diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
index 864b65c3f7..3a2e00c2a8 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
@@ -493,8 +493,7 @@ default boolean parseResourceVersionsForEventFilteringAndCaching() {
 
   /**
    * {@link io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.UpdateControl} patch resource or status can
-   * either use simple patches or SSA. Setting this to {@code true}, controllers will use SSA for
-   * adding finalizers, patching resources and status.
+   * either use simple patches or SSA. Setting this to {@code true}, patching resources and status.
    *
    * @return {@code true} if Server-Side Apply (SSA) should be used when patching the primary
    *     resources, {@code false} otherwise
@@ -505,6 +504,18 @@ default boolean useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource() {
     return true;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Setting this to {@code true}, controllers will use SSA for adding finalizers.
+   *
+   * @return {@code true} if Server-Side Apply (SSA) should be used when managing finalizers, {@code
+   *     false} otherwise
+   * @see ConfigurationServiceOverrider#withUseSSAToAddFinalizer(boolean)
+   * @since 5.1.2
+   */
+  default boolean useSSAToAddFinalizer() {
+    return true;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Determines whether resources retrieved from caches such as via calls to {@link
    * Context#getSecondaryResource(Class)} should be defensively cloned first.
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java
index be86cbe312..47da97ee85 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ public class ConfigurationServiceOverrider {
   private Boolean previousAnnotationForDependentResources;
   private Boolean parseResourceVersions;
   private Boolean useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource;
+  private Boolean useSSAToAddFinalizer;
   private Boolean cloneSecondaryResourcesWhenGettingFromCache;
   private Set<Class<? extends HasMetadata>> previousAnnotationUsageBlocklist;
 
@@ -183,6 +184,11 @@ public ConfigurationServiceOverrider withUseSSAToPatchPrimaryResource(boolean va
     return this;
   }
 
+  public ConfigurationServiceOverrider withUseSSAToAddFinalizer(boolean value) {
+    this.useSSAToAddFinalizer = value;
+    return this;
+  }
+
   public ConfigurationServiceOverrider withCloneSecondaryResourcesWhenGettingFromCache(
       boolean value) {
     this.cloneSecondaryResourcesWhenGettingFromCache = value;
@@ -336,6 +342,12 @@ public boolean useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource() {
             useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource, ConfigurationService::useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource);
       }
 
+      @Override
+      public boolean useSSAToAddFinalizer() {
+        return overriddenValueOrDefault(
+            useSSAToAddFinalizer, ConfigurationService::useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource);
+      }
+
       @Override
       public boolean cloneSecondaryResourcesWhenGettingFromCache() {
         return overriddenValueOrDefault(
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcher.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcher.java
index c4b161ef27..93ebf77211 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcher.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcher.java
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ class ReconciliationDispatcher<P extends HasMetadata> {
   private final boolean retryConfigurationHasZeroAttempts;
   private final Cloner cloner;
   private final boolean useSSA;
+  private final boolean useSSAToAddFinalizer;
 
   ReconciliationDispatcher(Controller<P> controller, CustomResourceFacade<P> customResourceFacade) {
     this.controller = controller;
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ class ReconciliationDispatcher<P extends HasMetadata> {
     var retry = configuration.getRetry();
     retryConfigurationHasZeroAttempts = retry == null || retry.initExecution().isLastAttempt();
     useSSA = configuration.getConfigurationService().useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource();
+    useSSAToAddFinalizer = configuration.getConfigurationService().useSSAToAddFinalizer();
   }
 
   public ReconciliationDispatcher(Controller<P> controller) {
@@ -119,7 +121,7 @@ private PostExecutionControl<P> handleReconcile(
        * finalizer.
        */
       P updatedResource;
-      if (useSSA) {
+      if (useSSAToAddFinalizer) {
         updatedResource = addFinalizerWithSSA(originalResource);
       } else {
         updatedResource = updateCustomResourceWithFinalizer(resourceForExecution, originalResource);
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcherTest.java b/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcherTest.java
index 89f3655356..6d5c309e83 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcherTest.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/ReconciliationDispatcherTest.java
@@ -62,18 +62,18 @@ class ReconciliationDispatcherTest {
 
   @BeforeEach
   void setup() {
-    initConfigService(true);
+    initConfigService(true, true);
     testCustomResource = TestUtils.testCustomResource();
     reconciler = spy(new TestReconciler());
     reconciliationDispatcher =
         init(testCustomResource, reconciler, null, customResourceFacade, true);
   }
 
-  static void initConfigService(boolean useSSA) {
-    initConfigService(useSSA, true);
+  static void initConfigService(boolean useSSA, boolean useSSAForFinalizer) {
+    initConfigService(useSSA, useSSAForFinalizer, true);
   }
 
-  static void initConfigService(boolean useSSA, boolean noCloning) {
+  static void initConfigService(boolean useSSA, boolean useSSAForFinalizer, boolean noCloning) {
     /*
      * We need this for mock reconcilers to properly generate the expected UpdateControl: without
      * this, calls such as `when(reconciler.reconcile(eq(testCustomResource),
@@ -98,7 +98,8 @@ public <R extends HasMetadata> R clone(R object) {
                             }
                           }
                         })
-                    .withUseSSAToPatchPrimaryResource(useSSA));
+                    .withUseSSAToPatchPrimaryResource(useSSA)
+                    .withUseSSAToAddFinalizer(useSSAForFinalizer));
   }
 
   private <R extends HasMetadata> ReconciliationDispatcher<R> init(
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ void addFinalizerOnNewResource() {
 
   @Test
   void addFinalizerOnNewResourceWithoutSSA() {
-    initConfigService(false);
+    initConfigService(false, false);
     final ReconciliationDispatcher<TestCustomResource> dispatcher =
         init(testCustomResource, reconciler, null, customResourceFacade, true);
 
@@ -640,7 +641,7 @@ void canSkipSchedulingMaxDelayIf() {
 
   @Test
   void retriesAddingFinalizerWithoutSSA() {
-    initConfigService(false);
+    initConfigService(true, false);
     reconciliationDispatcher =
         init(testCustomResource, reconciler, null, customResourceFacade, true);
 
@@ -683,7 +684,7 @@ void reSchedulesFromErrorHandler() {
 
   @Test
   void reconcilerContextUsesTheSameInstanceOfResourceAsParam() {
-    initConfigService(false, false);
+    initConfigService(false, false, false);
 
     final ReconciliationDispatcher<TestCustomResource> dispatcher =
         init(testCustomResource, reconciler, null, customResourceFacade, true);