diff --git a/pkg/registry/apis/folders/register_test.go b/pkg/registry/apis/folders/register_test.go
index fe472db4b9f..066f8793776 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/apis/folders/register_test.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/apis/folders/register_test.go
@@ -183,17 +183,85 @@ func TestFolderAPIBuilder_Validate_Create(t *testing.T) {
 func TestFolderAPIBuilder_Validate_Delete(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name          string
-		statsResponse *resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats
+		statsResponse []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats
 		wantErr       bool
 	}{
 		{
-			name:          "should allow deletion when folder is empty",
-			statsResponse: &resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{Count: 0},
+			name: "should allow deletion when folder is empty",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 0, Resource: "dashboards"},
+			},
 		},
 		{
-			name:          "should return folder not empty when the folder is not empty",
-			statsResponse: &resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{Count: 2},
-			wantErr:       true,
+			name: "should return folder not empty when folder contains dashboards",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 2, Resource: "dashboards", Group: "dashboard.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "should return folder not empty when folder contains alertrules",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 3, Resource: "alertrules", Group: "alerting.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "should return folder not empty when folder contains library_elements",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 1, Resource: "library_elements", Group: "library.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "should return folder not empty when folder contains folders",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 2, Resource: "folders", Group: "folders.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "should return folder not empty when folder has mixed resources with validated types",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 10, Resource: "folders", Group: "folders.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 2, Resource: "dashboards", Group: "dashboard.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 5, Resource: "playlists", Group: "playlist.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "should return folder not empty when folder has multiple validated resource types",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 1, Resource: "dashboards", Group: "dashboard.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 2, Resource: "alertrules", Group: "alerting.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 1, Resource: "library_elements", Group: "library.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 1, Resource: "folders", Group: "folders.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "should allow deletion when all validated resource types are empty",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 0, Resource: "dashboards", Group: "dashboard.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 0, Resource: "alertrules", Group: "alerting.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 0, Resource: "library_elements", Group: "library.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 0, Resource: "folders", Group: "folders.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 10, Resource: "playlists", Group: "playlist.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "should allow deletion when folder only contains non-validated resource types",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+				{Count: 5, Resource: "playlists", Group: "playlist.grafana.app"},
+				{Count: 3, Resource: "other", Group: "other.grafana.app"},
+			},
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "should allow deletion when stats array is empty",
+			statsResponse: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{},
+			wantErr:       false,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -212,7 +280,7 @@ func TestFolderAPIBuilder_Validate_Delete(t *testing.T) {
 			us := grafanarest.NewMockStorage(t)
 			sm := resource.NewMockResourceClient(t)
 			sm.On("GetStats", mock.Anything, &resourcepb.ResourceStatsRequest{Namespace: obj.Namespace, Folder: obj.Name}).Return(
-				&resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse{Stats: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{tt.statsResponse}},
+				&resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse{Stats: tt.statsResponse},
 				nil,
 			).Once()
 
diff --git a/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate.go b/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate.go
index f63583b872c..db8c3b7e0e8 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate.go
@@ -144,9 +144,11 @@ func validateOnDelete(ctx context.Context,
 		return fmt.Errorf("could not verify if folder is empty: %v", resp.Error)
 	}
 
+	allowedResourceTypes := []string{"alertrules", "dashboards", "library_elements", "folders"}
+
 	for _, v := range resp.Stats {
-		if v.Count > 0 {
-			return folder.ErrFolderNotEmpty.Errorf("folder is not empty, contains %d %s.%s", v.Count, v.Group, v.Resource)
+		if slices.Contains(allowedResourceTypes, v.Resource) && v.Count > 0 {
+			return folder.ErrFolderNotEmpty.Errorf("folder is not empty, contains %d %s", v.Count, v.Resource)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate_test.go b/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate_test.go
index 2bed196ddce..33fda7ea30f 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate_test.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/apis/folders/validate_test.go
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ func TestValidateDelete(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}, {
-		name: "stats error",
+		name: "stats error - nil stats",
 		folder: &folders.Folder{
 			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 				Name: "nnn",
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ func TestValidateDelete(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		expectedErr: "could not verify if folder is empty",
 	}, {
-		name: "stats error",
+		name: "stats error - search error",
 		folder: &folders.Folder{
 			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 				Name: "nnn",
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ func TestValidateDelete(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		expectedErr: "error running stats",
 	}, {
-		name: "stats error",
+		name: "stats error - error result",
 		folder: &folders.Folder{
 			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 				Name: "nnn",
@@ -357,7 +357,64 @@ func TestValidateDelete(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		expectedErr: "could not verify if folder is empty",
 	}, {
-		name: "folder not empty",
+		name: "folder not empty - contains dashboards",
+		folder: &folders.Folder{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "nnn",
+			},
+		},
+		searcher: &mockSearchClient{
+			stats: &resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse{
+				Stats: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+					{
+						Group:    "dashboard.grafana.app",
+						Resource: "dashboards",
+						Count:    10, // not empty
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		expectedErr: "[folder.not-empty]",
+	}, {
+		name: "folder not empty - contains alertrules",
+		folder: &folders.Folder{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "nnn",
+			},
+		},
+		searcher: &mockSearchClient{
+			stats: &resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse{
+				Stats: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+					{
+						Group:    "alerting.grafana.app",
+						Resource: "alertrules",
+						Count:    5, // not empty
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		expectedErr: "[folder.not-empty]",
+	}, {
+		name: "folder not empty - contains library_elements",
+		folder: &folders.Folder{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "nnn",
+			},
+		},
+		searcher: &mockSearchClient{
+			stats: &resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse{
+				Stats: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+					{
+						Group:    "library.grafana.app",
+						Resource: "library_elements",
+						Count:    3, // not empty
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		expectedErr: "[folder.not-empty]",
+	}, {
+		name: "folder not empty - contains folders",
 		folder: &folders.Folder{
 			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 				Name: "nnn",
@@ -369,7 +426,54 @@ func TestValidateDelete(t *testing.T) {
 					{
 						Group:    "folders.grafana.app",
 						Resource: "folders",
-						Count:    10, // not empty
+						Count:    2, // not empty
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		expectedErr: "[folder.not-empty]",
+	}, {
+		name: "folder can be deleted when it only contains non-validated resource types",
+		folder: &folders.Folder{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "nnn",
+			},
+		},
+		searcher: &mockSearchClient{
+			stats: &resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse{
+				Stats: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+					{
+						Group:    "playlist.grafana.app",
+						Resource: "playlists",
+						Count:    10, // has content but not a validated resource type
+					},
+					{
+						Group:    "other.grafana.app",
+						Resource: "other",
+						Count:    5, // has content but not a validated resource type
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}, {
+		name: "folder not empty - mixed resources with validated types",
+		folder: &folders.Folder{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "nnn",
+			},
+		},
+		searcher: &mockSearchClient{
+			stats: &resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse{
+				Stats: []*resourcepb.ResourceStatsResponse_Stats{
+					{
+						Group:    "folders.grafana.app",
+						Resource: "folders",
+						Count:    10, // now validated
+					},
+					{
+						Group:    "dashboard.grafana.app",
+						Resource: "dashboards",
+						Count:    2, // validated and has content
 					},
 				},
 			},