diff --git a/jupyterhub/orm.py b/jupyterhub/orm.py
index d4c9672b..8b18bb0c 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/orm.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/orm.py
@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@ from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 
 import alembic.command
 import alembic.config
-import sqlalchemy
 from alembic.script import ScriptDirectory
-from packaging.version import parse as parse_version
 from sqlalchemy import (
     Boolean,
     Column,
@@ -31,18 +29,12 @@ from sqlalchemy import (
 from sqlalchemy.orm import (
     Session,
     backref,
+    declarative_base,
     interfaces,
     object_session,
     relationship,
     sessionmaker,
 )
-
-try:
-    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
-except ImportError:
-    # sqlalchemy < 1.4
-    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
-
 from sqlalchemy.pool import StaticPool
 from sqlalchemy.types import LargeBinary, Text, TypeDecorator
 from tornado.log import app_log
@@ -912,27 +904,19 @@ def register_ping_connection(engine):
 
     @event.listens_for(engine, "engine_connect")
     def ping_connection(connection, branch=None):
-        if branch:
-            # "branch" refers to a sub-connection of a connection,
-            # we don't want to bother pinging on these.
-            return
+        # TODO: remove unused branch arg when we require sqlalchemy 2.0
 
         # turn off "close with result".  This flag is only used with
         # "connectionless" execution, otherwise will be False in any case
         save_should_close_with_result = connection.should_close_with_result
         connection.should_close_with_result = False
 
-        if parse_version(sqlalchemy.__version__) < parse_version("1.4"):
-            one = [1]
-        else:
-            one = 1
-
         try:
             # run a SELECT 1. use a core select() so that
             # the SELECT of a scalar value without a table is
             # appropriately formatted for the backend
             with connection.begin() as transaction:
-                connection.scalar(select(one))
+                connection.scalar(select(1))
         except exc.DBAPIError as err:
             # catch SQLAlchemy's DBAPIError, which is a wrapper
             # for the DBAPI's exception.  It includes a .connection_invalidated
@@ -948,7 +932,7 @@ def register_ping_connection(engine):
                 # here also causes the whole connection pool to be invalidated
                 # so that all stale connections are discarded.
                 with connection.begin() as transaction:
-                    connection.scalar(select(one))
+                    connection.scalar(select(1))
             else:
                 raise
         finally:
@@ -972,11 +956,8 @@ def check_db_revision(engine):
 
     from .dbutil import _temp_alembic_ini
 
-    if hasattr(engine.url, "render_as_string"):
-        # sqlalchemy >= 1.4
-        engine_url = engine.url.render_as_string(hide_password=False)
-    else:
-        engine_url = str(engine.url)
+    # alembic needs the password if it's in the URL
+    engine_url = engine.url.render_as_string(hide_password=False)
 
     with _temp_alembic_ini(engine_url) as ini:
         cfg = alembic.config.Config(ini)
@@ -1067,6 +1048,8 @@ def new_session_factory(
     elif url.startswith('mysql'):
         kwargs.setdefault('pool_recycle', 60)
 
+    kwargs.setdefault("future", True)
+
     if url.endswith(':memory:'):
         # If we're using an in-memory database, ensure that only one connection
         # is ever created.
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_db.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_db.py
index 9c89abb6..ee9d0bbd 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_db.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_db.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from glob import glob
 from subprocess import check_call
 
 import pytest
+from packaging.version import parse as V
 from pytest import raises
 from traitlets.config import Config
 
@@ -25,8 +26,14 @@ def generate_old_db(env_dir, hub_version, db_url):
     env_pip = os.path.join(env_dir, 'bin', 'pip')
     env_py = os.path.join(env_dir, 'bin', 'python')
     check_call([sys.executable, '-m', 'virtualenv', env_dir])
+    pkgs = ['jupyterhub==' + hub_version]
+
     # older jupyterhub needs older sqlachemy version
-    pkgs = ['jupyterhub==' + hub_version, 'sqlalchemy<1.4']
+    if V(hub_version) < V("2"):
+        pkgs.append('sqlalchemy<1.4')
+    elif V(hub_version) < V("3.1.1"):
+        pkgs.append('sqlalchemy<2')
+
     if 'mysql' in db_url:
         pkgs.append('mysql-connector-python')
     elif 'postgres' in db_url:
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/utils.py b/jupyterhub/tests/utils.py
index 6bae468d..54222658 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/utils.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/utils.py
@@ -14,20 +14,6 @@ from jupyterhub.objects import Server
 from jupyterhub.roles import assign_default_roles, update_roles
 from jupyterhub.utils import url_path_join as ujoin
 
-try:
-    from sqlalchemy.exc import RemovedIn20Warning
-except ImportError:
-
-    class RemovedIn20Warning(DeprecationWarning):
-        """
-        I only exist so I can be used in warnings filters in pytest.ini
-
-        I will never be displayed.
-
-        sqlalchemy 1.4 introduces RemovedIn20Warning,
-        but we still test against older sqlalchemy.
-        """
-
 
 class _AsyncRequests:
     """Wrapper around requests to return a Future from request methods
diff --git a/pytest.ini b/pytest.ini
index 1a57882e..b594142e 100644
--- a/pytest.ini
+++ b/pytest.ini
@@ -20,5 +20,5 @@ markers =
     selenium: web tests that run with selenium
 
 filterwarnings =
-    error:.*:jupyterhub.tests.utils.RemovedIn20Warning
-    ignore:.*event listener has changed as of version 2.0.*:sqlalchemy.exc.SADeprecationWarning
+    ignore:.*The new signature is "def engine_connect\(conn\)"*:sqlalchemy.exc.SADeprecationWarning
+    ignore:.*The new signature is "def engine_connect\(conn\)"*:sqlalchemy.exc.SAWarning
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 21de4a74..384e6a9f 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -11,6 +11,6 @@ prometheus_client>=0.4.0
 psutil>=5.6.5; sys_platform == 'win32'
 python-dateutil
 requests
-SQLAlchemy>=1.1
+SQLAlchemy>=1.4
 tornado>=5.1
 traitlets>=4.3.2