diff --git a/cmd/ack-generate/command/apis.go b/cmd/ack-generate/command/apis.go
index 33458b36..7f325413 100644
--- a/cmd/ack-generate/command/apis.go
+++ b/cmd/ack-generate/command/apis.go
@@ -85,10 +85,12 @@ func saveGeneratedMetadata(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 // generateAPIs generates the Go files for each resource in the AWS service
 // API.
 func generateAPIs(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-	if len(args) != 1 {
+	if len(args) < 1 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("please specify the service alias for the AWS service API to generate")
 	}
 	svcAlias := strings.ToLower(args[0])
+	releaseVersion := strings.ToLower(args[1])
+	releaseVersion = strings.TrimPrefix(releaseVersion, "v")
 	if optOutputPath == "" {
 		optOutputPath = filepath.Join(optServicesDir, svcAlias)
 	}
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ func generateAPIs(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	ts, err := ackgenerate.APIs(m, optTemplateDirs)
+	ts, err := ackgenerate.APIs(m, optTemplateDirs, releaseVersion)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/ack-generate/command/controller.go b/cmd/ack-generate/command/controller.go
index 870ae214..fdbd5001 100644
--- a/cmd/ack-generate/command/controller.go
+++ b/cmd/ack-generate/command/controller.go
@@ -45,10 +45,12 @@ func init() {
 
 // generateController generates the Go files for a service controller
 func generateController(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-	if len(args) != 1 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("please specify the service alias for the AWS service API to generate")
+	if len(args) < 1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("please specify the service alias for the AWS service API to generate: controller")
 	}
 	svcAlias := strings.ToLower(args[0])
+	releaseVersion := strings.ToLower(args[1])
+	releaseVersion = strings.TrimPrefix(releaseVersion, "v")
 	if optOutputPath == "" {
 		optOutputPath = filepath.Join(optServicesDir, svcAlias)
 	}
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ func generateController(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	ts, err := ackgenerate.Controller(m, optTemplateDirs, serviceAccountName)
+	ts, err := ackgenerate.Controller(m, optTemplateDirs, serviceAccountName, releaseVersion)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/generate/ack/apis.go b/pkg/generate/ack/apis.go
index b3df9156..6bdefd8d 100644
--- a/pkg/generate/ack/apis.go
+++ b/pkg/generate/ack/apis.go
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ var (
 func APIs(
 	m *ackmodel.Model,
 	templateBasePaths []string,
+	releaseVersion string,
 ) (*templateset.TemplateSet, error) {
 	enumDefs, err := m.GetEnumDefs()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ func APIs(
 			metaVars,
 			m.SDKAPI,
 			crd,
+			releaseVersion,
 		}
 		if err = ts.Add(crdFileName, "apis/crd.go.tpl", crdVars); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
@@ -106,6 +108,7 @@ type templateAPIVars struct {
 // code for a single top-level resource's API definition
 type templateCRDVars struct {
 	templateset.MetaVars
-	SDKAPI *ackmodel.SDKAPI
-	CRD    *ackmodel.CRD
+	SDKAPI         *ackmodel.SDKAPI
+	CRD            *ackmodel.CRD
+	ReleaseVersion string
 }
diff --git a/pkg/generate/ack/controller.go b/pkg/generate/ack/controller.go
index 8f9c4eac..5df3999f 100644
--- a/pkg/generate/ack/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/generate/ack/controller.go
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ func Controller(
 	templateBasePaths []string,
 	// serviceAccountName is the name of the ServiceAccount used in the Helm chart
 	serviceAccountName string,
+	releaseVersion string,
 ) (*templateset.TemplateSet, error) {
 	crds, err := m.GetCRDs()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -234,6 +235,7 @@ func Controller(
 			metaVars,
 			m.SDKAPI,
 			r,
+			releaseVersion,
 		}
 		code, err := ResourceHookCode(templateBasePaths, r, hookID, crdVars, controllerFuncMap)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -274,6 +276,7 @@ func Controller(
 				metaVars,
 				m.SDKAPI,
 				crd,
+				releaseVersion,
 			}
 			if err = ts.Add(outPath, tplPath, crdVars); err != nil {
 				return nil, err
diff --git a/scripts/build-controller.sh b/scripts/build-controller.sh
index abdb7ee7..eaba05c1 100755
--- a/scripts/build-controller.sh
+++ b/scripts/build-controller.sh
@@ -111,6 +111,10 @@ if [[ ! -d $SERVICE_CONTROLLER_SOURCE_PATH ]]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
+pushd "$SERVICE_CONTROLLER_SOURCE_PATH" 1>/dev/null
+    RELEASE_VERSION=${RELEASE_VERSION:-$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || echo $NON_RELEASE_VERSION)}
+popd 1>/dev/null
+
 BOILERPLATE_TXT_PATH="$ROOT_DIR/templates/boilerplate.txt"
 DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_DIRS="$ROOT_DIR/templates"
 # If the service controller source repository has a templates/ directory, add
@@ -165,7 +169,7 @@ if [ -z "$ACK_DOCUMENTATION_CONFIG_PATH" ]; then
     fi
 fi
 
-ag_args=("$SERVICE" -o "$SERVICE_CONTROLLER_SOURCE_PATH" --template-dirs "$TEMPLATE_DIRS")
+ag_args=("$SERVICE" "$RELEASE_VERSION" -o "$SERVICE_CONTROLLER_SOURCE_PATH" --template-dirs "$TEMPLATE_DIRS")
 if [ -n "$ACK_GENERATE_CACHE_DIR" ]; then
     ag_args=("${ag_args[@]}" --cache-dir "$ACK_GENERATE_CACHE_DIR")
 fi
diff --git a/templates/apis/crd.go.tpl b/templates/apis/crd.go.tpl
index ad57b72b..eb336045 100644
--- a/templates/apis/crd.go.tpl
+++ b/templates/apis/crd.go.tpl
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ type {{ .CRD.Kind }}Status struct {
 // {{ .CRD.Kind }} is the Schema for the {{ .CRD.Plural }} API
 // +kubebuilder:object:root=true
 // +kubebuilder:subresource:status
+// +kubebuilder:metadata:annotations="controller-version={{ .ReleaseVersion }}"
 {{- range $column := .CRD.AdditionalPrinterColumns }}
 // +kubebuilder:printcolumn:name="{{$column.Name}}",type={{$column.Type}},priority={{$column.Priority}},JSONPath=`{{$column.JSONPath}}`
 {{- end }}