diff --git a/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail.go b/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail.go
index 2f6feddd..6a3089a1 100644
--- a/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail.go
+++ b/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ package lightsail
 
 import (
 	"math/rand"
+	"os"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws"
@@ -20,7 +21,8 @@ const (
 
 // DNSProvider implements the acme.ChallengeProvider interface
 type DNSProvider struct {
-	client *lightsail.Lightsail
+	client  *lightsail.Lightsail
+	dnsZone string
 }
 
 // customRetryer implements the client.Retryer interface by composing the
@@ -61,11 +63,16 @@ func (c customRetryer) RetryRules(r *request.Request) time.Duration {
 func NewDNSProvider() (*DNSProvider, error) {
 	r := customRetryer{}
 	r.NumMaxRetries = maxRetries
-	config := request.WithRetryer(aws.NewConfig(), r)
-	client := lightsail.New(session.New(config))
+
+	config := aws.NewConfig().WithRegion("us-east-1")
+	sess, err := session.NewSession(request.WithRetryer(config, r))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	return &DNSProvider{
-		client: client,
+		dnsZone: os.Getenv("DNS_ZONE"),
+		client:  lightsail.New(sess),
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -73,6 +80,7 @@ func NewDNSProvider() (*DNSProvider, error) {
 func (d *DNSProvider) Present(domain, token, keyAuth string) error {
 	fqdn, value, _ := acme.DNS01Record(domain, keyAuth)
 	value = `"` + value + `"`
+
 	err := d.newTxtRecord(domain, fqdn, value)
 	return err
 }
@@ -82,7 +90,7 @@ func (d *DNSProvider) CleanUp(domain, token, keyAuth string) error {
 	fqdn, value, _ := acme.DNS01Record(domain, keyAuth)
 	value = `"` + value + `"`
 	params := &lightsail.DeleteDomainEntryInput{
-		DomainName: aws.String(domain),
+		DomainName: aws.String(d.dnsZone),
 		DomainEntry: &lightsail.DomainEntry{
 			Name:   aws.String(fqdn),
 			Type:   aws.String("TXT"),
@@ -95,7 +103,7 @@ func (d *DNSProvider) CleanUp(domain, token, keyAuth string) error {
 
 func (d *DNSProvider) newTxtRecord(domain string, fqdn string, value string) error {
 	params := &lightsail.CreateDomainEntryInput{
-		DomainName: aws.String(domain),
+		DomainName: aws.String(d.dnsZone),
 		DomainEntry: &lightsail.DomainEntry{
 			Name:   aws.String(fqdn),
 			Target: aws.String(value),
diff --git a/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_integration_test.go b/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_integration_test.go
index 579780d4..a26d7868 100644
--- a/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_integration_test.go
+++ b/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_integration_test.go
@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@ func TestLightsailTTL(t *testing.T) {
 	// we need a separate Lightshail client here as the one in the DNS provider is
 	// unexported.
 	fqdn := "_acme-challenge." + m["lightsailDomain"]
-	svc := lightsail.New(session.New())
+	sess, err := session.NewSession()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	svc := lightsail.New(sess)
 	if err != nil {
 		provider.CleanUp(m["lightsailDomain"], "foo", "bar")
 		t.Fatal(err)
diff --git a/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_test.go b/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_test.go
index ee41073a..a846ff3d 100644
--- a/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_test.go
+++ b/providers/dns/lightsail/lightsail_test.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/credentials"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/session"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/lightsail"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ func restoreEnv() {
 	os.Setenv("AWS_HOSTED_ZONE_ID", lightsailZone)
 }
 
-func makeLightsailProvider(ts *httptest.Server) *DNSProvider {
+func makeLightsailProvider(ts *httptest.Server) (*DNSProvider, error) {
 	config := &aws.Config{
 		Credentials: credentials.NewStaticCredentials("abc", "123", " "),
 		Endpoint:    aws.String(ts.URL),
@@ -38,8 +38,13 @@ func makeLightsailProvider(ts *httptest.Server) *DNSProvider {
 		MaxRetries:  aws.Int(1),
 	}
 
-	client := lightsail.New(session.New(config))
-	return &DNSProvider{client: client}
+	sess, err := session.NewSession(config)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	client := lightsail.New(sess)
+	return &DNSProvider{client: client}, nil
 }
 
 func TestCredentialsFromEnv(t *testing.T) {
@@ -52,24 +57,27 @@ func TestCredentialsFromEnv(t *testing.T) {
 		CredentialsChainVerboseErrors: aws.Bool(true),
 	}
 
-	sess := session.New(config)
-	_, err := sess.Config.Credentials.Get()
-	assert.NoError(t, err, "Expected credentials to be set from environment")
+	sess, err := session.NewSession(config)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	_, err = sess.Config.Credentials.Get()
+	require.NoError(t, err, "Expected credentials to be set from environment")
 }
 
 func TestLightsailPresent(t *testing.T) {
-	mockResponses := MockResponseMap{
-		"/": MockResponse{StatusCode: 200, Body: ""},
+	mockResponses := map[string]MockResponse{
+		"/": {StatusCode: 200, Body: ""},
 	}
 
 	ts := newMockServer(t, mockResponses)
 	defer ts.Close()
 
-	provider := makeLightsailProvider(ts)
+	provider, err := makeLightsailProvider(ts)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	domain := "example.com"
 	keyAuth := "123456d=="
 
-	err := provider.Present(domain, "", keyAuth)
-	assert.NoError(t, err, "Expected Present to return no error")
+	err = provider.Present(domain, "", keyAuth)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "Expected Present to return no error")
 }
diff --git a/providers/dns/lightsail/testutil_test.go b/providers/dns/lightsail/mock_server_test.go
similarity index 79%
rename from providers/dns/lightsail/testutil_test.go
rename to providers/dns/lightsail/mock_server_test.go
index 11141216..bba3b37a 100644
--- a/providers/dns/lightsail/testutil_test.go
+++ b/providers/dns/lightsail/mock_server_test.go
@@ -16,10 +16,7 @@ type MockResponse struct {
 	Body       string
 }
 
-// MockResponseMap maps request paths to responses
-type MockResponseMap map[string]MockResponse
-
-func newMockServer(t *testing.T, responses MockResponseMap) *httptest.Server {
+func newMockServer(t *testing.T, responses map[string]MockResponse) *httptest.Server {
 	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		path := r.URL.Path
 		resp, ok := responses[path]