diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/app.js b/awx/ui/client/src/app.js
index 3782f6e740..d903776765 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/app.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/app.js
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ var tower = angular.module('Tower', [
                 },
                 // decoding
                 // from "_search=operator:key:compator=value& ... "
-                // to "_search=operator:key:compator=value& ... "
+                // to {operator__key1__comparator=value, ... }
                 decode: function(item) {
                     return QuerySet.$get().decodeArr(item);
                 },
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/queryset.service.js b/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/queryset.service.js
index 1296a1394b..a45f8af74f 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/queryset.service.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/queryset.service.js
@@ -51,10 +51,19 @@ export default ['$q', 'Rest', 'ProcessErrors', '$rootScope', 'Wait', 'DjangoSear
             encodeQueryset(params) {
                 let queryset;
                 queryset = _.reduce(params, (result, value, key) => {
-                    return result + `${key}=${value}&`;
+                    return result + encodeTerm(value, key);
                 }, '');
                 queryset = queryset.substring(0, queryset.length - 1);
                 return angular.isObject(params) ? `?${queryset}` : '';
+
+                function encodeTerm(value, key){
+                    if (Array.isArray(value)){
+                        return _.map(value, (item) => `${key}=${item}`).join('&') + '&';
+                    }
+                    else {
+                        return `${key}=${value}&`;
+                    }
+                }
             },
             // encodes a ui smart-search param to a django-friendly param
             // operand:key:comparator:value => {operand__key__comparator: value}
@@ -62,19 +71,42 @@ export default ['$q', 'Rest', 'ProcessErrors', '$rootScope', 'Wait', 'DjangoSear
                 let split = param.split(':');
                 return {[split.slice(0,split.length -1).join('__')] : split[split.length-1]};
             },
-            // decodes a django queryset param into ui smart-search param
-            decodeParam(key, value){
-                return `${key.split('__').join(':')}:${value}`;
+            // decodes a django queryset param into a ui smart-search tag or set of tags
+            decodeParam(value, key){
+                if (Array.isArray(value)){
+                    return _.map(value, (item) => {
+                        return `${key.split('__').join(':')}:${item}`;
+                    });                    
+                }
+                else { 
+                    return `${key.split('__').join(':')}:${value}`;
+                }
             },
 
             // encodes a django queryset for ui-router's URLMatcherFactory
-            // {operand__key__comparator: value, } => 'operand:key:comparator:value,...'
+            // {operand__key__comparator: value, } => 'operand:key:comparator:value;...'
+            // value.isArray expands to:
+            // {operand__key__comparator: [value1, value2], } => 'operand:key:comparator:value1;operand:key:comparator:value1...'
             encodeArr(params) {
                 let url;
                 url = _.reduce(params, (result, value, key) => {
-                    return result.concat(`${key}:${value}`);
+                    return result.concat(encodeUrlString(value, key));
                 }, []);
+
                 return url.join(';');
+
+                // {key:'value'} => 'key:value'
+                // {key: [value1, value2, ...]} => ['key:value1', 'key:value2']
+                function encodeUrlString(value, key){
+                    if (Array.isArray(value)){
+                        return _.map(value, (item) => {
+                            return `${key}:${item}`;
+                        });
+                    }
+                    else {
+                        return `${key}:${value}`;
+                    }
+                }
             },
 
             // decodes a django queryset for ui-router's URLMatcherFactory
@@ -84,7 +116,15 @@ export default ['$q', 'Rest', 'ProcessErrors', '$rootScope', 'Wait', 'DjangoSear
                 _.forEach(arr.split(';'), (item) => {
                     let key = item.split(':')[0],
                         value = item.split(':')[1];
-                    params[key] = value;
+                    if(!params[key]){
+                        params[key] = value;
+                    }
+                    else if (Array.isArray(params[key])){
+                        params[key].push(value);
+                    }
+                    else {
+                        params[key] = [params[key], value];
+                    }
                 });
                 return params;
             },
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.controller.js b/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.controller.js
index fd2fafe1aa..4fa3517547 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.controller.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.controller.js
@@ -22,10 +22,11 @@ export default ['$stateParams', '$scope', '$state', 'QuerySet', 'GetBasePath', '
 
         // Removes state definition defaults and pagination terms
         function stripDefaultParams(params) {
-            return _.pick(params, (value, key) => {
+            let stripped =_.pick(params, (value, key) => {
                 // setting the default value of a term to null in a state definition is a very explicit way to ensure it will NEVER generate a search tag, even with a non-default value
                 return defaults[key] !== value && key !== 'page' && key !== 'page_size' && defaults[key] !== null;
             });
+            return _(stripped).map(qs.decodeParam).flatten().value();
         }
 
         // searchable relationships
@@ -53,8 +54,16 @@ export default ['$stateParams', '$scope', '$state', 'QuerySet', 'GetBasePath', '
         };
 
         // remove tag, merge new queryset, $state.go
-        $scope.remove = function(key) {
-            delete queryset[key];
+        $scope.remove = function(index) {
+            let removed = qs.encodeParam($scope.searchTags.splice(index, 1)[0]);
+            _.each(removed, (value, key) => {
+                if (Array.isArray(queryset[key])){
+                    _.remove(queryset[key], (item) => item === value);
+                }
+                else {
+                    delete queryset[key];
+                }
+            });
             $state.go('.', {
                 [$scope.iterator + '_search']: queryset });
             qs.search(path, queryset).then((res) => {
@@ -91,7 +100,16 @@ export default ['$stateParams', '$scope', '$state', 'QuerySet', 'GetBasePath', '
             }
 
             params.page = '1';
-            queryset = _.merge(queryset, params);
+            queryset = _.merge(queryset, params, (objectValue, sourceValue, key, object) => {
+                if (object[key] && object[key] !== sourceValue){
+                    return [object[key], sourceValue]; 
+                }
+                else {
+                    // // https://lodash.com/docs/3.10.1#merge
+                    // If customizer fn returns undefined merging is handled by default _.merge algorithm
+                    return undefined; 
+                }
+            });
             // https://ui-router.github.io/docs/latest/interfaces/params.paramdeclaration.html#dynamic
             // This transition will not reload controllers/resolves/views
             // but will register new $stateParams[$scope.iterator + '_search'] terms
@@ -105,9 +123,5 @@ export default ['$stateParams', '$scope', '$state', 'QuerySet', 'GetBasePath', '
             $scope.searchTerm = null;
             $scope.searchTags = stripDefaultParams(queryset);
         };
-
-        $scope.decodeParam = function(key, value) {
-            return qs.decodeParam(key, value);
-        };
     }
 ];
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.partial.html b/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.partial.html
index a3850d0de0..3c0061fa33 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.partial.html
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/shared/smart-search/smart-search.partial.html
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@
     <div class="SmartSearch-tags">
         <div class="SmartSearch-tagSection">
             <div class="SmartSearch-flexContainer">
-                <div class="SmartSearch-tagContainer" ng-repeat="(key, value) in searchTags track by $index">
-                    <div class="SmartSearch-deleteContainer" ng-click="remove(key)">
+                <div class="SmartSearch-tagContainer" ng-repeat="tag in searchTags track by $index">
+                    <div class="SmartSearch-deleteContainer" ng-click="remove($index)">
                         <i class="fa fa-times SmartSearch-tagDelete"></i>
                     </div>
                     <div class="SmartSearch-tag SmartSearch-tag--deletable">
-                        <span class="SmartSearch-name">{{decodeParam(key, value)}}</span>
+                        <span class="SmartSearch-name">{{tag}}</span>
                     </div>
                 </div>
                 <a href class="SmartSearch-clearAll" ng-click="clearAll()" ng-show="!(searchTags | isEmpty)">CLEAR ALL</a>