diff --git a/superset/views/core.py b/superset/views/core.py
index 9557c30e83d98..0ad97199fbdd3 100755
--- a/superset/views/core.py
+++ b/superset/views/core.py
@@ -2412,7 +2412,7 @@ def validate_sql_json(
         schema = request.form.get("schema") or None
         template_params = json.loads(request.form.get("templateParams") or "{}")
 
-        if len(template_params) > 0:
+        if template_params is not None and len(template_params) > 0:
             # TODO: factor the Database object out of template rendering
             #       or provide it as mydb so we can render template params
             #       without having to also persist a Query ORM object.
diff --git a/tests/integration_tests/base_tests.py b/tests/integration_tests/base_tests.py
index 92fbf52dd3336..d77f216c736a9 100644
--- a/tests/integration_tests/base_tests.py
+++ b/tests/integration_tests/base_tests.py
@@ -458,6 +458,7 @@ def validate_sql(
         user_name=None,
         raise_on_error=False,
         database_name="examples",
+        template_params=None,
     ):
         if user_name:
             self.logout()
@@ -466,7 +467,12 @@ def validate_sql(
         resp = self.get_json_resp(
             "/superset/validate_sql_json/",
             raise_on_error=False,
-            data=dict(database_id=dbid, sql=sql, client_id=client_id),
+            data=dict(
+                database_id=dbid,
+                sql=sql,
+                client_id=client_id,
+                templateParams=template_params,
+            ),
         )
         if raise_on_error and "error" in resp:
             raise Exception("validate_sql failed")
diff --git a/tests/integration_tests/sql_validator_tests.py b/tests/integration_tests/sql_validator_tests.py
index 6c7658336b816..92d5cf4061ee0 100644
--- a/tests/integration_tests/sql_validator_tests.py
+++ b/tests/integration_tests/sql_validator_tests.py
@@ -94,6 +94,37 @@ def test_validate_sql_endpoint_mocked(self, get_validator_by_name):
         self.assertEqual(1, len(resp))
         self.assertIn("expected,", resp[0]["message"])
 
+    @patch("superset.views.core.get_validator_by_name")
+    @patch.dict(
+        "superset.config.SQL_VALIDATORS_BY_ENGINE",
+        PRESTO_SQL_VALIDATORS_BY_ENGINE,
+        clear=True,
+    )
+    def test_validate_sql_endpoint_mocked_params(self, get_validator_by_name):
+        """Assert that, with a mocked validator, annotations make it back out
+        from the validate_sql_json endpoint as a list of json dictionaries"""
+        if get_example_database().backend == "hive":
+            pytest.skip("Hive validator is not implemented")
+        self.login("admin")
+
+        validator = MagicMock()
+        get_validator_by_name.return_value = validator
+        validator.validate.return_value = [
+            SQLValidationAnnotation(
+                message="This worked", line_number=4, start_column=12, end_column=42,
+            )
+        ]
+
+        resp = self.validate_sql(
+            "SELECT * FROM somewhere_over_the_rainbow",
+            client_id="1",
+            raise_on_error=False,
+            template_params="null",
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(1, len(resp))
+        self.assertNotIn("error,", resp[0]["message"])
+
     @patch("superset.views.core.get_validator_by_name")
     @patch.dict(
         "superset.config.SQL_VALIDATORS_BY_ENGINE",