diff --git a/github/resource_github_repository.go b/github/resource_github_repository.go
index 9929ae1bc3..688180c256 100644
--- a/github/resource_github_repository.go
+++ b/github/resource_github_repository.go
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ func resourceGithubRepository() *schema.Resource {
 			"auto_init": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeBool,
 				Optional: true,
+				ForceNew: true,
 			},
 			"default_branch": {
 				Type:        schema.TypeString,
@@ -82,10 +83,12 @@ func resourceGithubRepository() *schema.Resource {
 			"license_template": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeString,
 				Optional: true,
+				ForceNew: true,
 			},
 			"gitignore_template": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeString,
 				Optional: true,
+				ForceNew: true,
 			},
 			"archived": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeBool,
diff --git a/github/resource_github_repository_test.go b/github/resource_github_repository_test.go
index abdb117675..cf9f521379 100644
--- a/github/resource_github_repository_test.go
+++ b/github/resource_github_repository_test.go
@@ -371,6 +371,38 @@ func TestAccGithubRepository_topics(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestAccGithubRepository_autoInitForceNew(t *testing.T) {
+	var repo github.Repository
+	randString := acctest.RandStringFromCharSet(10, acctest.CharSetAlphaNum)
+	name := fmt.Sprintf("tf-acc-test-%s", randString)
+
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		PreCheck:     func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckGithubRepositoryDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			{
+				Config: testAccGithubRepositoryConfigAutoInitForceNew(randString),
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					testAccCheckGithubRepositoryExists("github_repository.foo", &repo),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr("github_repository.foo", "name", name),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr("github_repository.foo", "auto_init", "false"),
+				),
+			},
+			{
+				Config: testAccGithubRepositoryConfigAutoInitForceNewUpdate(randString),
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					testAccCheckGithubRepositoryExists("github_repository.foo", &repo),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr("github_repository.foo", "name", name),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr("github_repository.foo", "auto_init", "true"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr("github_repository.foo", "license_template", "mpl-2.0"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr("github_repository.foo", "gitignore_template", "Go"),
+				),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func testAccCheckGithubRepositoryExists(n string, repo *github.Repository) resource.TestCheckFunc {
 	return func(s *terraform.State) error {
 		rs, ok := s.RootModule().Resources[n]
@@ -721,3 +753,28 @@ resource "github_repository" "foo" {
 }
 `, randString, randString, topicList)
 }
+
+func testAccGithubRepositoryConfigAutoInitForceNew(randString string) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`
+resource "github_repository" "foo" {
+  name = "tf-acc-test-%s"
+  auto_init = false
+}
+`, randString)
+}
+
+func testAccGithubRepositoryConfigAutoInitForceNewUpdate(randString string) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`
+resource "github_repository" "foo" {
+  name = "tf-acc-test-%s"
+  auto_init = true
+  license_template = "mpl-2.0"
+  gitignore_template = "Go"
+}
+
+resource "github_branch_protection" "repo_name_master" {
+  repository = "${github_repository.foo.name}"
+  branch = "master"
+}
+`, randString)
+}