diff --git a/api/internal/target/kusttarget.go b/api/internal/target/kusttarget.go
index b05743e6f..3f6c40ef3 100644
--- a/api/internal/target/kusttarget.go
+++ b/api/internal/target/kusttarget.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/konfig"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/resmap"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/types"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/openapi"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
 )
 
@@ -382,6 +383,11 @@ func (kt *KustTarget) accumulateDirectory(
 		return nil, errors.Wrapf(
 			err, "couldn't make target for path '%s'", ldr.Root())
 	}
+	err = openapi.SetSchemaVersion(subKt.Kustomization().OpenAPI, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrapf(
+			err, "couldn't set openapi version for path '%s'", ldr.Root())
+	}
 	if isComponent && subKt.kustomization.Kind != types.ComponentKind {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
 			"expected kind '%s' for path '%s' but got '%s'", types.ComponentKind, ldr.Root(), subKt.kustomization.Kind)
diff --git a/api/krusty/kustomizer.go b/api/krusty/kustomizer.go
index 3995b7f01..3c52661cf 100644
--- a/api/krusty/kustomizer.go
+++ b/api/krusty/kustomizer.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/provider"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/resmap"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/types"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/openapi"
 )
 
 // Kustomizer performs kustomizations.  It's meant to behave
@@ -73,6 +74,10 @@ func (b *Kustomizer) Run(path string) (resmap.ResMap, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	err = openapi.SetSchemaVersion(kt.Kustomization().OpenAPI, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	var m resmap.ResMap
 	m, err = kt.MakeCustomizedResMap()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/api/krusty/openapiversion_test.go b/api/krusty/openapiversion_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0732c783c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/krusty/openapiversion_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,301 @@
+package krusty_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	kusttest_test "sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/testutils/kusttest"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/openapi"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/openapi/kubernetesapi"
+)
+
+func TestOpenApiFieldBasicUsage(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	th.WriteK("/app", `
+openapi:
+  version: v1.18.8
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("/app/deployment.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+
+	m := th.Run("/app", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	assert.Equal(t, "v1188", openapi.GetSchemaVersion())
+}
+
+func TestOpenApiFieldNotBuiltin(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	th.WriteK("/app", `
+openapi:
+  version: v1.14.1
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("/app/deployment.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+
+	err := th.RunWithErr("/app", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected an error")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOpenApiFieldDefaultVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	th.WriteK("/app", `
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("/app/deployment.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+
+	m := th.Run("/app", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	assert.Equal(t, kubernetesapi.DefaultOpenAPI, openapi.GetSchemaVersion())
+}
+
+func TestOpenApiFieldFromBase(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	th.WriteK("base", `
+openapi:
+  version: v1.19.0
+namePrefix: a-
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("base/deployment.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	th.WriteK("overlay", `
+namePrefix: b-
+resources:
+- ../base
+patchesStrategicMerge:
+- depPatch.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("overlay/depPatch.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  replicas: 999
+`)
+	m := th.Run("overlay", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: b-a-myDeployment
+spec:
+  replicas: 999
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	assert.Equal(t, "v1190", openapi.GetSchemaVersion())
+}
+
+func TestOpenApiFieldFromOverlay(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	th.WriteK("base", `
+namePrefix: a-
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("base/deployment.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	th.WriteK("overlay", `
+openapi:
+  version: v1.18.8
+namePrefix: b-
+resources:
+- ../base
+patchesStrategicMerge:
+- depPatch.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("overlay/depPatch.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  replicas: 999
+`)
+	m := th.Run("overlay", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: b-a-myDeployment
+spec:
+  replicas: 999
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	assert.Equal(t, "v1188", openapi.GetSchemaVersion())
+}
+
+func TestOpenApiFieldOverlayTakesPrecedence(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	th.WriteK("base", `
+openapi:
+  version: v1.19.0
+namePrefix: a-
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("base/deployment.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	th.WriteK("overlay", `
+openapi:
+  version: v1.18.8
+namePrefix: b-
+resources:
+- ../base
+patchesStrategicMerge:
+- depPatch.yaml
+`)
+	th.WriteF("overlay/depPatch.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: myDeployment
+spec:
+  replicas: 999
+`)
+	m := th.Run("overlay", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: b-a-myDeployment
+spec:
+  replicas: 999
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: whatever
+`)
+	assert.Equal(t, "v1188", openapi.GetSchemaVersion())
+}
+
+func TestOpenAPIFieldFromComponentDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	input := []FileGen{writeTestBase, writeTestComponent, writeOverlayProd}
+	runPath := "/app/prod"
+
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	for _, f := range input {
+		f(th)
+	}
+	th.Run(runPath, th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	assert.Equal(t, kubernetesapi.DefaultOpenAPI, openapi.GetSchemaVersion())
+}
+
+func writeTestComponentWithOlderOpenAPIVersion(th kusttest_test.Harness) {
+	th.WriteC("/app/comp", `
+openapi:
+  version: v1.18.8
+`)
+	th.WriteF("/app/comp/stub.yaml", `
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: stub
+spec:
+  replicas: 1
+`)
+}
+
+func TestOpenAPIFieldFromComponent(t *testing.T) {
+	input := []FileGen{
+		writeTestBase,
+		writeTestComponentWithOlderOpenAPIVersion,
+		writeOverlayProd}
+	runPath := "/app/prod"
+
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeHarness(t)
+	for _, f := range input {
+		f(th)
+	}
+	th.Run(runPath, th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	assert.Equal(t, "v1188", openapi.GetSchemaVersion())
+}
diff --git a/api/types/kustomization.go b/api/types/kustomization.go
index b290da35c..dfb198ed3 100644
--- a/api/types/kustomization.go
+++ b/api/types/kustomization.go
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ type Kustomization struct {
 	// MetaData is a pointer to avoid marshalling empty struct
 	MetaData *ObjectMeta `json:"metadata,omitempty" yaml:"metadata,omitempty"`
 
+	// OpenAPI contains information about what kubernetes schema to use.
+	OpenAPI map[string]string `json:"openapi,omitempty" yaml:"openapi,omitempty"`
+
 	//
 	// Operators - what kustomize can do.
 	//