diff --git a/config/application.php b/config/application.php
index d5d74acc3d..b3bc75bc53 100644
--- a/config/application.php
+++ b/config/application.php
@@ -29,7 +29,11 @@
  * Use Dotenv to set required environment variables and load .env file in root
  * .env.local will override .env if it exists
  */
-$dotenv = Dotenv\Dotenv::createUnsafeImmutable($root_dir, ['.env', '.env.local'], false);
+$env_files = file_exists($root_dir . '/.env.local')
+    ? ['.env', '.env.local']
+    : ['.env'];
+
+$dotenv = Dotenv\Dotenv::createUnsafeImmutable($root_dir, $env_files, false);
 if (file_exists($root_dir . '/.env')) {
     $dotenv->load();
     $dotenv->required(['WP_HOME', 'WP_SITEURL']);