diff --git a/meshmode/discretization/visualization.py b/meshmode/discretization/visualization.py
index bf6e8a48139cc6f532d98053e705ba4724fcefaf..72abb0475facfa548f901cd0e77d607ddfa0a03d 100644
--- a/meshmode/discretization/visualization.py
+++ b/meshmode/discretization/visualization.py
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ class Visualizer(object):
         import os
         if os.path.exists(file_name):
             if overwrite:
-                os.path.remove(file_name)
+                os.remove(file_name)
             else:
                 raise RuntimeError("output file '%s' already exists" % file_name)
 
@@ -397,7 +397,9 @@ def draw_curve(discr):
 
 # {{{ adjacency
 
-def write_nodal_adjacency_vtk_file(file_name, mesh, compressor=None,):
+def write_nodal_adjacency_vtk_file(file_name, mesh,
+                                   compressor=None,
+                                   overwrite=False):
     from pyvisfile.vtk import (
             UnstructuredGrid, DataArray,
             AppendedDataXMLGenerator,
@@ -434,10 +436,12 @@ def write_nodal_adjacency_vtk_file(file_name, mesh, compressor=None,):
             cell_types=np.asarray([VTK_LINE] * nconnections,
                 dtype=np.uint8))
 
-    from os.path import exists
-    if exists(file_name):
-        raise RuntimeError("output file '%s' already exists"
-                % file_name)
+    import os
+    if os.path.exists(file_name):
+        if overwrite:
+            os.remove(file_name)
+        else:
+            raise RuntimeError("output file '%s' already exists" % file_name)
 
     with open(file_name, "w") as outf:
         AppendedDataXMLGenerator(compressor)(grid).write(outf)
diff --git a/meshmode/mesh/visualization.py b/meshmode/mesh/visualization.py
index 675f9d900a85e506a997f2faf8d991ad3a086ef2..d9191c577e7448a192b0713fe440e6462a575015 100644
--- a/meshmode/mesh/visualization.py
+++ b/meshmode/mesh/visualization.py
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ def write_vertex_vtk_file(mesh, file_name,
     import os
     if os.path.exists(file_name):
         if overwrite:
-            os.path.remove(file_name)
+            os.remove(file_name)
         else:
             raise RuntimeError("output file '%s' already exists" % file_name)
 
diff --git a/test/test_meshmode.py b/test/test_meshmode.py
index 9e8791492d0a978cbd8f0acf0b928a8e6265dd48..31edf7479721fd2f248e862b5f799c9e4d353728 100644
--- a/test/test_meshmode.py
+++ b/test/test_meshmode.py
@@ -1040,6 +1040,61 @@ def test_quad_multi_element():
         plt.show()
 
 
+def test_vtk_overwrite(ctx_getter):
+    def _try_write_vtk(writer, obj):
+        import os
+        filename = "test_vtk_overwrite.vtu"
+        if os.path.exists(filename):
+            os.remove(filename)
+
+        writer(filename, [])
+        try:
+            writer(filename, [])
+            runtime_error = False
+        except RuntimeError:
+            print("file cannot be overwritten")
+            runtime_error = True
+        assert runtime_error
+
+        try:
+            writer(filename, [], overwrite=True)
+            print("file overwritten")
+            runtime_error = False
+        except RuntimeError:
+            runtime_error = True
+        assert not runtime_error
+
+        os.remove(filename)
+
+    ctx = ctx_getter()
+    queue = cl.CommandQueue(ctx)
+
+    target_order = 7
+
+    from meshmode.mesh.generation import generate_torus
+    mesh = generate_torus(10.0, 2.0, order=target_order)
+
+    from meshmode.discretization import Discretization
+    from meshmode.discretization.poly_element import \
+            InterpolatoryQuadratureSimplexGroupFactory
+    discr = Discretization(
+            queue.context, mesh,
+            InterpolatoryQuadratureSimplexGroupFactory(target_order))
+
+    from meshmode.discretization.visualization import make_visualizer
+    from meshmode.discretization.visualization import \
+            write_nodal_adjacency_vtk_file
+    from meshmode.mesh.visualization import write_vertex_vtk_file
+
+    vis = make_visualizer(queue, discr, 1)
+    _try_write_vtk(vis.write_vtk_file, discr)
+
+    _try_write_vtk(lambda x, y, **kwargs:
+            write_vertex_vtk_file(discr.mesh, x, **kwargs), discr.mesh)
+    _try_write_vtk(lambda x, y, **kwargs:
+            write_nodal_adjacency_vtk_file(x, discr.mesh, **kwargs), discr.mesh)
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     import sys
     if len(sys.argv) > 1: