diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index 20d1328df59..76e8c862399 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -685,7 +685,7 @@ subprojects {
   }
 
   checkstyle {
-    configFile = new File(rootDir, "checkstyle/checkstyle.xml")
+    configDirectory = rootProject.layout.projectDirectory.dir("checkstyle")
     configProperties = checkstyleConfigProperties("import-control.xml")
     toolVersion = versions.checkstyle
   }
@@ -789,9 +789,7 @@ def fineTuneEclipseClasspathFile(eclipse, project) {
 }
 
 def checkstyleConfigProperties(configFileName) {
-  [importControlFile: "$rootDir/checkstyle/$configFileName",
-   suppressionsFile: "$rootDir/checkstyle/suppressions.xml",
-   headerFile: "$rootDir/checkstyle/java.header"]
+  [importControlFile: "$configFileName"]
 }
 
 // Aggregates all jacoco results into the root project directory
diff --git a/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml b/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
index bf2d339da8c..8cce1fd3872 100644
--- a/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
+++ b/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
   <!-- header -->
   <module name="Header">
-    <property name="headerFile" value="${headerFile}" />
+    <property name="headerFile" value="${config_loc}/java.header" />
   </module>
 
   <module name="TreeWalker">
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
 
     <!-- dependencies -->
     <module name="ImportControl">
-      <property name="file" value="${importControlFile}"/>
+      <property name="file" value="${config_loc}/${importControlFile}"/>
     </module>
 
     <!-- whitespace -->
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@
   </module>
 
   <module name="SuppressionFilter">
-    <property name="file" value="${suppressionsFile}"/>
+    <property name="file" value="${config_loc}/suppressions.xml"/>
   </module>
 
   <!-- Allows the use of the @SuppressWarnings annotation in the code -->