diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
index ab95c4e2..d235af2c 100644
--- a/.release-please-manifest.json
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 {
-    ".": "3.12.0"
+    ".": "3.12.1"
 }
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c6161ca5..1f98b01a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,13 @@
 
 [1]: https://pypi.org/project/google-cloud-logging/#history
 
+## [3.12.1](https://github.com/googleapis/python-logging/compare/v3.12.0...v3.12.1) (2025-04-21)
+
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* Make logging handler close conditional to having the transport opened ([#990](https://github.com/googleapis/python-logging/issues/990)) ([66c6b91](https://github.com/googleapis/python-logging/commit/66c6b91725eb479a0af138a2be13f3c25f369d7e))
+
 ## [3.12.0](https://github.com/googleapis/python-logging/compare/v3.11.4...v3.12.0) (2025-04-10)
 
 
diff --git a/google/cloud/logging/gapic_version.py b/google/cloud/logging/gapic_version.py
index b5a6e376..14833215 100644
--- a/google/cloud/logging/gapic_version.py
+++ b/google/cloud/logging/gapic_version.py
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 #
-__version__ = "3.12.0"  # {x-release-please-version}
+__version__ = "3.12.1"  # {x-release-please-version}
diff --git a/google/cloud/logging_v2/gapic_version.py b/google/cloud/logging_v2/gapic_version.py
index b5a6e376..14833215 100644
--- a/google/cloud/logging_v2/gapic_version.py
+++ b/google/cloud/logging_v2/gapic_version.py
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 #
-__version__ = "3.12.0"  # {x-release-please-version}
+__version__ = "3.12.1"  # {x-release-please-version}
diff --git a/google/cloud/logging_v2/handlers/handlers.py b/google/cloud/logging_v2/handlers/handlers.py
index 364246d5..233d9eab 100644
--- a/google/cloud/logging_v2/handlers/handlers.py
+++ b/google/cloud/logging_v2/handlers/handlers.py
@@ -245,9 +245,10 @@ def flush(self):
 
     def close(self):
         """Closes the log handler and cleans up all Transport objects used."""
-        self.transport.close()
-        self.transport = None
-        self._transport_open = False
+        if self._transport_open:
+            self.transport.close()
+            self.transport = None
+            self._transport_open = False
 
 
 def _format_and_parse_message(record, formatter_handler):
diff --git a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.logging.v2.json b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.logging.v2.json
index 3132ff27..7d77545a 100644
--- a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.logging.v2.json
+++ b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.logging.v2.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     ],
     "language": "PYTHON",
     "name": "google-cloud-logging",
-    "version": "3.12.0"
+    "version": "3.12.1"
   },
   "snippets": [
     {
diff --git a/tests/unit/handlers/test_handlers.py b/tests/unit/handlers/test_handlers.py
index 2e948493..3f25929e 100644
--- a/tests/unit/handlers/test_handlers.py
+++ b/tests/unit/handlers/test_handlers.py
@@ -901,6 +901,10 @@ def test_close(self):
         self.assertFalse(handler._transport_open)
         self.assertTrue(old_transport.close_called)
 
+        # second call to close shouldn't throw an exception
+        handler.close()
+        self.assertFalse(handler._transport_open)
+
 
 class TestFormatAndParseMessage(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_none(self):