diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6aece21ecdc8..7674e608b6bd 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ universe_${target}_kernels: universe_${target}_worlds .PHONY
 universe_${target}_kernels: universe_${target}_prologue .MAKE .PHONY
 .if exists(${KERNSRCDIR}/${target}/conf/NOTES)
 	@(cd ${KERNSRCDIR}/${target}/conf && env __MAKE_CONF=/dev/null \
-	    ${SUB_MAKE} -DNO_OBJ LINT \
+	    ${SUB_MAKE} LINT \
 	    > ${.CURDIR}/_.${target}.makeLINT 2>&1 || \
 	    (echo "${target} 'make LINT' failed," \
 	    "check _.${target}.makeLINT for details"| ${MAKEFAIL}))
diff --git a/sys/conf/makeLINT.mk b/sys/conf/makeLINT.mk
index 65ab59579aac..fc75b35a7bc6 100644
--- a/sys/conf/makeLINT.mk
+++ b/sys/conf/makeLINT.mk
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 # $FreeBSD$
 
+# The LINT files need to end up in the kernel source directory.
+.OBJDIR: ${.CURDIR}
+
 all:
 	@echo "make LINT only"
 
@@ -9,9 +12,10 @@ clean:
 	rm -f LINT-NOINET LINT-NOINET6 LINT-NOIP
 .endif
 
-NOTES=	../../conf/NOTES NOTES
-LINT: ${NOTES} ../../conf/makeLINT.sed
-	cat ${NOTES} | sed -E -n -f ../../conf/makeLINT.sed > ${.TARGET}
+NOTES=	${.CURDIR}/../../conf/NOTES ${.CURDIR}/NOTES
+MAKELINT_SED= ${.CURDIR}/../../conf/makeLINT.sed
+LINT: ${NOTES} ${MAKELINT_SED}
+	cat ${NOTES} | sed -E -n -f ${MAKELINT_SED} > ${.TARGET}
 .if ${TARGET} == "amd64" || ${TARGET} == "i386"
 	echo "include ${.TARGET}"	>  ${.TARGET}-NOINET
 	echo "ident ${.TARGET}-NOINET"	>> ${.TARGET}-NOINET