diff --git a/initdb.py b/initdb.py
index 2c1615cf7..9c93c7254 100644
--- a/initdb.py
+++ b/initdb.py
@@ -842,7 +842,8 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
   if not IS_TESTING_REAL_DATABASE and not isinstance(db.obj, SqliteDatabase):
     raise RuntimeError('Attempted to initialize production database!')
 
-  initialize_database()
+  if os.environ.get('SKIP_DB_SCHEMA', '').lower() != 'true':
+    initialize_database()
 
   populate_database(args.simple)