diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/ini_setting.rb b/lib/puppet/type/ini_setting.rb
index 4506231..662c74c 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/ini_setting.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/ini_setting.rb
@@ -28,15 +28,9 @@ Puppet::Type.newtype(:ini_setting) do
 
   newparam(:key_val_separator) do
     desc 'The separator string to use between each setting name and value. ' +
-        'Defaults to " = ", but you could use this to override e.g. whether ' +
-        'or not the separator should include whitespace.'
+        'Defaults to " = ", but you could use this to override e.g. ": ", or' +
+        'whether or not the separator should include whitespace.'
     defaultto(" = ")
-
-    validate do |value|
-      unless value.scan('=').size == 1
-        raise Puppet::Error, ":key_val_separator must contain exactly one = character."
-      end
-    end
   end
 
   newproperty(:value) do
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/ini_subsetting.rb b/lib/puppet/type/ini_subsetting.rb
index 847e317..0db0738 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/ini_subsetting.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/ini_subsetting.rb
@@ -37,15 +37,9 @@ Puppet::Type.newtype(:ini_subsetting) do
 
   newparam(:key_val_separator) do
     desc 'The separator string to use between each setting name and value. ' +
-        'Defaults to " = ", but you could use this to override e.g. whether ' +
-        'or not the separator should include whitespace.'
+        'Defaults to " = ", but you could use this to override e.g. ": ", or' +
+        'whether or not the separator should include whitespace.'
     defaultto(" = ")
-
-    validate do |value|
-      unless value.scan('=').size == 1
-        raise Puppet::Error, ":key_val_separator must contain exactly one = character."
-      end
-    end
   end
 
   newparam(:quote_char) do
diff --git a/lib/puppet/util/ini_file.rb b/lib/puppet/util/ini_file.rb
index a5cefa7..c1884ce 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/util/ini_file.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/util/ini_file.rb
@@ -5,11 +5,15 @@ module Puppet
 module Util
   class IniFile
 
-    @@SECTION_REGEX = /^\s*\[([^\]]*)\]\s*$/
-    @@SETTING_REGEX = /^(\s*)([^\s=]*)(\s*=\s*)(.*)\s*$/
-    @@COMMENTED_SETTING_REGEX = /^(\s*)[#;]+(\s*)([^\s=]*)(\s*=[ \t]*)(.*)\s*$/
-
     def initialize(path, key_val_separator = ' = ')
+
+      k_v_s = key_val_separator.strip
+
+      @@SECTION_REGEX = /^\s*\[([^\]]*)\]\s*$/
+      @@SETTING_REGEX = /^(\s*)([^\s#{k_v_s}]*)(\s*#{k_v_s}\s*)(.*)\s*$/
+      @@COMMENTED_SETTING_REGEX = /^(\s*)[#;]+(\s*)([^\s#{k_v_s}]*)(\s*#{k_v_s}[ \t]*)(.*)\s*$/
+
+
       @path = path
       @key_val_separator = key_val_separator
       @section_names = []
diff --git a/spec/acceptance/ini_setting_spec.rb b/spec/acceptance/ini_setting_spec.rb
index 9aad0cc..b47fdfc 100644
--- a/spec/acceptance/ini_setting_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/acceptance/ini_setting_spec.rb
@@ -282,27 +282,5 @@ describe 'ini_setting resource' do
         it_behaves_like 'has_content', "#{tmpdir}/key_val_separator.ini", pp, content
       end
     end
-
-    {
-      "key_val_separator => '',"      => /must contain exactly one/,
-      "key_val_separator => ',',"     => /must contain exactly one/,
-      "key_val_separator => '   ',"   => /must contain exactly one/,
-      "key_val_separator => ' ==  '," => /must contain exactly one/,
-    }.each do |parameter, error|
-      context "with \"#{parameter}\" raises \"#{error}\"" do
-        pp = <<-EOS
-        ini_setting { "with #{parameter} raises #{error}":
-          ensure  => present,
-          section => 'one',
-          setting => 'two',
-          value   => 'three',
-          path    => "#{tmpdir}/key_val_separator.ini",
-          #{parameter}
-        }
-        EOS
-
-        it_behaves_like 'has_error', "#{tmpdir}/key_val_separator.ini", pp, error
-      end
-    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/unit/puppet/provider/ini_setting/ruby_spec.rb b/spec/unit/puppet/provider/ini_setting/ruby_spec.rb
index 1ab84b9..0810bc2 100644
--- a/spec/unit/puppet/provider/ini_setting/ruby_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/unit/puppet/provider/ini_setting/ruby_spec.rb
@@ -495,26 +495,6 @@ foo=bar
       EOS
     }
 
-    it "should fail if the separator doesn't include an equals sign" do
-      expect {
-        Puppet::Type::Ini_setting.new(common_params.merge(
-                                         :section           => 'section2',
-                                         :setting           => 'foo',
-                                         :value             => 'yippee',
-                                         :key_val_separator => '+'))
-      }.to raise_error Puppet::Error, /must contain exactly one/
-    end
-
-    it "should fail if the separator includes more than one equals sign" do
-      expect {
-        Puppet::Type::Ini_setting.new(common_params.merge(
-                                         :section           => 'section2',
-                                         :setting           => 'foo',
-                                         :value             => 'yippee',
-                                         :key_val_separator => ' = foo = '))
-      }.to raise_error Puppet::Error, /must contain exactly one/
-    end
-
     it "should modify an existing setting" do
       resource = Puppet::Type::Ini_setting.new(common_params.merge(
                                                    :section           => 'section2',
@@ -532,19 +512,46 @@ foo=yippee
       )
     end
 
+  end
+
+  context "when overriding the separator to something other than =" do
+    let(:orig_content) {
+      <<-EOS
+[section2]
+foo: bar
+      EOS
+    }
+
+    it "should modify an existing setting" do
+      resource = Puppet::Type::Ini_setting.new(common_params.merge(
+                                                   :section           => 'section2',
+                                                   :setting           => 'foo',
+                                                   :value             => 'yippee',
+                                                   :key_val_separator => ': '))
+      provider = described_class.new(resource)
+      provider.exists?.should be true
+      provider.value.should == 'bar'
+      provider.value=('yippee')
+      validate_file(<<-EOS
+[section2]
+foo: yippee
+      EOS
+      )
+    end
+
     it "should add a new setting" do
       resource = Puppet::Type::Ini_setting.new(common_params.merge(
                                                    :section           => 'section2',
                                                    :setting           => 'bar',
                                                    :value             => 'baz',
-                                                   :key_val_separator => '='))
+                                                   :key_val_separator => ': '))
       provider = described_class.new(resource)
       provider.exists?.should be false
       provider.create
       validate_file(<<-EOS
 [section2]
-foo=bar
-bar=baz
+foo: bar
+bar: baz
       EOS
       )
     end