diff --git a/beacon/validator/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/validator/coordinator/BlockOperationSelectorFactory.java b/beacon/validator/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/validator/coordinator/BlockOperationSelectorFactory.java
index 0797fe030c3..21932a61a1b 100644
--- a/beacon/validator/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/validator/coordinator/BlockOperationSelectorFactory.java
+++ b/beacon/validator/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/validator/coordinator/BlockOperationSelectorFactory.java
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@
 import java.util.function.Consumer;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
-import org.apache.logging.log4j.LogManager;
-import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
 import org.apache.tuweni.bytes.Bytes32;
 import tech.pegasys.teku.bls.BLSSignature;
 import tech.pegasys.teku.infrastructure.async.SafeFuture;
@@ -47,8 +45,6 @@
 import tech.pegasys.teku.statetransition.synccommittee.SyncCommitteeContributionPool;
 
 public class BlockOperationSelectorFactory {
-  private static final Logger LOG = LogManager.getLogger();
-
   private final Spec spec;
   private final AggregatingAttestationPool attestationPool;
   private final OperationPool<AttesterSlashing> attesterSlashingPool;
@@ -153,18 +149,14 @@ public Consumer<BeaconBlockBodyBuilder> createSelector(
                         .getExecutionPayloadHeaderSchema()
                         .getHeaderOfDefaultPayload(),
                 (executionPayloadContext) -> {
-                  final boolean forceLocalFallback =
+                  final boolean transitionNotFinalized =
                       executionPayloadContext
                           .getForkChoiceState()
                           .getFinalizedExecutionBlockHash()
                           .isZero();
 
-                  if (forceLocalFallback) {
-                    LOG.info(
-                        "Merge transition not finalized: forcing block production using local execution engine");
-                  }
                   return executionLayerChannel.builderGetHeader(
-                      executionPayloadContext, blockSlotState, forceLocalFallback);
+                      executionPayloadContext, blockSlotState, transitionNotFinalized);
                 }));
         return;
       }
diff --git a/ethereum/executionlayer/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImpl.java b/ethereum/executionlayer/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImpl.java
index 7908acbab63..c28337c5ce5 100644
--- a/ethereum/executionlayer/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImpl.java
+++ b/ethereum/executionlayer/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImpl.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentSkipListMap;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+import org.apache.logging.log4j.Level;
 import org.apache.logging.log4j.LogManager;
 import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
 import org.apache.tuweni.bytes.Bytes32;
@@ -337,7 +338,7 @@ public SafeFuture<Void> builderRegisterValidators(
   public SafeFuture<ExecutionPayloadHeader> builderGetHeader(
       final ExecutionPayloadContext executionPayloadContext,
       final BeaconState state,
-      final boolean forceLocalFallback) {
+      final boolean transitionNotFinalized) {
     final UInt64 slot = state.getSlot();
 
     final SafeFuture<ExecutionPayload> localExecutionPayload =
@@ -348,8 +349,12 @@ public SafeFuture<ExecutionPayloadHeader> builderGetHeader(
 
     // fallback conditions
     final FallbackReason fallbackReason;
-    if (forceLocalFallback) {
-      fallbackReason = FallbackReason.FORCED;
+    if (executionBuilderClient.isEmpty() && validatorRegistration.isEmpty()) {
+      fallbackReason = FallbackReason.NOT_NEEDED;
+    } else if (transitionNotFinalized) {
+      fallbackReason = FallbackReason.TRANSITION_NOT_FINALIZED;
+    } else if (executionBuilderClient.isEmpty()) {
+      fallbackReason = FallbackReason.BUILDER_NOT_CONFIGURED;
     } else if (!isBuilderAvailable()) {
       fallbackReason = FallbackReason.BUILDER_NOT_AVAILABLE;
     } else if (validatorRegistration.isEmpty()) {
@@ -521,7 +526,8 @@ private void markBuilderAsNotAvailable(final String errorMessage) {
   }
 
   private void logFallbackToLocalExecutionPayload(final FallbackData fallbackData) {
-    LOG.info(
+    LOG.log(
+        fallbackData.reason == FallbackReason.NOT_NEEDED ? Level.DEBUG : Level.INFO,
         "Falling back to locally produced execution payload (Block Number {}, Block Hash = {}, Fallback Reason = {})",
         fallbackData.executionPayload.getBlockNumber(),
         fallbackData.executionPayload.getBlockHash(),
@@ -581,9 +587,11 @@ public String toString() {
 
   // Metric - fallback "reason" label values
   protected enum FallbackReason {
+    NOT_NEEDED("not_needed"),
     VALIDATOR_NOT_REGISTERED("validator_not_registered"),
-    FORCED("forced"),
+    TRANSITION_NOT_FINALIZED("transition_not_finalized"),
     BUILDER_NOT_AVAILABLE("builder_not_available"),
+    BUILDER_NOT_CONFIGURED("builder_not_configured"),
     BUILDER_HEADER_NOT_AVAILABLE("builder_header_not_available"),
     BUILDER_ERROR("builder_error"),
     NONE("");
diff --git a/ethereum/executionlayer/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImplTest.java b/ethereum/executionlayer/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImplTest.java
index 142d08e55c8..0767ae638c0 100644
--- a/ethereum/executionlayer/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImplTest.java
+++ b/ethereum/executionlayer/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/ethereum/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerManagerImplTest.java
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ public void builderGetHeaderGetPayload_shouldReturnHeaderAndPayloadViaEngineIfBu
     verifyNoMoreInteractions(executionBuilderClient);
     verifyNoMoreInteractions(executionEngineClient);
 
-    verifySourceCounter(Source.BUILDER_LOCAL_EL_FALLBACK, FallbackReason.FORCED);
+    verifySourceCounter(Source.BUILDER_LOCAL_EL_FALLBACK, FallbackReason.TRANSITION_NOT_FINALIZED);
   }
 
   @Test
diff --git a/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannel.java b/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannel.java
index e2509602098..7fda6d87892 100644
--- a/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannel.java
+++ b/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannel.java
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ public SafeFuture<Void> builderRegisterValidators(
         public SafeFuture<ExecutionPayloadHeader> builderGetHeader(
             final ExecutionPayloadContext executionPayloadContext,
             final BeaconState state,
-            final boolean forceLocalFallback) {
+            final boolean transitionNotFinalized) {
           return SafeFuture.completedFuture(null);
         }
 
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ SafeFuture<Void> builderRegisterValidators(
   SafeFuture<ExecutionPayloadHeader> builderGetHeader(
       ExecutionPayloadContext executionPayloadContext,
       BeaconState state,
-      boolean forceLocalFallback);
+      boolean transitionNotFinalized);
 
   SafeFuture<ExecutionPayload> builderGetPayload(SignedBeaconBlock signedBlindedBeaconBlock);
 
diff --git a/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannelStub.java b/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannelStub.java
index bbb163a7ee1..1f83aac3df1 100644
--- a/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannelStub.java
+++ b/ethereum/spec/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/spec/executionlayer/ExecutionLayerChannelStub.java
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ public SafeFuture<Void> builderRegisterValidators(
   public SafeFuture<ExecutionPayloadHeader> builderGetHeader(
       final ExecutionPayloadContext executionPayloadContext,
       final BeaconState state,
-      final boolean forceLocalFallback) {
+      final boolean transitionNotFinalized) {
     final UInt64 slot = state.getSlot();
     LOG.info(
         "getPayloadHeader: payloadId: {} slot: {} ... delegating to getPayload ...",