diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/admin/repo_groups.py b/kallithea/controllers/admin/repo_groups.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/admin/repo_groups.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/admin/repo_groups.py
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ class RepoGroupsController(BaseControlle
         # exclude filtered ids
         c.repo_groups = filter(lambda x: x[0] not in exclude_group_ids,
                                c.repo_groups)
-        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: unicode(k[0]), c.repo_groups)
+        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: k[0], c.repo_groups)
         repo_model = RepoModel()
         c.users_array = repo_model.get_users_js()
         c.user_groups_array = repo_model.get_user_groups_js()
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ class RepoGroupsController(BaseControlle
         # permissions for can create group based on parent_id are checked
         # here in the Form
         repo_group_form = RepoGroupForm(available_groups=
-                                map(lambda k: unicode(k[0]), c.repo_groups))()
+                                        map(lambda k: k[0], c.repo_groups))()
         try:
             form_result = repo_group_form.to_python(dict(request.POST))
             RepoGroupModel().create(
diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/admin/repos.py b/kallithea/controllers/admin/repos.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/admin/repos.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/admin/repos.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class ReposController(BaseRepoController
         acl_groups = RepoGroupList(RepoGroup.query().all(),
                                perm_set=['group.write', 'group.admin'])
         c.repo_groups = RepoGroup.groups_choices(groups=acl_groups)
-        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: unicode(k[0]), c.repo_groups)
+        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: k[0], c.repo_groups)
 
         # in case someone no longer have a group.write access to a repository
         # pre fill the list with this entry, we don't care if this is the same
@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ class ReposController(BaseRepoController
         repo_group = None
         if repo:
             repo_group = repo.group
-        if repo_group and unicode(repo_group.group_id) not in c.repo_groups_choices:
-            c.repo_groups_choices.append(unicode(repo_group.group_id))
+        if repo_group and repo_group.group_id not in c.repo_groups_choices:
+            c.repo_groups_choices.append(repo_group.group_id)
             c.repo_groups.append(RepoGroup._generate_choice(repo_group))
 
         choices, c.landing_revs = ScmModel().get_repo_landing_revs()
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ class ReposController(BaseRepoController
         acl_groups = RepoGroupList(RepoGroup.query().all(),
                                perm_set=['group.write', 'group.admin'])
         c.repo_groups = RepoGroup.groups_choices(groups=acl_groups)
-        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: unicode(k[0]), c.repo_groups)
+        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: k[0], c.repo_groups)
         choices, c.landing_revs = ScmModel().get_repo_landing_revs()
 
         ## apply the defaults from defaults page
diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/forks.py b/kallithea/controllers/forks.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/forks.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/forks.py
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ class ForksController(BaseRepoController
         acl_groups = RepoGroupList(RepoGroup.query().all(),
                                perm_set=['group.write', 'group.admin'])
         c.repo_groups = RepoGroup.groups_choices(groups=acl_groups)
-        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: unicode(k[0]), c.repo_groups)
+        c.repo_groups_choices = map(lambda k: k[0], c.repo_groups)
         choices, c.landing_revs = ScmModel().get_repo_landing_revs()
         c.landing_revs_choices = choices
         c.can_update = Ui.get_by_key(Ui.HOOK_UPDATE).ui_active
diff --git a/kallithea/model/db.py b/kallithea/model/db.py
--- a/kallithea/model/db.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/db.py
@@ -1512,15 +1512,15 @@ class RepoGroup(Base, BaseModel):
 
     @classmethod
     def _generate_choice(cls, repo_group):
-        """Return tuple with group_id as unicode string and name as html literal"""
+        """Return tuple with group_id and name as html literal"""
         from webhelpers.html import literal
         if repo_group is None:
-            return (u'-1', u'-- %s --' % _('top level'))
-        return unicode(repo_group.group_id), literal(cls.SEP.join(repo_group.full_path_splitted))
+            return (-1, u'-- %s --' % _('top level'))
+        return repo_group.group_id, literal(cls.SEP.join(repo_group.full_path_splitted))
 
     @classmethod
     def groups_choices(cls, groups, show_empty_group=True):
-        """Return tuples with group_id as unicode string and name as html literal."""
+        """Return tuples with group_id and name as html literal."""
 
         if show_empty_group:
             groups = list(groups)
diff --git a/kallithea/model/forms.py b/kallithea/model/forms.py
--- a/kallithea/model/forms.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/forms.py
@@ -165,7 +165,8 @@ def RepoGroupForm(edit=False, old_data={
         group_parent_id = All(v.CanCreateGroup(can_create_in_root),
                               v.OneOf(available_groups, hideList=False,
                                       testValueList=True,
-                                      if_missing=None, not_empty=True))
+                                      if_missing=None, not_empty=True),
+                              v.Int(min=-1, not_empty=True))
         enable_locking = v.StringBoolean(if_missing=False)
         chained_validators = [v.ValidRepoGroup(edit, old_data)]
 
@@ -214,7 +215,8 @@ def RepoForm(edit=False, old_data={}, su
         repo_name = All(v.UnicodeString(strip=True, min=1, not_empty=True),
                         v.SlugifyName())
         repo_group = All(v.CanWriteGroup(old_data),
-                         v.OneOf(repo_groups, hideList=True))
+                         v.OneOf(repo_groups, hideList=True),
+                         v.Int(min=-1, not_empty=True))
         repo_type = v.OneOf(supported_backends, required=False,
                             if_missing=old_data.get('repo_type'))
         repo_description = v.UnicodeString(strip=True, min=1, not_empty=False)
@@ -286,7 +288,8 @@ def RepoForkForm(edit=False, old_data={}
         repo_name = All(v.UnicodeString(strip=True, min=1, not_empty=True),
                         v.SlugifyName())
         repo_group = All(v.CanWriteGroup(),
-                         v.OneOf(repo_groups, hideList=True))
+                         v.OneOf(repo_groups, hideList=True),
+                         v.Int(min=-1, not_empty=True))
         repo_type = All(v.ValidForkType(old_data), v.OneOf(supported_backends))
         description = v.UnicodeString(strip=True, min=1, not_empty=True)
         private = v.StringBoolean(if_missing=False)
diff --git a/kallithea/model/validators.py b/kallithea/model/validators.py
--- a/kallithea/model/validators.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/validators.py
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ def ValidRepoGroup(edit=False, old_data=
 
             # check for parent of self
             parent_of_self = lambda: (
-                old_data['group_id'] == int(group_parent_id)
+                old_data['group_id'] == group_parent_id
                 if group_parent_id else False
             )
             if edit and parent_of_self():
@@ -520,13 +520,14 @@ def CanWriteGroup(old_data=None):
 
         def _to_python(self, value, state):
             #root location
-            if value in [-1, "-1"]:
+            if value == -1:
                 return None
             return value
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
             gr = RepoGroup.get(value)
-            gr_name = gr.group_name if gr else None  # None means ROOT location
+            gr_name = gr.group_name if gr is not None else None # None means ROOT location
+
             # create repositories with write permission on group is set to true
             create_on_write = HasPermissionAny('hg.create.write_on_repogroup.true')()
             group_admin = HasRepoGroupPermissionAny('group.admin')(gr_name,
@@ -537,7 +538,7 @@ def CanWriteGroup(old_data=None):
             can_create_repos = HasPermissionAny('hg.admin', 'hg.create.repository')
             gid = (old_data['repo_group'].get('group_id')
                    if (old_data and 'repo_group' in old_data) else None)
-            value_changed = gid != safe_int(value)
+            value_changed = gid != value
             new = not old_data
             # do check if we changed the value, there's a case that someone got
             # revoked write permissions to a repository, he still created, we
@@ -569,13 +570,13 @@ def CanCreateGroup(can_create_in_root=Fa
 
         def to_python(self, value, state):
             #root location
-            if value in [-1, "-1"]:
+            if value == -1:
                 return None
             return value
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
             gr = RepoGroup.get(value)
-            gr_name = gr.group_name if gr else None  # None means ROOT location
+            gr_name = gr.group_name if gr is not None else None # None means ROOT location
 
             if can_create_in_root and gr is None:
                 #we can create in root, we're fine no validations required
diff --git a/kallithea/tests/fixture.py b/kallithea/tests/fixture.py
--- a/kallithea/tests/fixture.py
+++ b/kallithea/tests/fixture.py
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ class Fixture(object):
             repo_name=None,
             repo_type='hg',
             clone_uri='',
-            repo_group='-1',
+            repo_group=u'-1',
             repo_description='DESC',
             repo_private=False,
             repo_landing_rev='rev:tip',
diff --git a/kallithea/tests/functional/test_forks.py b/kallithea/tests/functional/test_forks.py
--- a/kallithea/tests/functional/test_forks.py
+++ b/kallithea/tests/functional/test_forks.py
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ class _BaseTestCase(object):
         org_repo = Repository.get_by_repo_name(repo_name)
         creation_args = {
             'repo_name': fork_name,
-            'repo_group': '',
+            'repo_group': u'-1',
             'fork_parent_id': org_repo.repo_id,
             'repo_type': self.REPO_TYPE,
             'description': description,
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ class _BaseTestCase(object):
         org_repo = Repository.get_by_repo_name(repo_name)
         creation_args = {
             'repo_name': fork_name,
-            'repo_group': '',
+            'repo_group': u'-1',
             'fork_parent_id': org_repo.repo_id,
             'repo_type': self.REPO_TYPE,
             'description': description,