diff --git a/net/wireless/Kconfig b/net/wireless/Kconfig
index f620acd2a0f5..920914ca60af 100644
--- a/net/wireless/Kconfig
+++ b/net/wireless/Kconfig
@@ -235,3 +235,14 @@ config LIB80211_DEBUG
 	  from lib80211.
 
 	  If unsure, say N.
+
+config CORE_REGDB
+	bool "kernel support for regulatory database"
+	default y
+	help
+	  Enable this if the kernel is supposed to have regulatory.db
+	  available for core hint.
+
+	  Once this is disabled, kernel will not probe for regulatory.db
+	  on startup, and any programs using NL80211_CMD_RELOAD_REGDB
+	  will be unable to get regulatory.db reloaded.
diff --git a/net/wireless/reg.c b/net/wireless/reg.c
index 5da1a641ef17..2267963d48f0 100644
--- a/net/wireless/reg.c
+++ b/net/wireless/reg.c
@@ -477,6 +477,7 @@ struct reg_regdb_apply_request {
 	const struct ieee80211_regdomain *regdom;
 };
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_CORE_REGDB
 static LIST_HEAD(reg_regdb_apply_list);
 static DEFINE_MUTEX(reg_regdb_apply_mutex);
 
@@ -522,6 +523,7 @@ static int reg_schedule_apply(const struct ieee80211_regdomain *regdom)
 	schedule_work(&reg_regdb_work);
 	return 0;
 }
+#endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_CFG80211_CRDA_SUPPORT
 /* Max number of consecutive attempts to communicate with CRDA  */
@@ -601,6 +603,7 @@ static inline int call_crda(const char *alpha2)
 /* code to directly load a firmware database through request_firmware */
 static const struct fwdb_header *regdb;
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_CORE_REGDB
 struct fwdb_country {
 	u8 alpha2[2];
 	__be16 coll_ptr;
@@ -958,7 +961,6 @@ int reg_query_regdb_wmm(char *alpha2, int freq, struct ieee80211_reg_rule *rule)
 
 	return -ENODATA;
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(reg_query_regdb_wmm);
 
 static int regdb_query_country(const struct fwdb_header *db,
 			       const struct fwdb_country *country)
@@ -1156,6 +1158,33 @@ int reg_reload_regdb(void)
 	return err;
 }
 
+#else
+static int query_regdb_file(const char *alpha2)
+{
+	return -ENODATA;
+}
+
+int reg_reload_regdb(void)
+{
+	return -ENOENT;
+}
+
+static int __init load_builtin_regdb_keys(void)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static void free_regdb_keyring(void)
+{
+}
+
+int reg_query_regdb_wmm(char *alpha2, int freq, struct ieee80211_reg_rule *rule)
+{
+	return -ENODATA;
+}
+#endif /* CONFIG_CORE_REGDB */
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(reg_query_regdb_wmm);
+
 static bool reg_query_database(struct regulatory_request *request)
 {
 	if (query_regdb_file(request->alpha2) == 0)