diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 14aa4fb32..2bd9e745b 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -78,9 +78,32 @@ if (BUILD_SDF)
   # available during build time
   set(GZ_TOOLS_VER 2)
 
+  #################################################
+  # Find python
+  if (SKIP_PYBIND11)
+    message(STATUS "SKIP_PYBIND11 set - disabling python bindings")
+  else()
+    find_package(Python3 QUIET COMPONENTS Interpreter Development)
+    if (NOT Python3_FOUND)
+      GZ_BUILD_WARNING("Python is missing: Python interfaces are disabled.")
+      message (STATUS "Searching for Python - not found.")
+    else()
+      message (STATUS "Searching for Python - found version ${PYTHONLIBS_VERSION_STRING}.")
+
+      set(PYBIND11_PYTHON_VERSION 3)
+      find_package(pybind11 2.4 CONFIG QUIET)
+
+      if (pybind11_FOUND)
+        message (STATUS "Searching for pybind11 - found version ${pybind11_VERSION}.")
+      else()
+        GZ_BUILD_WARNING("pybind11 is missing: Python interfaces are disabled.")
+        message (STATUS "Searching for pybind11 - not found.")
+      endif()
+    endif()
+  endif()
+
   #################################################
   # Copied from catkin/cmake/empy.cmake
-  include(GzPython)
   function(find_python_module module)
     # cribbed from http://www.cmake.org/pipermail/cmake/2011-January/041666.html
     string(TOUPPER ${module} module_upper)
@@ -121,29 +144,6 @@ if (BUILD_SDF)
   gz_find_package(gz-utils3 REQUIRED COMPONENTS cli)
   set(GZ_UTILS_VER ${gz-utils3_VERSION_MAJOR})
 
-  ########################################
-  # Python interfaces
-  if (NOT PYTHON3_FOUND)
-    GZ_BUILD_ERROR("Python is missing - Needed to build/embed xml schemas")
-  else()
-    message (STATUS "Searching for Python - found version ${Python3_VERSION}.")
-
-    if (SKIP_PYBIND11)
-      message(STATUS "SKIP_PYBIND11 set - disabling python bindings")
-    else()
-      set(PYBIND11_PYTHON_VERSION 3)
-      find_package(pybind11 2.4 QUIET)
-
-      if (${pybind11_FOUND})
-        find_package(Python3 ${GZ_PYTHON_VERSION} REQUIRED COMPONENTS Development)
-        message (STATUS "Searching for pybind11 - found version ${pybind11_VERSION}.")
-      else()
-        GZ_BUILD_WARNING("pybind11 is missing: Python interfaces are disabled.")
-        message (STATUS "Searching for pybind11 - not found.")
-      endif()
-    endif()
-  endif()
-
   gz_configure_build(QUIT_IF_BUILD_ERRORS)
 
   gz_create_packages()