diff --git a/docs/build-server-support/build-server-support.md b/docs/build-server-support/build-server-support.md
index 80c39c49c4..de92152a18 100644
--- a/docs/build-server-support/build-server-support.md
+++ b/docs/build-server-support/build-server-support.md
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@ GitVersion has support for quite a few build servers out of the box. Currently w
  - [TeamCity](build-server/teamcity.md)
  - [Team Build (TFS)](build-server/teambuild.md)
  - [TFS Build vNext](build-server/tfs-build-vnext.md)
- 
+
 When GitVersion.exe is run with the `/output buildserver` flag instead of outputting Json it will export variables to the current build server.
 For instance if you are running in TeamCity after you run `GitVersion /output buildserver` you will have the `%system.GitVersion.SemVer%` available for you to use
 
 When running in MSBuild either from the [MSBuild Task](/usage/msbuild-task) or by using the `/proj myproject.sln` parameter, GitVersion will make the MSBuild variables available in the format `$(GitVersion_SemVer)`.
+
+Standard GitVersion.exe normalize the branches if there is a build server detected. This behavior can be disabled with the `/nonormalize` option.
diff --git a/src/GitVersionCore/ExecuteCore.cs b/src/GitVersionCore/ExecuteCore.cs
index 5723a95cd5..19585012e1 100644
--- a/src/GitVersionCore/ExecuteCore.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersionCore/ExecuteCore.cs
@@ -18,15 +18,17 @@ public ExecuteCore(IFileSystem fileSystem, ConfigFileLocator configFileLocator =
             gitVersionCache = new GitVersionCache(fileSystem);
         }
 
-        public VersionVariables ExecuteGitVersion(string targetUrl, string dynamicRepositoryLocation, Authentication authentication, string targetBranch, bool noFetch, string workingDirectory, string commitId, Config overrideConfig = null, bool noCache = false)
+        public VersionVariables ExecuteGitVersion(string targetUrl, string dynamicRepositoryLocation, Authentication authentication, string targetBranch, bool noFetch, string workingDirectory, string commitId, Config overrideConfig = null, bool noCache = false, bool noNormalize = false)
         {
             // Normalise if we are running on build server
             var applicableBuildServers = BuildServerList.GetApplicableBuildServers();
             var buildServer = applicableBuildServers.FirstOrDefault();
+            bool normaliseGitDirectory = !noNormalize && (buildServer != null);
             var fetch = noFetch || (buildServer != null && buildServer.PreventFetch());
             var shouldCleanUpRemotes = buildServer != null && buildServer.ShouldCleanUpRemotes();
             var gitPreparer = new GitPreparer(targetUrl, dynamicRepositoryLocation, authentication, fetch, workingDirectory);
-            gitPreparer.Initialise(buildServer != null, ResolveCurrentBranch(buildServer, targetBranch, !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(dynamicRepositoryLocation)), shouldCleanUpRemotes);
+
+            gitPreparer.Initialise(normaliseGitDirectory, ResolveCurrentBranch(buildServer, targetBranch, !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(dynamicRepositoryLocation)), shouldCleanUpRemotes);
             var dotGitDirectory = gitPreparer.GetDotGitDirectory();
             var projectRoot = gitPreparer.GetProjectRootDirectory();
 
diff --git a/src/GitVersionExe.Tests/ArgumentParserTests.cs b/src/GitVersionExe.Tests/ArgumentParserTests.cs
index da6ea13b82..44d1cf5e0c 100644
--- a/src/GitVersionExe.Tests/ArgumentParserTests.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersionExe.Tests/ArgumentParserTests.cs
@@ -300,6 +300,13 @@ public void Nofetch_true_when_defined()
         arguments.NoFetch.ShouldBe(true);
     }
 
+    [Test]
+    public void Nonormilize_true_when_defined()
+    {
+        var arguments = ArgumentParser.ParseArguments("-nonormalize");
+        arguments.NoNormalize.ShouldBe(true);
+    }
+
     [Test]
     public void Other_arguments_can_be_parsed_before_nofetch()
     {
diff --git a/src/GitVersionExe/ArgumentParser.cs b/src/GitVersionExe/ArgumentParser.cs
index b84af88db0..32baeed920 100644
--- a/src/GitVersionExe/ArgumentParser.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersionExe/ArgumentParser.cs
@@ -267,6 +267,12 @@ public static Arguments ParseArguments(List<string> commandLineArguments)
                     continue;
                 }
 
+                if (name.IsSwitch("nonormalize"))
+                {
+                    arguments.NoNormalize = true;
+                    continue;
+                }
+
                 if (name.IsSwitch("ensureassemblyinfo"))
                 {
                     if (value.IsTrue())
diff --git a/src/GitVersionExe/Arguments.cs b/src/GitVersionExe/Arguments.cs
index 62834e2154..2ea35d730b 100644
--- a/src/GitVersionExe/Arguments.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersionExe/Arguments.cs
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ public Arguments()
         public bool ShowConfig;
         public bool NoFetch;
         public bool NoCache;
+        public bool NoNormalize;
 
         public VerbosityLevel Verbosity;
 
diff --git a/src/GitVersionExe/HelpWriter.cs b/src/GitVersionExe/HelpWriter.cs
index 0201422449..91f9bd4d03 100644
--- a/src/GitVersionExe/HelpWriter.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersionExe/HelpWriter.cs
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ path            The directory containing .git. If not defined current directory
     /overrideconfig Overrides GitVersion config values inline (semicolon-separated key value pairs e.g. /overrideconfig tag-prefix=Foo)
                     Currently supported config overrides: tag-prefix
     /nocache        Bypasses the cache, result will not be written to the cache.
+    /nonormalize    Disables normalize step on a build server. 
 
  # AssemblyInfo updating
     /updateassemblyinfo
diff --git a/src/GitVersionExe/SpecifiedArgumentRunner.cs b/src/GitVersionExe/SpecifiedArgumentRunner.cs
index 90a983508c..b73b075891 100644
--- a/src/GitVersionExe/SpecifiedArgumentRunner.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersionExe/SpecifiedArgumentRunner.cs
@@ -41,9 +41,10 @@ public static void Run(Arguments arguments, IFileSystem fileSystem)
             var commitId = arguments.CommitId;
             var overrideConfig = arguments.HasOverrideConfig ? arguments.OverrideConfig : null;
             var noCache = arguments.NoCache;
+            bool noNormalize = arguments.NoNormalize;
 
             var executeCore = new ExecuteCore(fileSystem, arguments.ConfigFileLocator);
-            var variables = executeCore.ExecuteGitVersion(targetUrl, dynamicRepositoryLocation, authentication, targetBranch, noFetch, targetPath, commitId, overrideConfig, noCache);
+            var variables = executeCore.ExecuteGitVersion(targetUrl, dynamicRepositoryLocation, authentication, targetBranch, noFetch, targetPath, commitId, overrideConfig, noCache, noNormalize);
 
             if (arguments.Output == OutputType.BuildServer)
             {