diff --git a/build_library/build_image_util.sh b/build_library/build_image_util.sh
index 8e19a37b08..a2e3ec8008 100755
--- a/build_library/build_image_util.sh
+++ b/build_library/build_image_util.sh
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ start_image() {
   local image_name="$1"
   local disk_layout="$2"
   local root_fs_dir="$3"
+  local update_group="$4"
 
   local disk_img="${BUILD_DIR}/${image_name}"
 
@@ -140,12 +141,17 @@ start_image() {
   # FIXME(marineam): Work around glibc setting EROOT=$ROOT
   # https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=473728#c12
   sudo mkdir -p "${root_fs_dir}/etc/ld.so.conf.d"
+
+  # Set /etc/lsb-release on the image.
+  "${BUILD_LIBRARY_DIR}/set_lsb_release" \
+    --root="${root_fs_dir}" \
+    --group="${update_group}" \
+    --board="${BOARD}"
 }
 
 finish_image() {
   local disk_layout="$1"
   local root_fs_dir="$2"
-  local update_group="$3"
 
   # Record directories installed to the state partition.
   # Explicitly ignore entries covered by existing configs.
@@ -158,12 +164,6 @@ finish_image() {
       --output="${root_fs_dir}/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/base_image_etc.conf" \
       ${tmp_ignore} "${root_fs_dir}/etc"
 
-  # Set /etc/lsb-release on the image.
-  "${BUILD_LIBRARY_DIR}/set_lsb_release" \
-    --root="${root_fs_dir}" \
-    --group="${update_group}" \
-    --board="${BOARD}"
-
   # Only configure bootloaders if there is a boot partition
   if mountpoint -q "${root_fs_dir}"/boot/efi; then
     ${BUILD_LIBRARY_DIR}/configure_bootloaders.sh \
diff --git a/build_library/dev_image_util.sh b/build_library/dev_image_util.sh
index ec8bddc794..4b036979cb 100755
--- a/build_library/dev_image_util.sh
+++ b/build_library/dev_image_util.sh
@@ -67,14 +67,10 @@ create_dev_image() {
   info "Building developer image ${image_name}"
   local root_fs_dir="${BUILD_DIR}/rootfs"
 
-  start_image "${image_name}" "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}"
+  start_image "${image_name}" "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}" "${update_group}"
 
   emerge_to_image "${root_fs_dir}" coreos-base/coreos-dev
 
-  "${BUILD_LIBRARY_DIR}/set_lsb_release" \
-    --root="${root_fs_dir}" \
-    --board="${BOARD}"
-
   # Setup portage for emerge and gmerge
   configure_dev_portage "${root_fs_dir}" "${devserver}"
 
@@ -96,5 +92,5 @@ EOF
   # The remount services are provided by coreos-base/coreos-init
   systemd_enable "${root_fs_dir}" "local-fs.target" "remount-usr.service"
 
-  finish_image "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}" "${update_group}"
+  finish_image "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}"
 }
diff --git a/build_library/prod_image_util.sh b/build_library/prod_image_util.sh
index fb416bc3b4..4fd934bb4a 100755
--- a/build_library/prod_image_util.sh
+++ b/build_library/prod_image_util.sh
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ create_prod_image() {
   info "Building production image ${image_name}"
   local root_fs_dir="${BUILD_DIR}/rootfs"
 
-  start_image "${image_name}" "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}"
+  start_image "${image_name}" "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}" "${update_group}"
 
   # Install minimal GCC (libs only) and then everything else
   emerge_prod_gcc "${root_fs_dir}"
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ EOF
     disable_read_write=${FLAGS_FALSE}
   fi
 
-  finish_image "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}" "${update_group}"
+  finish_image "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}"
 
   # Make the filesystem un-mountable as read-write.
   if [[ ${disable_read_write} -eq ${FLAGS_TRUE} ]]; then