diff --git a/framework/include/mesh/MooseMesh.h b/framework/include/mesh/MooseMesh.h
index 6a067158f40d..b959b7b358a8 100644
--- a/framework/include/mesh/MooseMesh.h
+++ b/framework/include/mesh/MooseMesh.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 #include "libmesh/nanoflann.hpp"
 #include "libmesh/vector_value.h"
 #include "libmesh/point.h"
+#include "libmesh/partitioner.h"
 
 // forward declaration
 class MooseMesh;
@@ -1245,7 +1246,7 @@ class MooseMesh : public MooseObject, public Restartable, public PerfGraphInterf
   void cacheInfo();
   void freeBndNodes();
   void freeBndElems();
-  void setPartitionerHelper();
+  void setPartitionerHelper(MeshBase * mesh = nullptr);
 
 private:
   // true if the _face_info member needs to be rebuilt/updated.
@@ -1567,5 +1568,18 @@ MooseMesh::buildTypedMesh(unsigned int dim)
   mesh->allow_remote_element_removal(_allow_remote_element_removal);
   _app.attachRelationshipManagers(*mesh, *this);
 
+  if (_custom_partitioner_requested)
+  {
+    // Check of partitioner is supplied (not allowed if custom partitioner is used)
+    if (!parameters().isParamSetByAddParam("partitioner"))
+      mooseError("If partitioner block is provided, partitioner keyword cannot be used!");
+    // Set custom partitioner
+    if (!_custom_partitioner.get())
+      mooseError("Custom partitioner requested but not set!");
+    mesh->partitioner().reset(_custom_partitioner.release());
+  }
+  else
+    setPartitionerHelper(mesh.get());
+
   return mesh;
 }
diff --git a/framework/src/base/Moose.C b/framework/src/base/Moose.C
index 93e6775e4684..3a66e1edc986 100644
--- a/framework/src/base/Moose.C
+++ b/framework/src/base/Moose.C
@@ -253,12 +253,12 @@ addActionTypes(Syntax & syntax)
                            "(check_copy_nodal_vars)"
                            "(setup_mesh)"
                            "(add_geometric_rm)"
+                           "(add_partitioner)"
                            "(add_mesh_generator)"
                            "(append_mesh_generator)"
                            "(execute_mesh_generators)"
                            "(recover_meta_data)"
                            "(set_mesh_base)"
-                           "(add_partitioner)"
                            "(attach_geometric_rm)"
                            "(init_mesh)"
                            "(prepare_mesh)"
diff --git a/framework/src/mesh/MooseMesh.C b/framework/src/mesh/MooseMesh.C
index 50654681099e..856550a3de75 100644
--- a/framework/src/mesh/MooseMesh.C
+++ b/framework/src/mesh/MooseMesh.C
@@ -2247,14 +2247,7 @@ MooseMesh::buildMeshBaseObject(unsigned int dim)
 
   std::unique_ptr<MeshBase> mesh;
   if (_use_distributed_mesh)
-  {
     mesh = buildTypedMesh<DistributedMesh>(dim);
-    if (_partitioner_name != "default" && _partitioner_name != "parmetis")
-    {
-      _partitioner_name = "parmetis";
-      _partitioner_overridden = true;
-    }
-  }
   else
     mesh = buildTypedMesh<ReplicatedMesh>(dim);
 
@@ -2285,19 +2278,6 @@ MooseMesh::init()
 
   TIME_SECTION(_init_timer);
 
-  if (_custom_partitioner_requested)
-  {
-    // Check of partitioner is supplied (not allowed if custom partitioner is used)
-    if (!parameters().isParamSetByAddParam("partitioner"))
-      mooseError("If partitioner block is provided, partitioner keyword cannot be used!");
-    // Set custom partitioner
-    if (!_custom_partitioner.get())
-      mooseError("Custom partitioner requested but not set!");
-    getMesh().partitioner().reset(_custom_partitioner.release());
-  }
-  else
-    setPartitionerHelper();
-
   if (_app.isRecovering() && _allow_recovery && _app.isUltimateMaster())
   {
     // Some partitioners are not idempotent.  Some recovery data
@@ -2971,9 +2951,15 @@ MooseMesh::errorIfDistributedMesh(std::string name) const
 }
 
 void
-MooseMesh::setPartitionerHelper()
+MooseMesh::setPartitionerHelper(MeshBase * const mesh)
 {
-  setPartitioner(getMesh(), _partitioner_name, _use_distributed_mesh, _pars, *this);
+  if (_use_distributed_mesh && (_partitioner_name != "default" && _partitioner_name != "parmetis"))
+  {
+    _partitioner_name = "parmetis";
+    _partitioner_overridden = true;
+  }
+
+  setPartitioner(mesh ? *mesh : getMesh(), _partitioner_name, _use_distributed_mesh, _pars, *this);
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/framework/src/partitioner/HierarchicalGridPartitioner.C b/framework/src/partitioner/HierarchicalGridPartitioner.C
index 9db225460797..3f93fa72bbe4 100644
--- a/framework/src/partitioner/HierarchicalGridPartitioner.C
+++ b/framework/src/partitioner/HierarchicalGridPartitioner.C
@@ -58,15 +58,6 @@ HierarchicalGridPartitioner::HierarchicalGridPartitioner(const InputParameters &
     _ny_procs(getParam<unsigned int>("ny_procs")),
     _nz_procs(getParam<unsigned int>("nz_procs"))
 {
-  const auto dim = _mesh.getMesh().spatial_dimension();
-  if (_ny_procs == 0 && dim > 1)
-    paramError("ny_procs", "Required for ", dim, "D meshes");
-  if (_ny_nodes == 0 && dim > 1)
-    paramError("ny_nodes", "Required for ", dim, "D meshes");
-  if (_nz_procs == 0 && dim == 3)
-    paramError("nz_procs", "Required for 3D meshes");
-  if (_nz_nodes == 0 && dim == 3)
-    paramError("nz_nodes", "Required for 3D meshes");
 }
 
 HierarchicalGridPartitioner::~HierarchicalGridPartitioner() {}
@@ -80,6 +71,16 @@ HierarchicalGridPartitioner::clone() const
 void
 HierarchicalGridPartitioner::_do_partition(MeshBase & mesh, const unsigned int /*n*/)
 {
+  const auto dim = mesh.spatial_dimension();
+  if (_ny_procs == 0 && dim > 1)
+    paramError("ny_procs", "Required for ", dim, "D meshes");
+  if (_ny_nodes == 0 && dim > 1)
+    paramError("ny_nodes", "Required for ", dim, "D meshes");
+  if (_nz_procs == 0 && dim == 3)
+    paramError("nz_procs", "Required for 3D meshes");
+  if (_nz_nodes == 0 && dim == 3)
+    paramError("nz_nodes", "Required for 3D meshes");
+
   auto total_nodes = _nx_nodes;
 
   if (mesh.spatial_dimension() >= 2)