diff --git a/controllers/installation_controller.go b/controllers/installation_controller.go
index db5f9700..5ae2a587 100644
--- a/controllers/installation_controller.go
+++ b/controllers/installation_controller.go
@@ -133,6 +133,10 @@ func (r *InstallationReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request
 		err = r.uninstallInstallation(ctx, log, inst)
 		log.V(Log4Debug).Info("Reconciliation complete: A porter agent has been dispatched to uninstall the installation.")
 		return ctrl.Result{}, err
+	} else if r.shouldOrphan(inst) {
+		log.V(Log4Debug).Info("Reconciliation complete: Your installation is being deleted. Please clean up installation resources")
+		err = removeFinalizer(ctx, log, r.Client, inst)
+		return ctrl.Result{}, err
 	} else if isDeleted(inst) {
 		// This is installation without a finalizer that was deleted We remove the
 		// finalizer after we successfully uninstall (or someone is manually cleaning
@@ -401,7 +405,11 @@ func (r *InstallationReconciler) saveStatus(ctx context.Context, log logr.Logger
 
 func (r *InstallationReconciler) shouldUninstall(inst *v1.Installation) bool {
 	// ignore a deleted CRD with no finalizers
-	return isDeleted(inst) && isFinalizerSet(inst)
+	return isDeleted(inst) && isFinalizerSet(inst) && inst.GetAnnotations()[v1.PorterDeletePolicyAnnotation] == v1.PorterDeletePolicyDelete
+}
+
+func (r *InstallationReconciler) shouldOrphan(inst *v1.Installation) bool {
+	return isDeleted(inst) && isFinalizerSet(inst) && inst.GetAnnotations()[v1.PorterDeletePolicyAnnotation] == v1.PorterDeletePolicyOrphan
 }
 
 // Sync the retry annotation from the installation to the agent action to trigger another run.
diff --git a/controllers/installation_controller_test.go b/controllers/installation_controller_test.go
index 57442064..8ad20c3f 100644
--- a/controllers/installation_controller_test.go
+++ b/controllers/installation_controller_test.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ func TestShouldInstall(t *testing.T) {
 					Namespace:         "fake-ns",
 					Finalizers:        []string{v1.FinalizerName},
 					DeletionTimestamp: test.delTimeStamp,
+					Annotations:       map[string]string{v1.PorterDeletePolicyAnnotation: v1.PorterDeletePolicyDelete},
 				},
 			}
 			rec := setupInstallationController(inst)
@@ -63,6 +64,38 @@ func TestShouldInstall(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestShouldOrphan(t *testing.T) {
+	now := metav1.Now()
+	tests := map[string]struct {
+		wantTrue     bool
+		delTimeStamp *metav1.Time
+	}{
+		"true":  {wantTrue: true, delTimeStamp: &now},
+		"false": {wantTrue: false, delTimeStamp: nil},
+	}
+	for name, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			inst := &v1.Installation{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:              "fake-name",
+					Namespace:         "fake-ns",
+					Finalizers:        []string{v1.FinalizerName},
+					DeletionTimestamp: test.delTimeStamp,
+					Annotations:       map[string]string{v1.PorterDeletePolicyAnnotation: v1.PorterDeletePolicyOrphan},
+				},
+			}
+			rec := setupInstallationController(inst)
+			isTrue := rec.shouldOrphan(inst)
+			if test.wantTrue {
+				assert.True(t, isTrue)
+			}
+			if !test.wantTrue {
+				assert.False(t, isTrue)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestUninstallInstallation(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	inst := &v1.Installation{