diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d930eb2e..772faf4d 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -70,6 +70,8 @@ setup(
         #'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3',
     )
 )
+# real_prefix should only be set under a virtualenv
+using_virtualenv = hasattr(sys, 'real_prefix')
 
 ''' @todo: need to clean this up or do it with puppet/chef '''
 # Default Config Options
@@ -108,10 +110,14 @@ else:
 
         # Get uid and gid of the current user to set permissions (Linux/OSX only)
         if platform.system().lower() != 'windows':
-            sudo_user = os.getenv("SUDO_USER")
-            uid = pwd.getpwnam(sudo_user).pw_uid
-            gid = pwd.getpwnam(sudo_user).pw_gid
-    
+            if using_virtualenv:
+                working_user = os.getenv("USER")
+            else:
+                working_user = os.getenv("SUDO_USER")
+
+            uid = pwd.getpwnam(working_user).pw_uid
+            gid = pwd.getpwnam(working_user).pw_gid
+
         config_dirs = os.listdir("configs")
         for dir in config_dirs:
             if not os.path.exists("{0}/{1}".format(config_dir, dir)):