diff --git a/cde/configure.ac b/cde/configure.ac
index 07efdac96..1a01b8bf3 100644
--- a/cde/configure.ac
+++ b/cde/configure.ac
@@ -550,11 +550,25 @@ AM_ICONV
 
 dnl figure out pam support
 dnl Right now this only works on linux and netbsd (9.2 tested)
+
+dnl PAM configuration directory - configurable for non-root installs
+AC_ARG_WITH([pam-dir],
+  AS_HELP_STRING([--with-pam-dir=DIR],
+    [directory for PAM configuration files (default: /etc/pam.d, or PREFIX/etc/pam.d if prefix is not /usr)]),
+  [PAM_CONFDIR="$withval"],
+  [if test "x$cde_prefix" = "x/usr" -o "x$cde_prefix" = "x/usr/local"; then
+     PAM_CONFDIR="/etc/pam.d"
+   else
+     PAM_CONFDIR="${cde_prefix}/etc/pam.d"
+   fi])
+AC_SUBST(PAM_CONFDIR)
+
 if test "$supports_pam" = "yes"
 then
         AC_CHECK_LIB(pam, pam_start,
              [SOURCE_CPP_DEFINES="${SOURCE_CPP_DEFINES} -DHAS_PAM_LIBRARY";
-	      PAMLIB="-lpam"])
+	      PAMLIB="-lpam";
+              AC_MSG_NOTICE([PAM configuration directory: $PAM_CONFDIR])])
         AC_SUBST(PAMLIB)
 else
         AC_CHECK_LIB(pam, NOTSUPPORTED)
diff --git a/cde/programs/dtlogin/config/Makefile.am b/cde/programs/dtlogin/config/Makefile.am
index d13e09161..d726edbe2 100644
--- a/cde/programs/dtlogin/config/Makefile.am
+++ b/cde/programs/dtlogin/config/Makefile.am
@@ -18,18 +18,16 @@ CPP_TARGETS = 0060.dtsysenv Dtlogin Xaccess Xconfig Xconfig.con	\
 if HAS_PAM_LIBRARY
 CPP_TARGETS += dtlogin
 dist_pam_DATA = dtlogin
+pamdir = $(PAM_CONFDIR)
 if FREEBSD
-pamdir = /usr/local/etc/pam.d
 PAM_AUTHENTICATION_MODULE = /usr/local/lib/security/pam_pwauth_suid.so
 AM_CPPFLAGS += -DPAM_AUTHENTICATION_MODULE=$(PAM_AUTHENTICATION_MODULE)
-else
-pamdir = /etc/pam.d
+endif
 if NETBSD
 PAM_AUTHENTICATION_MODULE = /usr/pkg/lib/security/pam_pwauth_suid.so
 AM_CPPFLAGS += -DPAM_AUTHENTICATION_MODULE=$(PAM_AUTHENTICATION_MODULE)
 endif
 endif
-endif
 
 if LINUX
 AM_CPPFLAGS += -DXPROJECTROOT="/usr" -Dlinux -D__linux__