diff --git a/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_api.h b/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_api.h
index 8aa54b8bbe..17c595c90c 100644
--- a/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_api.h
+++ b/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_api.h
@@ -1904,6 +1904,18 @@ QDF_STATUS wlan_mlme_get_vht_tx_mcs_2x2(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc,
 QDF_STATUS
 wlan_mlme_get_vht20_mcs9(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc, bool *value);
 
+/**
+ * wlan_mlme_get_force_sap_enabled() - Get the value of force SAP enabled
+ * @psoc: psoc context
+ * @value: data to get
+ *
+ * Get the value of force SAP enabled
+ *
+ * Return: QDF_STATUS_SUCCESS or QDF_STATUS_FAILURE
+ */
+QDF_STATUS
+wlan_mlme_get_force_sap_enabled(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc, bool *value);
+
 /**
  * wlan_mlme_get_vht_enable2x2() - Enables/disables VHT Tx/Rx MCS values for 2x2
  * @psoc: psoc context
diff --git a/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_ucfg_api.h b/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_ucfg_api.h
index 96b76c19af..b2323e4edc 100644
--- a/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_ucfg_api.h
+++ b/components/mlme/dispatcher/inc/wlan_mlme_ucfg_api.h
@@ -2500,6 +2500,21 @@ ucfg_mlme_get_vht_enable2x2(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc, bool *value)
 	return wlan_mlme_get_vht_enable2x2(psoc, value);
 }
 
+/**
+ * ucfg_mlme_get_force_sap_enabled() - Get the value of force SAP enabled
+ * @psoc: psoc context
+ * @value: data to get
+ *
+ * Get the value of force SAP enabled
+ *
+ * Return: QDF_STATUS_SUCCESS or QDF_STATUS_FAILURE
+ */
+static inline QDF_STATUS
+ucfg_mlme_get_force_sap_enabled(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc, bool *value)
+{
+	return wlan_mlme_get_force_sap_enabled(psoc, value);
+}
+
 /**
  * ucfg_mlme_set_vht_enable2x2() - Enables/disables VHT Tx/Rx MCS values for 2x2
  * @psoc: psoc context
diff --git a/components/mlme/dispatcher/src/wlan_mlme_api.c b/components/mlme/dispatcher/src/wlan_mlme_api.c
index 614b5d38e9..393640bcfa 100644
--- a/components/mlme/dispatcher/src/wlan_mlme_api.c
+++ b/components/mlme/dispatcher/src/wlan_mlme_api.c
@@ -2991,6 +2991,20 @@ wlan_mlme_get_vht_enable2x2(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc, bool *value)
 	return QDF_STATUS_SUCCESS;
 }
 
+QDF_STATUS
+wlan_mlme_get_force_sap_enabled(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc, bool *value)
+{
+	struct wlan_mlme_psoc_ext_obj *mlme_obj;
+
+	mlme_obj = mlme_get_psoc_ext_obj(psoc);
+	if (!mlme_obj)
+		return QDF_STATUS_E_FAILURE;
+
+	*value = mlme_obj->cfg.acs.force_sap_start;
+
+	return QDF_STATUS_SUCCESS;
+}
+
 QDF_STATUS
 wlan_mlme_set_vht_enable2x2(struct wlan_objmgr_psoc *psoc, bool value)
 {
diff --git a/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_cfg80211.c b/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_cfg80211.c
index 730c69d9a4..1e9d41997c 100644
--- a/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_cfg80211.c
+++ b/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_cfg80211.c
@@ -2922,6 +2922,7 @@ static void wlan_hdd_handle_zero_acs_list(struct hdd_context *hdd_ctx,
 {
 	uint16_t i, sta_count;
 	uint32_t acs_chan_default = 0;
+	bool force_sap_allowed = false;
 
 	if (!acs_ch_list_count || *acs_ch_list_count > 0 ||
 	    !acs_freq_list) {
@@ -2936,7 +2937,9 @@ static void wlan_hdd_handle_zero_acs_list(struct hdd_context *hdd_ctx,
 			(hdd_ctx->psoc, PM_STA_MODE, NULL);
 	sta_count += policy_mgr_mode_specific_connection_count
 			(hdd_ctx->psoc, PM_P2P_CLIENT_MODE, NULL);
-	if (!sta_count)
+
+	ucfg_mlme_get_force_sap_enabled(hdd_ctx->psoc, &force_sap_allowed);
+	if (!sta_count && !force_sap_allowed)
 		return;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < org_ch_list_count; i++) {