diff --git a/include/aws/io/pem.h b/include/aws/io/pem.h
index ec76c6b61..5d17e285e 100644
--- a/include/aws/io/pem.h
+++ b/include/aws/io/pem.h
@@ -75,9 +75,9 @@ AWS_IO_API void aws_pem_objects_clean_up(struct aws_array_list *pem_objects);
  * not to call this in the middle of something that needs to be fast or resource sensitive.
  */
 AWS_IO_API int aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(
+    struct aws_array_list *pem_objects,
     struct aws_allocator *alloc,
-    struct aws_byte_cursor pem_cursor,
-    struct aws_array_list *out_pem_objects);
+    struct aws_byte_cursor pem_cursor);
 
 /**
  * Decodes PEM data from file and reads objects sequentially adding them to pem_objects.
@@ -91,9 +91,9 @@ AWS_IO_API int aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(
  * not to call this in the middle of something that needs to be fast or resource sensitive.
  */
 AWS_IO_API int aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_path(
+    struct aws_array_list *pem_objects,
     struct aws_allocator *allocator,
-    const char *filename,
-    struct aws_array_list *out_pem_objects);
+    const char *filename);
 
 AWS_EXTERN_C_END
 #endif /* AWS_IO_PEM_H */
diff --git a/source/darwin/darwin_pki_utils.c b/source/darwin/darwin_pki_utils.c
index f07aaa018..7b60bab2c 100644
--- a/source/darwin/darwin_pki_utils.c
+++ b/source/darwin/darwin_pki_utils.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ int aws_import_ecc_key_into_keychain(
     struct aws_array_list decoded_key_buffer_list;
 
     /* Decode PEM format file to DER format */
-    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(alloc, *private_key, &decoded_key_buffer_list)) {
+    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&decoded_key_buffer_list, alloc, *private_key)) {
         AWS_LOGF_ERROR(AWS_LS_IO_PKI, "static: Failed to decode PEM private key to DER format.");
         goto ecc_import_cleanup;
     }
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ int aws_import_public_and_private_keys_to_identity(
             "Using key from Keychain instead of the one provided.");
         struct aws_array_list cert_chain_list;
 
-        if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(alloc, *public_cert_chain, &cert_chain_list)) {
+        if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&cert_chain_list, alloc, *public_cert_chain)) {
             AWS_LOGF_ERROR(AWS_LS_IO_PKI, "static: decoding certificate PEM failed.");
             aws_pem_objects_clean_up(&cert_chain_list);
             result = AWS_OP_ERR;
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ int aws_import_trusted_certificates(
 
     struct aws_array_list certificates;
 
-    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(alloc, *certificates_blob, &certificates)) {
+    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&certificates, alloc, *certificates_blob)) {
         AWS_LOGF_ERROR(AWS_LS_IO_PKI, "static: decoding CA PEM failed.");
         aws_array_list_clean_up(&certificates);
         return AWS_OP_ERR;
diff --git a/source/pem.c b/source/pem.c
index ba0cfc9d7..dd8eaf56a 100644
--- a/source/pem.c
+++ b/source/pem.c
@@ -364,9 +364,9 @@ static int s_convert_pem_to_raw_base64(
 }
 
 int aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(
+    struct aws_array_list *pem_objects,
     struct aws_allocator *allocator,
-    struct aws_byte_cursor pem_cursor,
-    struct aws_array_list *pem_objects) {
+    struct aws_byte_cursor pem_cursor) {
     AWS_PRECONDITION(allocator);
     AWS_PRECONDITION(pem_objects != NULL);
 
@@ -413,19 +413,19 @@ int aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(
 }
 
 int aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_path(
-    struct aws_allocator *alloc,
-    const char *filename,
-    struct aws_array_list *pem_objects) {
+    struct aws_array_list *pem_objects,
+    struct aws_allocator *allocator,
+    const char *filename) {
 
     struct aws_byte_buf raw_file_buffer;
-    if (aws_byte_buf_init_from_file(&raw_file_buffer, alloc, filename)) {
+    if (aws_byte_buf_init_from_file(&raw_file_buffer, allocator, filename)) {
         AWS_LOGF_ERROR(AWS_LS_IO_PEM, "Failed to read file %s.", filename);
         return AWS_OP_ERR;
     }
     AWS_ASSERT(raw_file_buffer.buffer);
 
     struct aws_byte_cursor file_cursor = aws_byte_cursor_from_buf(&raw_file_buffer);
-    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(alloc, file_cursor, pem_objects)) {
+    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(pem_objects, allocator, file_cursor)) {
         aws_byte_buf_clean_up_secure(&raw_file_buffer);
         AWS_LOGF_ERROR(AWS_LS_IO_PEM, "Failed to decode PEM file %s.", filename);
         return AWS_OP_ERR;
diff --git a/source/windows/windows_pki_utils.c b/source/windows/windows_pki_utils.c
index 1dbbfd3d4..e1c47d548 100644
--- a/source/windows/windows_pki_utils.c
+++ b/source/windows/windows_pki_utils.c
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ int aws_import_trusted_certificates(
     *cert_store = NULL;
     int result = AWS_OP_ERR;
 
-    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(alloc, *certificates_blob, &certificates)) {
+    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&certificates, alloc, *certificates_blob)) {
         goto clean_up;
     }
 
@@ -560,13 +560,13 @@ int aws_import_key_pair_to_cert_context(
     int result = AWS_OP_ERR;
     BYTE *key = NULL;
 
-    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(alloc, *public_cert_chain, &certificates)) {
+    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&certificates, alloc, *public_cert_chain)) {
         AWS_LOGF_ERROR(
             AWS_LS_IO_PKI, "static: failed to decode cert pem to buffer list with error %d", (int)aws_last_error());
         goto clean_up;
     }
 
-    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(alloc, *private_key, &private_keys)) {
+    if (aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&private_keys, alloc, *private_key)) {
         AWS_LOGF_ERROR(
             AWS_LS_IO_PKI, "static: failed to decode key pem to buffer list with error %d", (int)aws_last_error());
         goto clean_up;
diff --git a/tests/pem_test.c b/tests/pem_test.c
index 45d97f468..767ef04a0 100644
--- a/tests/pem_test.c
+++ b/tests/pem_test.c
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_cert_parse_from_file(struct aws_allocator *allocator, void
     };
 
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
-    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_path(allocator, "testparse.crt", &output_list));
+    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_path(&output_list, allocator, "testparse.crt"));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(1, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     struct aws_pem_object *pem_object = NULL;
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_private_key_parse_from_file(struct aws_allocator *allocato
 
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_path(allocator, "unittests.key", &output_list));
+    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_path(&output_list, allocator, "unittests.key"));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(1, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     struct aws_pem_object *pem_object = NULL;
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_single_cert_parse(struct aws_allocator *allocator, void *c
     struct aws_byte_cursor pem_data = aws_byte_cursor_from_c_str(s_rsa_1024_sha224_client_crt_pem);
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(allocator, pem_data, &output_list));
+    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&output_list, allocator, pem_data));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(1, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     struct aws_pem_object *pem_object = NULL;
@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_cert_chain_parse(struct aws_allocator *allocator, void *ct
     struct aws_byte_cursor pem_data = aws_byte_cursor_from_c_str(s_rsa_2048_pkcs1_crt_pem);
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(allocator, pem_data, &output_list));
+    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&output_list, allocator, pem_data));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(3, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     struct aws_pem_object *pem_object = NULL;
@@ -714,7 +714,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_private_key_parse(struct aws_allocator *allocator, void *c
     struct aws_byte_cursor pem_data = aws_byte_cursor_from_c_str(s_private_key_pem);
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(allocator, pem_data, &output_list));
+    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&output_list, allocator, pem_data));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(1, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     struct aws_pem_object *pem_object = NULL;
@@ -942,7 +942,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_cert_chain_comments_and_whitespace(struct aws_allocator *a
     struct aws_byte_cursor pem_data = aws_byte_cursor_from_c_str(s_pem_data_str);
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(allocator, pem_data, &output_list));
+    ASSERT_SUCCESS(aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&output_list, allocator, pem_data));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(3, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     struct aws_pem_object *pem_object = NULL;
@@ -990,7 +990,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_invalid_parse(struct aws_allocator *allocator, void *ctx)
     struct aws_byte_cursor pem_data = aws_byte_cursor_from_c_str(s_invalid_pem);
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_ERROR(AWS_ERROR_PEM_MALFORMED, aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(allocator, pem_data, &output_list));
+    ASSERT_ERROR(AWS_ERROR_PEM_MALFORMED, aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&output_list, allocator, pem_data));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(0, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     aws_array_list_clean_up(&output_list);
@@ -1022,7 +1022,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_valid_data_invalid_parse(struct aws_allocator *allocator,
     struct aws_byte_cursor pem_data = aws_byte_cursor_from_c_str(s_invalid_data);
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_ERROR(AWS_ERROR_PEM_MALFORMED, aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(allocator, pem_data, &output_list));
+    ASSERT_ERROR(AWS_ERROR_PEM_MALFORMED, aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&output_list, allocator, pem_data));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(0, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     aws_array_list_clean_up(&output_list);
@@ -1093,7 +1093,7 @@ static int s_test_pem_invalid_in_chain_parse(struct aws_allocator *allocator, vo
     struct aws_byte_cursor pem_data = aws_byte_cursor_from_c_str(s_invalid_data);
     struct aws_array_list output_list;
 
-    ASSERT_ERROR(AWS_ERROR_PEM_MALFORMED, aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(allocator, pem_data, &output_list));
+    ASSERT_ERROR(AWS_ERROR_PEM_MALFORMED, aws_pem_objects_init_from_file_contents(&output_list, allocator, pem_data));
     ASSERT_UINT_EQUALS(0, aws_array_list_length(&output_list));
 
     aws_array_list_clean_up(&output_list);