diff --git a/cmd/controller/app/controller.go b/cmd/controller/app/controller.go
index 0548f5a2b..2667272ce 100644
--- a/cmd/controller/app/controller.go
+++ b/cmd/controller/app/controller.go
@@ -238,8 +238,7 @@ func buildControllerContext(ctx context.Context, stopCh <-chan struct{}, opts *o
 			DefaultAutoCertificateAnnotations: opts.DefaultAutoCertificateAnnotations,
 		},
 		CertificateOptions: controller.CertificateOptions{
-			EnableOwnerRef:            opts.EnableCertificateOwnerRef,
-			RenewBeforeExpiryDuration: opts.RenewBeforeExpiryDuration,
+			EnableOwnerRef: opts.EnableCertificateOwnerRef,
 		},
 		SchedulerOptions: controller.SchedulerOptions{
 			MaxConcurrentChallenges: opts.MaxConcurrentChallenges,
diff --git a/cmd/controller/app/options/BUILD.bazel b/cmd/controller/app/options/BUILD.bazel
index ffdf11b09..439ebbf33 100644
--- a/cmd/controller/app/options/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/cmd/controller/app/options/BUILD.bazel
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ go_library(
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
     deps = [
         "//pkg/apis/certmanager:go_default_library",
-        "//pkg/apis/certmanager/v1:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/controller/acmechallenges:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/controller/acmeorders:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/controller/certificaterequests/acme:go_default_library",
diff --git a/cmd/controller/app/options/options.go b/cmd/controller/app/options/options.go
index 8d2decace..dcf4fac4a 100644
--- a/cmd/controller/app/options/options.go
+++ b/cmd/controller/app/options/options.go
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 
 	cm "github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/pkg/apis/certmanager"
-	cmapi "github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/pkg/apis/certmanager/v1"
 	challengescontroller "github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/pkg/controller/acmechallenges"
 	orderscontroller "github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/pkg/controller/acmeorders"
 	cracmecontroller "github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/acme"
@@ -69,7 +68,6 @@ type ControllerOptions struct {
 
 	ClusterIssuerAmbientCredentials bool
 	IssuerAmbientCredentials        bool
-	RenewBeforeExpiryDuration       time.Duration
 
 	// Default issuer/certificates details consumed by ingress-shim
 	DefaultIssuerName                 string
@@ -114,7 +112,6 @@ const (
 
 	defaultClusterIssuerAmbientCredentials = true
 	defaultIssuerAmbientCredentials        = false
-	defaultRenewBeforeExpiryDuration       = cmapi.DefaultRenewBefore
 
 	defaultTLSACMEIssuerName         = ""
 	defaultTLSACMEIssuerKind         = "Issuer"
@@ -175,7 +172,6 @@ func NewControllerOptions() *ControllerOptions {
 		EnabledControllers:                defaultEnabledControllers,
 		ClusterIssuerAmbientCredentials:   defaultClusterIssuerAmbientCredentials,
 		IssuerAmbientCredentials:          defaultIssuerAmbientCredentials,
-		RenewBeforeExpiryDuration:         defaultRenewBeforeExpiryDuration,
 		DefaultIssuerName:                 defaultTLSACMEIssuerName,
 		DefaultIssuerKind:                 defaultTLSACMEIssuerKind,
 		DefaultIssuerGroup:                defaultTLSACMEIssuerGroup,
@@ -249,11 +245,6 @@ func (s *ControllerOptions) AddFlags(fs *pflag.FlagSet) {
 		"Whether an issuer may make use of ambient credentials. 'Ambient Credentials' are credentials drawn from the environment, metadata services, or local files which are not explicitly configured in the Issuer API object. "+
 		"When this flag is enabled, the following sources for credentials are also used: "+
 		"AWS - All sources the Go SDK defaults to, notably including any EC2 IAM roles available via instance metadata.")
-	fs.DurationVar(&s.RenewBeforeExpiryDuration, "renew-before-expiry-duration", defaultRenewBeforeExpiryDuration, ""+
-		"The default 'renew before expiry' time for Certificates. "+
-		"Once a certificate is within this duration until expiry, a new Certificate "+
-		"will be attempted to be issued.")
-	fs.MarkDeprecated("renew-before-expiry-duration", "Deprecated. Please set the Certificate.Spec.RenewBefore field.")
 	fs.StringSliceVar(&s.DefaultAutoCertificateAnnotations, "auto-certificate-annotations", defaultAutoCertificateAnnotations, ""+
 		"The annotation consumed by the ingress-shim controller to indicate a ingress is requesting a certificate")
 
diff --git a/pkg/controller/certificates/readiness/readiness_controller.go b/pkg/controller/certificates/readiness/readiness_controller.go
index fa88c3fe9..e12180920 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/certificates/readiness/readiness_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/certificates/readiness/readiness_controller.go
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ func (c *controllerWrapper) Register(ctx *controllerpkg.Context) (workqueue.Rate
 		ctx.KubeSharedInformerFactory,
 		ctx.SharedInformerFactory,
 		PolicyChain,
-		ctx.CertificateOptions.RenewBeforeExpiryDuration,
+		cmapi.DefaultRenewBefore,
 	)
 	c.controller = ctrl
 
diff --git a/pkg/controller/context.go b/pkg/controller/context.go
index 299ed23ba..05f9cde92 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/context.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/context.go
@@ -138,10 +138,6 @@ type CertificateOptions struct {
 	// EnableOwnerRef controls whether the certificate is configured as an owner of
 	// secret where the effective TLS certificate is stored.
 	EnableOwnerRef bool
-	// RenewBeforeExpiryDuration is the default 'renew before expiry' time for Certificates.
-	// Once a certificate is within this duration until expiry, a new Certificate
-	// will be attempted to be issued.
-	RenewBeforeExpiryDuration time.Duration
 }
 
 type SchedulerOptions struct {