diff --git a/source/main.cc b/source/main.cc
index c28dafffbf8..e7272e13291 100644
--- a/source/main.cc
+++ b/source/main.cc
@@ -312,7 +312,6 @@ parse_parameters (const std::string &input_as_string,
   // try reading on processor 0
   bool success = true;
   if (dealii::Utilities::MPI::this_mpi_process (MPI_COMM_WORLD) == 0)
-#if DEAL_II_VERSION_GTE(8,5,0)
     try
       {
         prm.parse_input_from_string(input_as_string.c_str());
@@ -323,9 +322,6 @@ parse_parameters (const std::string &input_as_string,
         e.print_info(std::cerr);
         std::cerr << std::endl;
       }
-#else
-    success = prm.read_input_from_string(input_as_string.c_str());
-#endif
 
 
   // broadcast the result. we'd like to do this with a bool
@@ -353,12 +349,7 @@ parse_parameters (const std::string &input_as_string,
   // other processors will be ok as well
   if (dealii::Utilities::MPI::this_mpi_process (MPI_COMM_WORLD) != 0)
     {
-#if DEAL_II_VERSION_GTE(8,5,0)
       prm.parse_input_from_string(input_as_string.c_str());
-#else
-      success = prm.read_input_from_string(input_as_string.c_str());
-      AssertThrow(success, dealii::ExcMessage ("Invalid input parameter file."));
-#endif
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/source/simulator/core.cc b/source/simulator/core.cc
index d67b461109d..52aeec2bf92 100644
--- a/source/simulator/core.cc
+++ b/source/simulator/core.cc
@@ -1117,7 +1117,6 @@ namespace aspect
               }
           }
 
-#if DEAL_II_VERSION_GTE(8,5,0)
         DoFTools::make_flux_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
                                               sp,
                                               constraints, false,
@@ -1125,26 +1124,6 @@ namespace aspect
                                               face_coupling,
                                               Utilities::MPI::
                                               this_mpi_process(mpi_communicator));
-#else
-        if (Utilities::MPI::n_mpi_processes(mpi_communicator) == 1)
-          {
-            DoFTools::make_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
-                                             coupling, sp,
-                                             constraints, false,
-                                             Utilities::MPI::
-                                             this_mpi_process(mpi_communicator));
-            DoFTools::make_flux_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
-                                                  sp,
-                                                  coupling,
-                                                  face_coupling);
-          }
-        else
-          DoFTools::make_flux_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
-                                                sp,
-                                                constraints, false,
-                                                Utilities::MPI::
-                                                this_mpi_process(mpi_communicator));
-#endif
       }
     else
       DoFTools::make_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
@@ -1269,7 +1248,6 @@ namespace aspect
               }
           }
 
-#if DEAL_II_VERSION_GTE(8,5,0)
         DoFTools::make_flux_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
                                               sp,
                                               constraints, false,
@@ -1277,26 +1255,6 @@ namespace aspect
                                               face_coupling,
                                               Utilities::MPI::
                                               this_mpi_process(mpi_communicator));
-#else
-        if (Utilities::MPI::n_mpi_processes(mpi_communicator) == 1)
-          {
-            DoFTools::make_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
-                                             coupling, sp,
-                                             constraints, false,
-                                             Utilities::MPI::
-                                             this_mpi_process(mpi_communicator));
-            DoFTools::make_flux_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
-                                                  sp,
-                                                  coupling,
-                                                  face_coupling);
-          }
-        else
-          DoFTools::make_flux_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
-                                                sp,
-                                                constraints, false,
-                                                Utilities::MPI::
-                                                this_mpi_process(mpi_communicator));
-#endif
       }
     else
       DoFTools::make_sparsity_pattern (dof_handler,
diff --git a/source/simulator/free_surface.cc b/source/simulator/free_surface.cc
index 24b643598eb..a0b233ec29a 100644
--- a/source/simulator/free_surface.cc
+++ b/source/simulator/free_surface.cc
@@ -651,13 +651,8 @@ namespace aspect
     mesh_vertex_constraints.close();
 
     //Now reset the mapping of the simulator to be something that captures mesh deformation in time.
-#if DEAL_II_VERSION_GTE(8,5,0)
     sim.mapping.reset (new MappingQ1Eulerian<dim, LinearAlgebra::Vector> (free_surface_dof_handler,
                                                                           mesh_displacements));
-#else
-    sim.mapping.reset (new MappingQ1Eulerian<dim, LinearAlgebra::Vector> (mesh_displacements,
-                                                                          free_surface_dof_handler));
-#endif
   }
 
   template <int dim>
diff --git a/source/simulator/initial_conditions.cc b/source/simulator/initial_conditions.cc
index 3788773c82c..2a2c5650d9a 100644
--- a/source/simulator/initial_conditions.cc
+++ b/source/simulator/initial_conditions.cc
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ namespace aspect
 
         std::vector<types::global_dof_index> local_dof_indices (finite_element.dofs_per_cell);
 
-#if DEAL_II_VERSION_GTE(8,5,0)
         const VectorFunctionFromScalarFunctionObject<dim, double> &advf_init_function =
           (advf.is_temperature()
            ?
@@ -145,50 +144,6 @@ namespace aspect
                       }
                   }
               }
-#else
-        for (typename DoFHandler<dim>::active_cell_iterator cell = dof_handler.begin_active();
-             cell != dof_handler.end(); ++cell)
-          if (cell->is_locally_owned())
-            {
-              fe_values.reinit (cell);
-
-              // go through the temperature/composition dofs and set their global values
-              // to the temperature/composition field interpolated at these points
-              cell->get_dof_indices (local_dof_indices);
-              for (unsigned int i=0; i<finite_element.base_element(base_element).dofs_per_cell; ++i)
-                {
-                  const unsigned int system_local_dof
-                    = finite_element.component_to_system_index(advf.component_index(introspection),
-                                                               /*dof index within component=*/i);
-
-                  const double value =
-                    (advf.is_temperature()
-                     ?
-                     initial_temperature_manager.initial_temperature(fe_values.quadrature_point(i))
-                     :
-                     initial_composition_manager.initial_composition(fe_values.quadrature_point(i),n-1));
-
-                  initial_solution(local_dof_indices[system_local_dof]) = value;
-
-                  // if it is specified in the parameter file that the sum of all compositional fields
-                  // must not exceed one, this should be checked
-                  if (parameters.normalized_fields.size()>0 && n == 1)
-                    {
-                      double sum = 0;
-                      for (unsigned int m=0; m<parameters.normalized_fields.size(); ++m)
-                        sum += initial_composition_manager.initial_composition(fe_values.quadrature_point(i),
-                                                                               parameters.normalized_fields[m]);
-
-                      if (std::abs(sum) > 1.0+std::numeric_limits<double>::epsilon())
-                        {
-                          max_sum_comp = std::max(sum, max_sum_comp);
-                          normalize_composition = true;
-                        }
-                    }
-
-                }
-            }
-#endif
 
         initial_solution.compress(VectorOperation::insert);