diff --git a/.github/workflows/ur-build-hw.yml b/.github/workflows/ur-build-hw.yml
index 7870cb85f1b34..398d34dfde6a5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ur-build-hw.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ur-build-hw.yml
@@ -200,6 +200,13 @@ jobs:
         build_dir: build
         artifact_name: 'ur-${{matrix.adapter.name}}-${{steps.artifact_suffix.outputs.suffix}}-conformance'
 
+    - name: Test loader
+      uses: ./devops/actions/run-tests/ur
+      with:
+        test_type: 'loader'
+        build_dir: build
+        artifact_name: 'ur-${{matrix.adapter.name}}-${{steps.artifact_suffix.outputs.suffix}}-loader'
+
     - name: Debug CI platform information
       if: ${{ always() }}
       run: ./devops/scripts/get_system_info.sh
diff --git a/devops/actions/run-tests/ur/action.yml b/devops/actions/run-tests/ur/action.yml
index 0e161f6970846..5fa91a772eb57 100644
--- a/devops/actions/run-tests/ur/action.yml
+++ b/devops/actions/run-tests/ur/action.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ name: 'Run UR Tests'
 
 inputs:
   test_type:
-    description: 'Type of tests to run (adapter-specific or conformance)'
+    description: 'Type of tests to run (adapter-specific, conformance or loader)'
     required: true
   build_dir:
     required: false
diff --git a/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/constants.py b/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/constants.py
index 396574d62516c..672746ab4c5b3 100644
--- a/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/constants.py
+++ b/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/constants.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 
 TEST_TYPE_ADAPTER_SPECIFIC = "adapter-specific"
 TEST_TYPE_CONFORMANCE = "conformance"
+TEST_TYPE_LOADER = "loader"
 
 # These tests cause timeouts on CI and are excluded from adapter-specific runs
 LIT_FILTER_OUT_ADAPTER_SPECIFIC = (
diff --git a/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/test_runner.py b/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/test_runner.py
index f46f3101b0998..97021414747be 100644
--- a/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/test_runner.py
+++ b/devops/scripts/ur_test_tools/test_runner.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     LIT_CI_OPTIONS,
     TEST_TYPE_ADAPTER_SPECIFIC,
     TEST_TYPE_CONFORMANCE,
+    TEST_TYPE_LOADER,
     LIT_FILTER_OUT_ADAPTER_SPECIFIC,
     MAX_LINES_TO_SCAN,
 )
@@ -33,6 +34,11 @@ def get_test_config(test_type: str) -> TestConfig:
             target="check-unified-runtime-conformance",
             log_file="conformance_tests.log",
         )
+    elif test_type == TEST_TYPE_LOADER:
+        return TestConfig(
+            target="check-unified-runtime-loader",
+            log_file="loader_tests.log",
+        )
     else:
         raise ValueError(f"Invalid test_type: {test_type}")
 
diff --git a/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.cpp b/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.cpp
index 947f837255d65..c37bb3bdf088d 100644
--- a/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.cpp
+++ b/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.cpp
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ __urdlllocal ur_result_t context_t::Init(
 
 #if defined(UR_STATIC_UMF)
   if (UR_RESULT_SUCCESS == result) {
-    umfInit();
+    holdsUmfRef = umfInit() == UMF_RESULT_SUCCESS;
   }
 #endif
 
@@ -220,15 +220,18 @@ ur_result_t UR_APICALL urLoaderInit(ur_device_init_flags_t device_flags,
 }
 
 ur_result_t urLoaderTearDown() {
-  int ret = ur_lib::context_t::release([](context_t *context) {
+  bool releaseUmf = false;
+  int ret = ur_lib::context_t::release([&releaseUmf](context_t *context) {
     context->tearDownLayers();
     ur_loader::context_t::forceDelete();
+    releaseUmf = context->holdsUmfRef;
     delete context;
   });
 
 #if defined(UR_STATIC_UMF)
-  // Release the Init reference only after the layers are torn down above.
-  if (ret == 0) {
+  // Release the Init reference only after the layers are torn down above, and
+  // only when the last urLoaderTearDown deleted the context that took it.
+  if (releaseUmf) {
     umfTearDown();
   }
 #endif
diff --git a/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.hpp b/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.hpp
index 0ec380e72d80c..c52f402c8d2bf 100644
--- a/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.hpp
+++ b/unified-runtime/source/loader/ur_lib.hpp
@@ -110,6 +110,9 @@ class __urdlllocal context_t : public AtomicSingleton<context_t> {
 
   codeloc_data codelocData;
 
+  // Set when Init took a umfInit reference that teardown must release.
+  bool holdsUmfRef = false;
+
   void parseEnvEnabledLayers();
   ur_result_t initLayers();
   void tearDownLayers() const;
diff --git a/unified-runtime/test/loader/adapter_registry/CMakeLists.txt b/unified-runtime/test/loader/adapter_registry/CMakeLists.txt
index 5dc8ef6fdad1b..7eaf376bea098 100644
--- a/unified-runtime/test/loader/adapter_registry/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/unified-runtime/test/loader/adapter_registry/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 function(add_adapter_reg_search_test name)
     set(TEST_TARGET_NAME ${name}-test)
-    add_gtest_test(${name} ${TEST_SOURCES})
+    add_gtest_test(${name} ${ARGN})
 
     if(WIN32)
         target_sources(${TEST_TARGET_NAME} PRIVATE
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ function(add_adapter_reg_search_test name)
         ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/source/loader)
 endfunction()
 
-add_adapter_reg_search_test(search-with-env)
-add_adapter_reg_search_test(search-no-env)
-add_adapter_reg_search_test(search-order)
-add_adapter_reg_search_test(prefilter)
+add_adapter_reg_search_test(search-with-env search_with_env.cpp)
+add_adapter_reg_search_test(search-no-env search_no_env.cpp)
+add_adapter_reg_search_test(search-order search_order.cpp)
+add_adapter_reg_search_test(prefilter prefilter.cpp)