177 100644
--- a/app-header-layout/app-header-layout.html
+++ b/app-header-layout/app-header-layout.html
@@ -178,9 +178,10 @@
         // the content until the height of the header can be read.
         this.$.wrapper.classList.remove('initializing');
         // Update scroll target.
-        header.scrollTarget = this.hasScrollingRegion ?
-            this.$.contentContainer :
-            this.ownerDocument.documentElement;
+        header.scrollTarget =
+            header.scrollTarget !== header._defaultScrollTarget ? header.scrollTarget
+          : this.hasScrollingRegion ? this.$.contentContainer
+          : this.ownerDocument.documentElement;
         // Get header height here so that style reads are batched together before
         // style writes (i.e. getBoundingClientRect() below).
         var headerHeight = header.offsetHeight;