diff --git a/docker/placement/placement-api/Dockerfile.j2 b/docker/placement/placement-api/Dockerfile.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0ef86d6b21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/placement/placement-api/Dockerfile.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+FROM {{ namespace }}/{{ image_prefix }}placement-base:{{ tag }}
+LABEL maintainer="{{ maintainer }}" name="{{ image_name }}" build-date="{{ build_date }}"
+
+{% block placement_api_header %}{% endblock %}
+
+{% import "macros.j2" as macros with context %}
+
+{% if install_type == 'binary' %}
+    {% if base_distro in ['centos', 'oraclelinux', 'rhel'] %}
+
+        {% set placement_api_packages = [
+            'httpd',
+            'mod_ssl',
+            'mod_wsgi',
+            'openstack-placement-api'
+        ] %}
+
+{{ macros.install_packages(placement_api_packages | customizable("packages")) }}
+RUN sed -i -r 's,^(Listen 80),#\1,' /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf \
+    && sed -i -r 's,^(Listen 443),#\1,' /etc/httpd/conf.d/ssl.conf
+
+    {% elif base_distro in ['debian', 'ubuntu'] %}
+
+        {% set placement_api_packages = [
+            'apache2',
+            'libapache2-mod-wsgi',
+            'placement-api'
+        ] %}
+
+{{ macros.install_packages(placement_api_packages | customizable("packages")) }}
+RUN truncate -s 0 /etc/apache2/ports.conf
+
+    {% endif %}
+{% elif install_type == 'source' %}
+    {% if base_distro in ['centos', 'oraclelinux', 'rhel'] %}
+
+        {% set placement_api_packages = [
+            'httpd',
+            'mod_ssl',
+            'mod_wsgi'
+        ] %}
+
+{{ macros.install_packages(placement_api_packages | customizable("packages")) }}
+RUN sed -i -r 's,^(Listen 80),#\1,' /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf \
+    && sed -i -r 's,^(Listen 443),#\1,' /etc/httpd/conf.d/ssl.conf
+    {% elif base_distro in ['debian', 'ubuntu'] %}
+
+        {% set placement_api_packages = [
+            'apache2',
+            'libapache2-mod-wsgi'
+        ] %}
+
+{{ macros.install_packages(placement_api_packages | customizable("packages")) }}
+RUN truncate -s 0 /etc/apache2/ports.conf
+
+    {% endif %}
+{% endif %}
+
+COPY extend_start.sh /usr/local/bin/kolla_placement_extend_start
+
+{% block placement_api_footer %}{% endblock %}
+{% block footer %}{% endblock %}
diff --git a/docker/placement/placement-api/extend_start.sh b/docker/placement/placement-api/extend_start.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a8e9635d1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/placement/placement-api/extend_start.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Bootstrap and exit if KOLLA_BOOTSTRAP variable is set. This catches all cases
+# of the KOLLA_BOOTSTRAP variable being set, including empty.
+if [[ "${!KOLLA_BOOTSTRAP[@]}" ]]; then
+    placement-manage db sync
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+# NOTE(pbourke): httpd will not clean up after itself in some cases which
+# results in the container not being able to restart. (bug #1489676, 1557036)
+if [[ "${KOLLA_BASE_DISTRO}" =~ debian|ubuntu ]]; then
+    # Loading Apache2 ENV variables
+    . /etc/apache2/envvars
+    rm -rf /var/run/apache2/*
+else
+    rm -rf /var/run/httpd/* /run/httpd/* /tmp/httpd*
+fi
diff --git a/docker/placement/placement-base/Dockerfile.j2 b/docker/placement/placement-base/Dockerfile.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e108944b4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/placement/placement-base/Dockerfile.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+FROM {{ namespace }}/{{ image_prefix }}openstack-base:{{ tag }}
+LABEL maintainer="{{ maintainer }}" name="{{ image_name }}" build-date="{{ build_date }}"
+
+{% block placement_base_header %}{% endblock %}
+
+{% import "macros.j2" as macros with context %}
+
+{{ macros.configure_user(name='placement') }}
+
+{% if install_type == 'binary' %}
+    {% if base_distro in ['centos', 'oraclelinux', 'rhel'] %}
+
+        {% set placement_base_packages = [
+            'openstack-placement-common',
+        ] %}
+
+    {% elif base_distro in ['debian', 'ubuntu'] %}
+
+        {% set placement_base_packages = [] %}
+
+    {% endif %}
+
+{{ macros.install_packages(placement_base_packages | customizable("packages")) }}
+
+{% elif install_type == 'source' %}
+
+ADD placement-base-archive /placement-base-source
+ADD plugins-archive /
+
+{% set placement_base_pip_packages = [
+    '/placement'
+] %}
+
+RUN ln -s placement-base-source/* placement \
+    && {{ macros.install_pip(placement_base_pip_packages | customizable("pip_packages")) }} \
+    && mkdir -p /etc/placement/ \
+    && cp -r /placement/etc/placement/* /etc/placement/ \
+    && chown -R placement: /etc/placement/
+
+{% endif %}
+
+COPY extend_start.sh /usr/local/bin/kolla_extend_start
+
+RUN touch /usr/local/bin/kolla_placement_extend_start \
+    && chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/kolla_extend_start /usr/local/bin/kolla_placement_extend_start
+
+{% block placement_base_footer %}{% endblock %}
diff --git a/docker/placement/placement-base/extend_start.sh b/docker/placement/placement-base/extend_start.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..68a7b01c68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/placement/placement-base/extend_start.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+if [[ ! -d "/var/log/kolla/placement" ]]; then
+    mkdir -p /var/log/kolla/placement
+    touch /var/log/kolla/placement/placement-api.log
+fi
+if [[ $(stat -c %a /var/log/kolla/placement) != "755" ]]; then
+    chmod 755 /var/log/kolla/placement
+    chmod 644 /var/log/kolla/placement/placement-api.log
+fi
+
+. /usr/local/bin/kolla_placement_extend_start
diff --git a/kolla/common/config.py b/kolla/common/config.py
index 16a7901970..5ba95bd2a6 100755
--- a/kolla/common/config.py
+++ b/kolla/common/config.py
@@ -657,6 +657,10 @@ SOURCES = {
         'type': 'url',
         'location': ('$tarballs_base/panko/'
                      'panko-master.tar.gz')},
+    'placement-base': {
+        'type': 'url',
+        'location': ('$tarballs_base/placement/'
+                     'placement-master.tar.gz')},
     'tempest-plugin-tempest-conf': {
         'type': 'url',
         'location': ('$tarballs_base/python-tempestconf/'
@@ -1135,6 +1139,10 @@ USERS = {
         'uid': 42481,  # unused user, but we need the group for thales hsm
         'gid': 42481,
     },
+    'placement-user': {
+        'uid': 42482,
+        'gid': 42482,
+    }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/kolla/image/build.py b/kolla/image/build.py
index a2c1ecc86a..d11b098b71 100755
--- a/kolla/image/build.py
+++ b/kolla/image/build.py
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ SKIPPED_IMAGES = {
         "nova-mksproxy",
         "novajoin-base",
         "octavia-base",
+        "placement-base",
         # There is no qdrouterd package for ubuntu bionic
         "qdrouterd",
         "searchlight-base",
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/split-placement-from-nova-27b7ea2359c2d3ae.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/split-placement-from-nova-27b7ea2359c2d3ae.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1281537c27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/split-placement-from-nova-27b7ea2359c2d3ae.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+features:
+  - |
+    Nova placement API has been moved into its own images.
+upgrade:
+  - |
+    nova-placement-api image will be renamed to placement-api.