diff --git a/changelog.d/18959.misc b/changelog.d/18959.misc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e97475eec2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/18959.misc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Fix `no active span when trying to log` tracing error on startup (when OpenTracing is enabled).
diff --git a/synapse/app/_base.py b/synapse/app/_base.py
index 1cf76d2a0b..d8e1d30b44 100644
--- a/synapse/app/_base.py
+++ b/synapse/app/_base.py
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ from synapse.events.presence_router import load_legacy_presence_router
 from synapse.handlers.auth import load_legacy_password_auth_providers
 from synapse.http.site import SynapseSite
 from synapse.logging.context import LoggingContext, PreserveLoggingContext
-from synapse.logging.opentracing import init_tracer
 from synapse.metrics import install_gc_manager, register_threadpool
 from synapse.metrics.background_process_metrics import run_as_background_process
 from synapse.metrics.jemalloc import setup_jemalloc_stats
@@ -574,9 +573,6 @@ async def start(hs: "HomeServer") -> None:
     # Load the certificate from disk.
     refresh_certificate(hs)
 
-    # Start the tracer
-    init_tracer(hs)  # noqa
-
     # Instantiate the modules so they can register their web resources to the module API
     # before we start the listeners.
     module_api = hs.get_module_api()
diff --git a/synapse/app/generic_worker.py b/synapse/app/generic_worker.py
index afc6b85eae..fbc85b2f34 100644
--- a/synapse/app/generic_worker.py
+++ b/synapse/app/generic_worker.py
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ from synapse.config.server import ListenerConfig, TCPListenerConfig
 from synapse.federation.transport.server import TransportLayerServer
 from synapse.http.server import JsonResource, OptionsResource
 from synapse.logging.context import LoggingContext
+from synapse.logging.opentracing import init_tracer
 from synapse.metrics import METRICS_PREFIX, MetricsResource, RegistryProxy
 from synapse.replication.http import REPLICATION_PREFIX, ReplicationRestResource
 from synapse.rest import ClientRestResource, admin
@@ -359,6 +360,9 @@ def start(config: HomeServerConfig) -> None:
 
     setup_logging(hs, config, use_worker_options=True)
 
+    # Start the tracer
+    init_tracer(hs)  # noqa
+
     try:
         hs.setup()
 
diff --git a/synapse/app/homeserver.py b/synapse/app/homeserver.py
index 163f7c70ab..159075e886 100644
--- a/synapse/app/homeserver.py
+++ b/synapse/app/homeserver.py
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ from twisted.web.resource import EncodingResourceWrapper, Resource
 from twisted.web.server import GzipEncoderFactory
 
 import synapse
-import synapse.config.logger
 from synapse import events
 from synapse.api.urls import (
     CLIENT_API_PREFIX,
@@ -50,6 +49,7 @@ from synapse.app._base import (
 )
 from synapse.config._base import ConfigError, format_config_error
 from synapse.config.homeserver import HomeServerConfig
+from synapse.config.logger import setup_logging
 from synapse.config.server import ListenerConfig, TCPListenerConfig
 from synapse.federation.transport.server import TransportLayerServer
 from synapse.http.additional_resource import AdditionalResource
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ from synapse.http.server import (
     StaticResource,
 )
 from synapse.logging.context import LoggingContext
+from synapse.logging.opentracing import init_tracer
 from synapse.metrics import METRICS_PREFIX, MetricsResource, RegistryProxy
 from synapse.replication.http import REPLICATION_PREFIX, ReplicationRestResource
 from synapse.rest import ClientRestResource, admin
@@ -385,7 +386,10 @@ def setup(config: HomeServerConfig) -> SynapseHomeServer:
         version_string=f"Synapse/{VERSION}",
     )
 
-    synapse.config.logger.setup_logging(hs, config, use_worker_options=False)
+    setup_logging(hs, config, use_worker_options=False)
+
+    # Start the tracer
+    init_tracer(hs)  # noqa
 
     logger.info("Setting up server")