diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation/build/common.targets b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation/build/common.targets
index 7df1e2a00a..55d6dbace1 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation/build/common.targets
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation/build/common.targets
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
       <MvcRazorContentRoot Condition="'$(MvcRazorContentRoot)'==''">$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)</MvcRazorContentRoot>
       <MvcRazorExcludeViewFilesFromPublish Condition="'$(MvcRazorExcludeViewFilesFromPublish)'==''">true</MvcRazorExcludeViewFilesFromPublish>
+      <MvcRazorExcludeRefAssembliesFromPublish Condition="'$(MvcRazorExcludeRefAssembliesFromPublish)'==''">true</MvcRazorExcludeRefAssembliesFromPublish>
     </PropertyGroup>
 
     <ItemGroup Condition="'@(MvcRazorFilesToCompile)' == ''">
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@
      Condition="'$(MvcRazorCompileOnPublish)'=='true'" />
 
   <Target Name="_MvcRazorResolveFilesToCompute"
-    AfterTargets="ComputeFilesToPublish"
+    AfterTargets="ComputeRefAssembliesToPublish"
     Condition="'$(MvcRazorCompileOnPublish)'=='true'">
 
     <ItemGroup>
@@ -65,6 +66,12 @@
         <RelativePath>$([System.IO.Path]::GetFileName('$(_MvcRazorOutputFullPath)'))</RelativePath>
       </ResolvedFileToPublish>
     </ItemGroup>
+
+    <ItemGroup Condition="'$(MvcRazorExcludeRefAssembliesFromPublish)'=='true'">
+      <ResolvedFileToPublish
+        Remove="%(ResolvedFileToPublish.Identity)"
+        Condition="'%(ResolvedFileToPublish.RelativePath)'=='$(RefAssembliesFolderName)\%(Filename)%(Extension)'" />
+    </ItemGroup>
   </Target>
 </Project>
 
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation.FunctionalTests/Infrastructure/ApplicationTestFixture.cs b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation.FunctionalTests/Infrastructure/ApplicationTestFixture.cs
index d805ddc687..1c7c7adeac 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation.FunctionalTests/Infrastructure/ApplicationTestFixture.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation.FunctionalTests/Infrastructure/ApplicationTestFixture.cs
@@ -38,6 +38,13 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation
         public ILogger Logger { get; private set; }
 
         public IApplicationDeployer CreateDeployment(RuntimeFlavor flavor)
+        {
+            PrepareForDeployment(flavor);
+            var deploymentParameters = GetDeploymentParameters(flavor);
+            return ApplicationDeployerFactory.Create(deploymentParameters, Logger);
+        }
+
+        public virtual void PrepareForDeployment(RuntimeFlavor flavor)
         {
             Logger = CreateLogger(flavor);
 
@@ -46,7 +53,10 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation
                 Restore();
                 _isRestored = true;
             }
+        }
 
+        public virtual DeploymentParameters GetDeploymentParameters(RuntimeFlavor flavor)
+        {
             var tempRestoreDirectoryEnvironment = new KeyValuePair<string, string>(
                 NuGetPackagesEnvironmentKey,
                 TempRestoreDirectory);
@@ -82,7 +92,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation
                 },
             };
 
-            return ApplicationDeployerFactory.Create(deploymentParameters, Logger);
+            return deploymentParameters;
         }
 
         protected virtual ILogger CreateLogger(RuntimeFlavor flavor)
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation.FunctionalTests/ViewCompilationOptionsTest.cs b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation.FunctionalTests/ViewCompilationOptionsTest.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..adafc8785d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation.FunctionalTests/ViewCompilationOptionsTest.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+// Copyright (c) .NET Foundation. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.IntegrationTesting;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.ViewCompilation
+{
+    public class ViewCompilationOptionsTest : IClassFixture<ViewCompilationOptionsTest.TestFixture>
+    {
+        public ViewCompilationOptionsTest(TestFixture fixture)
+        {
+            Fixture = fixture;
+        }
+
+        public ApplicationTestFixture Fixture { get; }
+
+        public static TheoryData SupportedFlavorsTheoryData => RuntimeFlavors.SupportedFlavorsTheoryData;
+
+        [Theory]
+        [MemberData(nameof(SupportedFlavorsTheoryData))]
+        public void Precompilation_PreventsRefAssembliesFromBeingPublished(RuntimeFlavor flavor)
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            using (var deployer = Fixture.CreateDeployment(flavor))
+            {
+                // Act
+                var deploymentResult = deployer.Deploy();
+
+                // Assert
+                Assert.False(Directory.Exists(Path.Combine(deploymentResult.ContentRoot, "refs")));
+            }
+        }
+
+        [Theory]
+        [MemberData(nameof(SupportedFlavorsTheoryData))]
+        public void PublishingWithOption_AllowsPublishingRefAssemblies(RuntimeFlavor flavor)
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            Fixture.PrepareForDeployment(flavor);
+            var deploymentParameters = Fixture.GetDeploymentParameters(flavor);
+            deploymentParameters.PublishEnvironmentVariables.Add(
+                new KeyValuePair<string, string>("MvcRazorExcludeRefAssembliesFromPublish", "false"));
+
+            using (var deployer = ApplicationDeployerFactory.Create(deploymentParameters, Fixture.Logger))
+            {
+                // Act
+                var deploymentResult = deployer.Deploy();
+
+                // Assert
+                Assert.True(Directory.Exists(Path.Combine(deploymentResult.ContentRoot, "refs")));
+            }
+        }
+
+        public class TestFixture : ApplicationTestFixture
+        {
+            public TestFixture()
+                : base("SimpleApp")
+            {
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}