diff --git a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSession.scala b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSession.scala
index 731aae882a7b..be597edecba9 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSession.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSession.scala
@@ -895,7 +895,7 @@ object SparkSession extends Logging {
      * SparkSession exists, the method creates a new SparkSession and assigns the
      * newly created SparkSession as the global default.
      *
-     * In case an existing SparkSession is returned, the config options specified in
+     * In case an existing SparkSession is returned, the non-static config options specified in
      * this builder will be applied to the existing SparkSession.
      *
      * @since 2.0.0
@@ -905,10 +905,7 @@ object SparkSession extends Logging {
       // Get the session from current thread's active session.
       var session = activeThreadSession.get()
       if ((session ne null) && !session.sparkContext.isStopped) {
-        options.foreach { case (k, v) => session.sessionState.conf.setConfString(k, v) }
-        if (options.nonEmpty) {
-          logWarning("Using an existing SparkSession; some configuration may not take effect.")
-        }
+        applyModifiableSettings(session)
         return session
       }
 
@@ -917,10 +914,7 @@ object SparkSession extends Logging {
         // If the current thread does not have an active session, get it from the global session.
         session = defaultSession.get()
         if ((session ne null) && !session.sparkContext.isStopped) {
-          options.foreach { case (k, v) => session.sessionState.conf.setConfString(k, v) }
-          if (options.nonEmpty) {
-            logWarning("Using an existing SparkSession; some configuration may not take effect.")
-          }
+          applyModifiableSettings(session)
           return session
         }
 
@@ -959,6 +953,22 @@ object SparkSession extends Logging {
 
       return session
     }
+
+    private def applyModifiableSettings(session: SparkSession): Unit = {
+      val (staticConfs, otherConfs) =
+        options.partition(kv => SQLConf.staticConfKeys.contains(kv._1))
+
+      otherConfs.foreach { case (k, v) => session.sessionState.conf.setConfString(k, v) }
+
+      if (staticConfs.nonEmpty) {
+        logWarning("Using an existing SparkSession; the static sql configurations will not take" +
+          " effect.")
+      }
+      if (otherConfs.nonEmpty) {
+        logWarning("Using an existing SparkSession; some spark core configurations may not take" +
+          " effect.")
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSessionBuilderSuite.scala b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSessionBuilderSuite.scala
index f2386413bea1..7b76d0702d83 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSessionBuilderSuite.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/SparkSessionBuilderSuite.scala
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import org.scalatest.BeforeAndAfterEach
 import org.apache.spark.{SparkConf, SparkContext, SparkFunSuite}
 import org.apache.spark.internal.config.UI.UI_ENABLED
 import org.apache.spark.sql.internal.SQLConf
-import org.apache.spark.sql.internal.StaticSQLConf.GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE
+import org.apache.spark.sql.internal.StaticSQLConf._
 
 /**
  * Test cases for the builder pattern of [[SparkSession]].
@@ -168,4 +168,51 @@ class SparkSessionBuilderSuite extends SparkFunSuite with BeforeAndAfterEach {
     assert(session.sessionState.conf.getConfString("spark.app.name") === "test-app-SPARK-31234")
     assert(session.sessionState.conf.getConf(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE) === "globaltempdb-spark-31234")
   }
+
+  test("SPARK-31532: should not propagate static sql configs to the existing" +
+    " active/default SparkSession") {
+    val session = SparkSession.builder()
+      .master("local")
+      .config(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE.key, value = "globalTempDB-SPARK-31532")
+      .config("spark.app.name", "test-app-SPARK-31532")
+      .getOrCreate()
+    // do not propagate static sql configs to the existing active session
+    val session1 = SparkSession
+      .builder()
+      .config(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE.key, "globalTempDB-SPARK-31532-1")
+      .getOrCreate()
+    assert(session.conf.get(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE) === "globaltempdb-spark-31532")
+    assert(session1.conf.get(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE) === "globaltempdb-spark-31532")
+
+    // do not propagate static sql configs to the existing default session
+    SparkSession.clearActiveSession()
+    val session2 = SparkSession
+      .builder()
+      .config(WAREHOUSE_PATH.key, "SPARK-31532-db")
+      .config(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE.key, value = "globalTempDB-SPARK-31532-2")
+      .getOrCreate()
+
+    assert(!session.conf.get(WAREHOUSE_PATH).contains("SPARK-31532-db"))
+    assert(session.conf.get(WAREHOUSE_PATH) === session2.conf.get(WAREHOUSE_PATH))
+    assert(session2.conf.get(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE) === "globaltempdb-spark-31532")
+  }
+
+  test("SPARK-31532: propagate static sql configs if no existing SparkSession") {
+    val conf = new SparkConf()
+      .setMaster("local")
+      .setAppName("test-app-SPARK-31532-2")
+      .set(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE.key, "globaltempdb-spark-31532")
+      .set(WAREHOUSE_PATH.key, "SPARK-31532-db")
+    SparkContext.getOrCreate(conf)
+
+    // propagate static sql configs if no existing session
+    val session = SparkSession
+      .builder()
+      .config(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE.key, "globalTempDB-SPARK-31532-2")
+      .config(WAREHOUSE_PATH.key, "SPARK-31532-db-2")
+      .getOrCreate()
+    assert(session.conf.get("spark.app.name") === "test-app-SPARK-31532-2")
+    assert(session.conf.get(GLOBAL_TEMP_DATABASE) === "globaltempdb-spark-31532-2")
+    assert(session.conf.get(WAREHOUSE_PATH) === "SPARK-31532-db-2")
+  }
 }