diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_spawner.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_spawner.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57532cd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_spawner.py
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+"""Tests for process spawning"""
+
+# Copyright (c) Jupyter Development Team.
+# Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
+
+import getpass
+import logging
+import signal
+import sys
+
+import mock
+import simplepam
+
+from tornado import gen
+from tornado.ioloop import IOLoop
+from tornado.testing import AsyncTestCase, gen_test
+from IPython.utils.py3compat import unicode_type
+
+from .. import spawner as spawnermod
+from ..spawner import LocalProcessSpawner
+from .. import db
+
+_echo_sleep = """
+import sys, time
+print(sys.argv)
+time.sleep(10)
+"""
+
+_uninterruptible = """
+import time
+while True:
+    try:
+        time.sleep(10)
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        print("interrupted")
+"""
+
+def sleep(t):
+    """async time.sleep"""
+    loop = IOLoop.current()
+    return gen.Task(loop.add_timeout, loop.time() + t)
+
+class TestLocalProcessSpawner(AsyncTestCase):
+    
+    def setup_class(cls):
+        session = cls.session = db.new_session('sqlite:///:memory:')
+        user = cls.user = db.User(
+            name=getpass.getuser(),
+            server = db.Server(),
+        )
+        hub = cls.hub = db.Hub(
+            server = db.Server(),
+        )
+        session.add(user)
+        session.add(hub)
+        session.commit()
+        cls.log = logging.getLogger()
+        logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)
+        cls.cmd = [sys.executable, '-c', _echo_sleep]
+    
+    spawner_class = LocalProcessSpawner
+    
+    def new_spawner(self, **kwargs):
+        kwargs.setdefault('cmd', self.cmd)
+        kwargs.setdefault('user', self.user)
+        kwargs.setdefault('hub', self.hub)
+        kwargs.setdefault('log', self.log)
+        kwargs.setdefault('INTERRUPT_TIMEOUT', 2)
+        kwargs.setdefault('TERM_TIMEOUT', 1)
+        kwargs.setdefault('KILL_TIMEOUT', 1)
+        
+        return self.spawner_class(**kwargs)
+    
+    @gen_test
+    def test_spawner(self):
+        spawner = self.new_spawner()
+        yield spawner.start()
+        
+        status = yield spawner.poll()
+        self.assertEqual(status, None)
+        
+        yield spawner.stop()
+        status = yield spawner.poll()
+        self.assertEqual(status, -signal.SIGINT)
+
+    def test_preexec_switch(self):
+        spawner = self.new_spawner()
+        self.assertIs(spawner.make_preexec_fn, spawnermod.set_user_setuid)
+        spawner.set_user = 'sudo'
+        self.assertIs(spawner.make_preexec_fn, spawnermod.set_user_sudo)
+        spawner.set_user = 'setuid'
+        self.assertIs(spawner.make_preexec_fn, spawnermod.set_user_setuid)
+
+    @gen_test(timeout=10)
+    def test_stop_spawner_sigint_fails(self):
+        spawner = self.new_spawner(cmd=[sys.executable, '-c', _uninterruptible])
+        yield spawner.start()
+        
+        status = yield spawner.poll()
+        self.assertEqual(status, None)
+        
+        # wait for the process to get to the while True: loop
+        yield sleep(1)
+        
+        yield spawner.stop()
+        status = yield spawner.poll()
+        self.assertEqual(status, -signal.SIGTERM)
+
+    @gen_test
+    def test_stop_spawner_stop_now(self):
+        spawner = self.new_spawner()
+        yield spawner.start()
+        
+        status = yield spawner.poll()
+        self.assertEqual(status, None)
+        
+        yield spawner.stop(now=True)
+        status = yield spawner.poll()
+        self.assertEqual(status, -signal.SIGTERM)
+