diff --git a/doc/api/api_changes.rst b/doc/api/api_changes.rst
index 1ff1e66734e2..4efd112cb81b 100644
--- a/doc/api/api_changes.rst
+++ b/doc/api/api_changes.rst
@@ -154,8 +154,9 @@ Different exception types for undocumented options
   and ``right`` arguments.  :meth:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes.set_ylim` and the
   3D equivalents (e.g. :meth:`~mpl_toolkits.axes.Axes3D.set_zlim3d`) had a
   corresponding problem.
-  The ``_min`` and ``_max`` arguments are now deprecated, and a ``TypeError``
-  will be raised if they would override the earlier limit arguments.
+  A ``TypeError`` will be raised if they would override the earlier
+  limit arguments.  In 3.0 these were kwargs were deprecated, but in 3.1
+  the deprecation was undone.
 
 
 Improved call signature for ``Axes.margins``
diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-01-28_tac.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-01-28_tac.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..50dae92a833c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-01-28_tac.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+De-deprecate xmin, xmax kwargs to set_xlim and ymin, ymax kwargs to set_ylim
+````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
+
+These kwargs were deprecated in 3.0, but due to user feedback and the
+semantics of the new names are problematic for non-rectangular axes.
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
index 9515e03e5d75..59ac04741a3d 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
@@ -3145,8 +3145,7 @@ def set_xlim(self, left=None, right=None, emit=True, auto=False,
             False turns off (default action), None leaves unchanged.
 
         xmin, xmax : scalar, optional
-            These arguments are deprecated and will be removed in a future
-            version.  They are equivalent to left and right respectively,
+            They are equivalent to left and right respectively,
             and it is an error to pass both *xmin* and *left* or
             *xmax* and *right*.
 
@@ -3188,14 +3187,10 @@ def set_xlim(self, left=None, right=None, emit=True, auto=False,
         if right is None and np.iterable(left):
             left, right = left
         if xmin is not None:
-            cbook.warn_deprecated('3.0', name='`xmin`',
-                                  alternative='`left`', obj_type='argument')
             if left is not None:
                 raise TypeError('Cannot pass both `xmin` and `left`')
             left = xmin
         if xmax is not None:
-            cbook.warn_deprecated('3.0', name='`xmax`',
-                                  alternative='`right`', obj_type='argument')
             if right is not None:
                 raise TypeError('Cannot pass both `xmax` and `right`')
             right = xmax
@@ -3529,8 +3524,7 @@ def set_ylim(self, bottom=None, top=None, emit=True, auto=False,
             *False* turns off (default action), *None* leaves unchanged.
 
         ymin, ymax : scalar, optional
-            These arguments are deprecated and will be removed in a future
-            version.  They are equivalent to bottom and top respectively,
+            They are equivalent to bottom and top respectively,
             and it is an error to pass both *ymin* and *bottom* or
             *ymax* and *top*.
 
@@ -3571,14 +3565,10 @@ def set_ylim(self, bottom=None, top=None, emit=True, auto=False,
         if top is None and np.iterable(bottom):
             bottom, top = bottom
         if ymin is not None:
-            cbook.warn_deprecated('3.0', name='`ymin`',
-                                  alternative='`bottom`', obj_type='argument')
             if bottom is not None:
                 raise TypeError('Cannot pass both `ymin` and `bottom`')
             bottom = ymin
         if ymax is not None:
-            cbook.warn_deprecated('3.0', name='`ymax`',
-                                  alternative='`top`', obj_type='argument')
             if top is not None:
                 raise TypeError('Cannot pass both `ymax` and `top`')
             top = ymax