diff --git a/fiasco/conftest.py b/fiasco/conftest.py
index 5843f5ab..a5e2e6e2 100644
--- a/fiasco/conftest.py
+++ b/fiasco/conftest.py
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
+import numpy as np
 import pathlib
 import pytest
 
+from packaging.version import Version
+
 from fiasco.util import check_database, read_chianti_version
 
 # Force MPL to use non-gui backends for testing.
@@ -160,14 +163,23 @@ def requires_dbase_version(request, dbase_version):
     # NOTE: Fixtures that depend on other fixtures are awkward to implement.
     # See this SO answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/28198398
     if marker := request.node.get_closest_marker('requires_dbase_version'):
-        version_condition = marker.args[0]
-        # NOTE: This currently only works for major versions. If we
-        # need tests that discriminate between minor versions or patches,
-        # this logic will need to be added.
-        conditional = f'{dbase_version["major"]}{version_condition}'
-        allowed_dbase_version = eval(conditional)
+        # NOTE: This has to have a space between the operator and the target
+        if  len(marker.args) != 2:
+            raise ValueError("Arguments must contain a condition and a version number, e.g. '<', '8.0.7'")
+        operator, target_version = marker.args
+        op_dict = {'<': np.less,
+                   '<=': np.less_equal,
+                   '>': np.greater,
+                   '>=': np.greater_equal,
+                   '=': np.equal,
+                   '!=': np.not_equal}
+        if operator not in op_dict:
+            raise ValueError(f'''{operator} is not a supported comparison operation.
+                                 Must be one of {list(op_dict.keys())}.''')
+        target_version = Version(target_version)
+        allowed_dbase_version = op_dict[operator](dbase_version, target_version)
         if not allowed_dbase_version:
-            pytest.skip(f'Test skipped because current dbase version {conditional}.')
+            pytest.skip(f'Skip because database version {dbase_version} is not {operator} {target_version}.')
 
 
 def pytest_configure(config):
diff --git a/fiasco/io/sources/tests/test_sources.py b/fiasco/io/sources/tests/test_sources.py
index 02d039b2..bd1d291d 100644
--- a/fiasco/io/sources/tests/test_sources.py
+++ b/fiasco/io/sources/tests/test_sources.py
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@
     'fe_2.trparams',
     'fe_12.drparams',
     'al_3.diparams',
-    pytest.param('fe_23.auto', marks=pytest.mark.requires_dbase_version('>=9')),
-    pytest.param('fe_23.rrlvl', marks=pytest.mark.requires_dbase_version('>=9')),
+    pytest.param('fe_23.auto', marks=pytest.mark.requires_dbase_version('>=', '9')),
+    pytest.param('fe_23.rrlvl', marks=pytest.mark.requires_dbase_version('>=', '9')),
 ])
 def test_ion_sources(ascii_dbase_root, filename,):
     parser = fiasco.io.Parser(filename, ascii_dbase_root=ascii_dbase_root)
diff --git a/fiasco/tests/test_ion.py b/fiasco/tests/test_ion.py
index 13c5c8ae..2e42f227 100644
--- a/fiasco/tests/test_ion.py
+++ b/fiasco/tests/test_ion.py
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ def test_level_populations_normalized(pops_no_correction, pops_with_correction):
     assert u.allclose(pops_no_correction.sum(axis=1), 1, atol=None, rtol=1e-15)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.requires_dbase_version('<=8')
+@pytest.mark.requires_dbase_version('<=','8')
 def test_level_populations_correction(fe20, pops_no_correction, pops_with_correction):
     # Test level-resolved correction applied to correct levels
     i_corrected = np.unique(np.concatenate([fe20._cilvl['upper_level'], fe20._reclvl['upper_level']]))