diff --git a/docs/history.rst b/docs/history.rst
index 00c6c7c69..c90485e07 100644
--- a/docs/history.rst
+++ b/docs/history.rst
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Latest
 -----
 - BUG: Changed so that the setup.cfg depends on the version code in the __init__.py instead of the other way around (issuue #1155)
 - BUG: Fix :meth:`.CRS.to_cf` for Pole rotation GRIB convention (pull #1167)
+- BUG: Fix :meth:`.CRS.to_authority` memory leak (pull #1178)
 - REF: Use upper case EPSG code when creating CRS (pull #1162)
 
 3.4.0
diff --git a/pyproj/_crs.pyx b/pyproj/_crs.pyx
index 9a0157b3a..4fa8092cb 100644
--- a/pyproj/_crs.pyx
+++ b/pyproj/_crs.pyx
@@ -2883,9 +2883,13 @@ cdef class _CRS(Base):
                             out_confidence_list[iii]
                         )
                     )
+                # at this point, the auth name is copied and we can release the proj object
+                proj_destroy(proj)
+                proj = NULL
         finally:
-            for iii in range(num_proj_objects):
-                proj_destroy(proj_list_get(self.context, proj_list, iii))
+            # If there was an error we have to call proj_destroy
+            # If there was none, calling it on NULL does nothing
+            proj_destroy(proj)
             proj_list_destroy(proj_list)
             CRSError.clear()
         return authority_list