diff --git a/pkg/api/types.go b/pkg/api/types.go
index 8b8554396e6..c02add8d19a 100644
--- a/pkg/api/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/types.go
@@ -651,7 +651,7 @@ type EmptyDirVolumeSource struct {
 	// The default is nil which means that the limit is undefined.
 	// More info: http://kubernetes.io/docs/user-guide/volumes#emptydir
 	// +optional
-	SizeLimit resource.Quantity
+	SizeLimit *resource.Quantity
 }
 
 // StorageMedium defines ways that storage can be allocated to a volume.
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/BUILD b/pkg/api/v1/BUILD
index c79f190ccbd..a80efb82f56 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/BUILD
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/BUILD
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/util/parsers:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/util/pointer:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/api/core/v1:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
index 5e07a458729..24eff298940 100644
--- a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
@@ -386,10 +386,13 @@ func validateVolumeSource(source *api.VolumeSource, fldPath *field.Path, volName
 	if source.EmptyDir != nil {
 		numVolumes++
 		if !utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.LocalStorageCapacityIsolation) {
-			unsetSizeLimit := resource.Quantity{}
-			if unsetSizeLimit.Cmp(source.EmptyDir.SizeLimit) != 0 {
+			if source.EmptyDir.SizeLimit != nil && source.EmptyDir.SizeLimit.Cmp(resource.Quantity{}) != 0 {
 				allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Forbidden(fldPath.Child("emptyDir").Child("sizeLimit"), "SizeLimit field disabled by feature-gate for EmptyDir volumes"))
 			}
+		} else {
+			if source.EmptyDir.SizeLimit != nil && source.EmptyDir.SizeLimit.Cmp(resource.Quantity{}) < 0 {
+				allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Forbidden(fldPath.Child("emptyDir").Child("sizeLimit"), "SizeLimit field must be a valid resource quantity"))
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	if source.HostPath != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go b/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
index d7038753f30..f93548fb611 100644
--- a/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
@@ -2656,7 +2656,7 @@ func TestValidateVolumes(t *testing.T) {
 func TestAlphaLocalStorageCapacityIsolation(t *testing.T) {
 
 	testCases := []api.VolumeSource{
-		{EmptyDir: &api.EmptyDirVolumeSource{SizeLimit: *resource.NewQuantity(int64(5), resource.BinarySI)}},
+		{EmptyDir: &api.EmptyDirVolumeSource{SizeLimit: resource.NewQuantity(int64(5), resource.BinarySI)}},
 	}
 	// Enable alpha feature LocalStorageCapacityIsolation
 	err := utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Set("LocalStorageCapacityIsolation=true")
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/eviction/eviction_manager.go b/pkg/kubelet/eviction/eviction_manager.go
index f430b82502b..9f1bf54061a 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/eviction/eviction_manager.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/eviction/eviction_manager.go
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ func (m *managerImpl) emptyDirLimitEviction(podStats statsapi.PodStats, pod *v1.
 		if source.EmptyDir != nil {
 			size := source.EmptyDir.SizeLimit
 			used := podVolumeUsed[pod.Spec.Volumes[i].Name]
-			if used != nil && size.Sign() == 1 && used.Cmp(size) > 0 {
+			if used != nil && size != nil && size.Sign() == 1 && used.Cmp(*size) > 0 {
 				// the emptyDir usage exceeds the size limit, evict the pod
 				return m.evictPod(pod, v1.ResourceName("EmptyDir"), fmt.Sprintf("emptyDir usage exceeds the limit %q", size.String()))
 			}
diff --git a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/algorithm/predicates/predicates_test.go b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/algorithm/predicates/predicates_test.go
index 7c878c5ac3c..383107861a8 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/algorithm/predicates/predicates_test.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/algorithm/predicates/predicates_test.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func addStorageLimit(pod *v1.Pod, sizeLimit int64, medium v1.StorageMedium) *v1.
 					Name: "emptyDirVolumeName",
 					VolumeSource: v1.VolumeSource{
 						EmptyDir: &v1.EmptyDirVolumeSource{
-							SizeLimit: *resource.NewQuantity(sizeLimit, resource.BinarySI),
+							SizeLimit: resource.NewQuantity(sizeLimit, resource.BinarySI),
 							Medium:    medium,
 						},
 					},
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/api/core/v1/types.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/api/core/v1/types.go
index f0fa7e6e576..c5b955ab01f 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/api/core/v1/types.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/api/core/v1/types.go
@@ -739,7 +739,7 @@ type EmptyDirVolumeSource struct {
 	// The default is nil which means that the limit is undefined.
 	// More info: http://kubernetes.io/docs/user-guide/volumes#emptydir
 	// +optional
-	SizeLimit resource.Quantity `json:"sizeLimit,omitempty" protobuf:"bytes,2,opt,name=sizeLimit"`
+	SizeLimit *resource.Quantity `json:"sizeLimit,omitempty" protobuf:"bytes,2,opt,name=sizeLimit"`
 }
 
 // Represents a Glusterfs mount that lasts the lifetime of a pod.
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/local_storage_isolation_eviction_test.go b/test/e2e_node/local_storage_isolation_eviction_test.go
index 5d3408c4b2c..15ad4ddc0d0 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/local_storage_isolation_eviction_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/local_storage_isolation_eviction_test.go
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("LocalStorageCapacityIsolationEviction [Slow] [Se
 							Name: emptyDirVolumeName,
 							VolumeSource: v1.VolumeSource{
 								EmptyDir: &v1.EmptyDirVolumeSource{
-									SizeLimit: *resource.NewQuantity(int64(1000), resource.BinarySI),
+									SizeLimit: resource.NewQuantity(int64(1000), resource.BinarySI),
 								},
 							},
 						},
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("LocalStorageCapacityIsolationEviction [Slow] [Se
 							VolumeSource: v1.VolumeSource{
 								EmptyDir: &v1.EmptyDirVolumeSource{
 									Medium:    "Memory",
-									SizeLimit: *resource.NewQuantity(int64(10000), resource.BinarySI),
+									SizeLimit: resource.NewQuantity(int64(10000), resource.BinarySI),
 								},
 							},
 						},
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("LocalStorageCapacityIsolationEviction [Slow] [Se
 							Name: emptyDirVolumeName,
 							VolumeSource: v1.VolumeSource{
 								EmptyDir: &v1.EmptyDirVolumeSource{
-									SizeLimit: *resource.NewQuantity(int64(100000), resource.BinarySI),
+									SizeLimit: resource.NewQuantity(int64(100000), resource.BinarySI),
 								},
 							},
 						},
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("LocalStorageCapacityIsolationEviction [Slow] [Se
 							Name: emptyDirVolumeName,
 							VolumeSource: v1.VolumeSource{
 								EmptyDir: &v1.EmptyDirVolumeSource{
-									SizeLimit: *resource.NewQuantity(int64(100000), resource.BinarySI),
+									SizeLimit: resource.NewQuantity(int64(100000), resource.BinarySI),
 								},
 							},
 						},