diff --git a/charts/log-router/templates/crd.yaml b/charts/log-router/templates/crd.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e26cde73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/charts/log-router/templates/crd.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+{{ if .Values.installCrd }}
+{{- /* if we need the CRD, install it */ -}}
+
+{{/*
+  this CRD needs to live in the template directory because CRDs within the
+  chart crds/ directory are not processed as templates
+*/}}
+
+#
+# log-router CRD resource:
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: fluentdconfigs.logs.vdp.vmware.com
+spec:
+  conversion:
+    strategy: None
+  group: logs.vdp.vmware.com
+  names:
+    kind: FluentdConfig
+    listKind: FluentdConfigList
+    plural: fluentdconfigs
+    singular: fluentdconfig
+  scope: Namespaced
+  versions:
+  - name: v1beta1
+    schema:
+      openAPIV3Schema:
+        properties:
+          spec:
+            properties:
+              fluentconf:
+                type: string
+            type: object
+        type: object
+    served: true
+    storage: true
+{{ end }}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/charts/log-router/values.yaml b/charts/log-router/values.yaml
index 882cc4ac..6ac76940 100755
--- a/charts/log-router/values.yaml
+++ b/charts/log-router/values.yaml
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ datasource: default
 # together with the specified legacy datasource to facilitate the migration process to CRDs.
 crdMigrationMode: false
 
+# default to installing the CRD along with the helm chart
+installCrd: true
+
 defaultConfigmap: "fluentd-config"
 
 image:
diff --git a/kubectl/crd.yaml b/kubectl/crd.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index c84a7bff..00000000
--- a/kubectl/crd.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-# log-router CRD resource:
-apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
-kind: CustomResourceDefinition
-metadata:
-  name: fluentdconfigs.logs.vdp.vmware.com
-  spec:
-    conversion:
-      strategy: None
-    group: logs.vdp.vmware.com
-    names:
-      kind: FluentdConfig
-      listKind: FluentdConfigList
-      plural: fluentdconfigs
-      singular: fluentdconfig
-    scope: Namespaced
-    versions:
-    - name: v1beta1
-      schema:
-        openAPIV3Schema:
-          properties:
-            spec:
-              properties:
-                fluentconf:
-                  type: string
-              type: object
-          type: object
-      served: true
-      storage: true
diff --git a/kubectl/crd.yaml b/kubectl/crd.yaml
new file mode 120000
index 00000000..c5c4b9c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kubectl/crd.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../charts/log-router/crds/crd.yaml
\ No newline at end of file