diff --git a/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller.go b/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller.go
index a4d92ec6899..b9e05788f53 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller.go
@@ -594,20 +594,6 @@ func (dc *DeploymentController) syncDeployment(key string) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	// This is the point at which we used to add/remove the overlap annotation.
-	// Now we always remove it if it exists, because it is obsolete as of 1.6.
-	// Although the server no longer adds or looks at the annotation,
-	// it's important to remove it from controllers created before the upgrade,
-	// so that old clients (e.g. kubectl reaper) know they can no longer assume
-	// the controller is blocked due to selector overlap and has no dependents.
-	if _, ok := d.Annotations[util.OverlapAnnotation]; ok {
-		delete(d.Annotations, util.OverlapAnnotation)
-		d, err = dc.client.ExtensionsV1beta1().Deployments(d.Namespace).UpdateStatus(d)
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("couldn't remove obsolete overlap annotation from deployment %v: %v", key, err)
-		}
-	}
-
 	// List ReplicaSets owned by this Deployment, while reconciling ControllerRef
 	// through adoption/orphaning.
 	rsList, err := dc.getReplicaSetsForDeployment(d)
diff --git a/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller_test.go b/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller_test.go
index 650edc8e28f..837aeba9662 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller_test.go
@@ -271,32 +271,6 @@ func TestSyncDeploymentCreatesReplicaSet(t *testing.T) {
 	f.run(getKey(d, t))
 }
 
-func TestSyncDeploymentClearsOverlapAnnotation(t *testing.T) {
-	f := newFixture(t)
-
-	d := newDeployment("foo", 1, nil, nil, nil, map[string]string{"foo": "bar"})
-	d.Annotations[util.OverlapAnnotation] = "overlap"
-	f.dLister = append(f.dLister, d)
-	f.objects = append(f.objects, d)
-
-	rs := newReplicaSet(d, "deploymentrs-4186632231", 1)
-
-	f.expectUpdateDeploymentStatusAction(d)
-	f.expectCreateRSAction(rs)
-	f.expectUpdateDeploymentStatusAction(d)
-	f.expectUpdateDeploymentStatusAction(d)
-
-	f.run(getKey(d, t))
-
-	d, err := f.client.ExtensionsV1beta1().Deployments(d.Namespace).Get(d.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("can't get deployment: %v", err)
-	}
-	if _, ok := d.Annotations[util.OverlapAnnotation]; ok {
-		t.Errorf("OverlapAnnotation = %q, wanted absent", d.Annotations[util.OverlapAnnotation])
-	}
-}
-
 func TestSyncDeploymentDontDoAnythingDuringDeletion(t *testing.T) {
 	f := newFixture(t)
 
diff --git a/pkg/controller/deployment/util/deployment_util.go b/pkg/controller/deployment/util/deployment_util.go
index 9e5d46df26b..578b409f210 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/deployment/util/deployment_util.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/deployment/util/deployment_util.go
@@ -65,11 +65,6 @@ const (
 	RollbackTemplateUnchanged = "DeploymentRollbackTemplateUnchanged"
 	// RollbackDone is the done rollback event reason
 	RollbackDone = "DeploymentRollback"
-	// OverlapAnnotation marks deployments with overlapping selector with other deployments
-	// TODO: Delete this annotation when we no longer need to support a client
-	//       talking to a server older than v1.6.
-	OverlapAnnotation = "deployment.kubernetes.io/error-selector-overlapping-with"
-
 	// Reasons for deployment conditions
 	//
 	// Progressing:
@@ -289,7 +284,6 @@ var annotationsToSkip = map[string]bool{
 	RevisionHistoryAnnotation:      true,
 	DesiredReplicasAnnotation:      true,
 	MaxReplicasAnnotation:          true,
-	OverlapAnnotation:              true,
 }
 
 // skipCopyAnnotation returns true if we should skip copying the annotation with the given annotation key
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/stop.go b/pkg/kubectl/stop.go
index 62b85c4a210..1a8db59b5f9 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/stop.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/stop.go
@@ -418,13 +418,6 @@ func (reaper *DeploymentReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout time.Durati
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Do not cascade deletion for overlapping deployments.
-	// A Deployment with this annotation will not create or manage anything,
-	// so we can assume any matching ReplicaSets belong to another Deployment.
-	if len(deployment.Annotations[deploymentutil.OverlapAnnotation]) > 0 {
-		return deployments.Delete(name, nil)
-	}
-
 	// Stop all replica sets belonging to this Deployment.
 	rss, err := deploymentutil.ListReplicaSetsInternal(deployment,
 		func(namespace string, options metav1.ListOptions) ([]*extensions.ReplicaSet, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go b/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go
index 6755ef7d0b7..6ed8a1a94f2 100644
--- a/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go
+++ b/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go
@@ -2816,10 +2816,6 @@ func describeDeployment(d *versionedextension.Deployment, selector labels.Select
 			}
 			w.Write(LEVEL_0, "NewReplicaSet:\t%s\n", printReplicaSetsByLabels(newRSs))
 		}
-		overlapWith := d.Annotations[deploymentutil.OverlapAnnotation]
-		if len(overlapWith) > 0 {
-			w.Write(LEVEL_0, "!!!WARNING!!! This deployment has overlapping label selector with deployment %q and won't behave as expected. Please fix it before continuing.\n", overlapWith)
-		}
 		if events != nil {
 			DescribeEvents(events, w)
 		}