diff --git a/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/lock_test.go b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/lock_test.go
index 1aaabf874..6ce41f64e 100644
--- a/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/lock_test.go
+++ b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/lock_test.go
@@ -326,3 +326,46 @@ func TestGetLocks(t *testing.T) {
 		require.ElementsMatch(t, locks, gotLocks)
 	})
 }
+
+func TestAddMissingExpirationEpochOnLock(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	db := newDB(t)
+	defer func() { require.NoError(t, db.Close(context.Background())) }()
+
+	locked := oidtest.Address()
+
+	locks := []meta.Lock{
+		{oidtest.ID(), rand.Uint64()},
+		{oidtest.ID(), meta.NoExpirationEpoch},
+	}
+
+	for _, lock := range locks {
+		require.NoError(t, db.Lock(
+			context.Background(),
+			locked.Container(),
+			lock.ID,
+			[]oid.ID{locked.Object()},
+			lock.ExpEpoch,
+		))
+	}
+	gotLocks, err := db.GetLocks(context.Background(), locked)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.ElementsMatch(t, locks, gotLocks)
+
+	for i := range locks {
+		require.NoError(t, db.Lock(
+			context.Background(),
+			locked.Container(),
+			locks[i].ID, []oid.ID{locked.Object()},
+			locks[i].ExpEpoch+100,
+		))
+		if locks[i].ExpEpoch == meta.NoExpirationEpoch {
+			locks[i].ExpEpoch += 100
+		}
+	}
+	gotLocks, err = db.GetLocks(context.Background(), locked)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	require.ElementsMatch(t, locks, gotLocks)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/util_test.go b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/util_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..676adef43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/util_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+package meta
+
+import (
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func Test_lockWithExpEpoch(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	id1 := make([]byte, objectKeySize)
+	id2 := make([]byte, objectKeySize)
+	epoch1 := make([]byte, epochSize)
+	epoch2 := make([]byte, epochSize)
+
+	noEpoch := make([]byte, epochSize)
+
+	_, _ = rand.Read(id1)
+	_, _ = rand.Read(id2)
+	_, _ = rand.Read(epoch1)
+	_, _ = rand.Read(epoch2)
+
+	for _, testCase := range []struct {
+		name        string
+		rawLockList [][]byte
+		ids         [][]byte
+		expEpochs   [][]byte
+		shouldFail  bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "nil lock",
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "empty lock",
+			rawLockList: [][]byte{},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "all locks have epochs",
+			rawLockList: [][]byte{
+				id1, epoch1,
+				id2, epoch2,
+				id1, epoch2,
+			},
+			ids:       [][]byte{id1, id2, id1},
+			expEpochs: [][]byte{epoch1, epoch2, epoch2},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "some locks have epochs",
+			rawLockList: [][]byte{
+				id1,
+				id2, epoch1,
+				id1, epoch2,
+				id2,
+				id2, epoch2,
+			},
+			ids:       [][]byte{id1, id2, id1, id2, id2},
+			expEpochs: [][]byte{noEpoch, epoch1, epoch2, noEpoch, epoch2},
+		},
+
+		{
+			name: "locks have no epochs",
+			rawLockList: [][]byte{
+				id1,
+				id2,
+				id1,
+				id2,
+			},
+			ids:       [][]byte{id1, id2, id1, id2},
+			expEpochs: [][]byte{noEpoch, noEpoch, noEpoch, noEpoch},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "got an epoch when want an id (in the beginning)",
+			rawLockList: [][]byte{
+				epoch1,
+				id1,
+				id2, epoch2,
+			},
+			shouldFail: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "got an epoch when want an id (in the middle)",
+			rawLockList: [][]byte{
+				id1,
+				id2, epoch2,
+				epoch1,
+				id1, epoch1,
+				id2, epoch2,
+			},
+			shouldFail: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "got an epoch when want an id (in the end)",
+			rawLockList: [][]byte{
+				id1, epoch1,
+				id2,
+				id1,
+				id2, epoch2,
+				epoch1,
+			},
+			shouldFail: true,
+		},
+	} {
+		t.Run(testCase.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			require.Equal(t, len(testCase.ids), len(testCase.expEpochs), "not a valid test case")
+
+			rawLocks, err := encodeList(testCase.rawLockList)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			locks, err := decodeLockWithExpEpochList(rawLocks)
+			if testCase.shouldFail {
+				require.Error(t, err)
+				return
+			}
+
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.Equal(t, len(testCase.ids), len(locks))
+
+			for i := range testCase.ids {
+				require.Equal(t, testCase.ids[i], locks[i].id[:])
+				require.Equal(t, testCase.expEpochs[i], locks[i].expEpoch[:])
+			}
+
+			data, err := encodeLockWithExpEpochList(locks)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.Equal(t, rawLocks, data)
+
+			data, err = encodeLockWithExpEpochList(locks)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.Equal(t, rawLocks, data)
+		})
+	}
+}