diff --git a/Makefile.global b/Makefile.global
index a6d55daf80..d703e4a157 100644
--- a/Makefile.global
+++ b/Makefile.global
@@ -23,16 +23,8 @@ ifneq ($(wildcard $(TOPDIR)/paths.mk),)
 include $(TOPDIR)/paths.mk
 endif
 
-# We should build docs if it not explicitly disabled and we're not
-# running "make maintainer-conf" or "make inplace-conf":
+# We should build docs if it is explicitly enabled
 BUILD_DOCS=no
-ifneq ($(DOC_BUILD_ENABLED),no)
-ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),maintainer-conf)
-ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),inplace-conf)
-BUILD_DOCS=yes
-endif
-endif
-endif
 export BUILD_DOCS
 
 # Determine revision info:
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4e1d56e153..527b0c80f0 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -259,15 +259,13 @@ AC_PROG_LN_S
 AC_PROG_MAKE_SET
 AC_PROG_MKDIR_P
 
-# Check option to build documentation. This option is provided to
-# allow disabling it.
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(doc-build,AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-doc-build],
-[enable building documentation (default: yes).]))
+[enable building documentation (default: no).]))
 
-if test "x$enable_doc_build" = "xno"; then
-	AC_SUBST(DOC_BUILD_ENABLED,[no])
-else
+if test "x$enable_doc_build" = "xyes"; then
 	AC_SUBST(DOC_BUILD_ENABLED,[yes])
+else
+	AC_SUBST(DOC_BUILD_ENABLED,[no])
 fi
 
 # See 'man feature_test_macros' under Linux:
@@ -330,12 +328,7 @@ echo " * webserver group.....: $WEBSERVER_GROUP"
 echo ""
 echo " * website base URL....: $BASEURL"
 echo ""
-echo -n " * documentation.......: AX_VAR_EXPAND($domjudge_docdir)"
-if test "x$DOC_BUILD_ENABLED" != xyes ; then
-   echo " (disabled)"
-else
-   echo ""
-fi
+echo " * documentation.......: AX_VAR_EXPAND($domjudge_docdir)"
 echo ""
 echo " * domserver...........: AX_VAR_EXPAND($domserver_root)"
 echo "    - bin..............: AX_VAR_EXPAND($domserver_bindir)"