diff --git a/docs/networking/proxies/nginx.md b/docs/networking/proxies/nginx.md
index 57fb1aab1..f3dcfe722 100644
--- a/docs/networking/proxies/nginx.md
+++ b/docs/networking/proxies/nginx.md
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ nginx:error-logs <app> [-t]              # Show the nginx error logs for an appl
 nginx:report [<app>] [<flag>]            # Displays a nginx report for one or more apps
 nginx:set <app> <property> (<value>)     # Set or clear an nginx property for an app
 nginx:show-config <app>                  # Display app nginx config
+nginx:start                              # Starts the nginx server
+nginx:stop                               # Stops the nginx server
 nginx:validate-config [<app>] [--clean]  # Validates and optionally cleans up invalid nginx configurations
 ```
 
@@ -17,7 +19,23 @@ nginx:validate-config [<app>] [--clean]  # Validates and optionally cleans up in
 
 By default, the `web` process is the only process proxied by the nginx proxy implementation. Proxying to other process types may be handled by a custom `nginx.conf.sigil` file, as generally described [below](/docs/networking/proxies/nginx.md#customizing-the-nginx-configuration)
 
-Nginx will proxy the requests in a [round-robin balancing fashion](http://nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_upstream_module.html#upstream) to the different deployed (scaled) containers running the `web` proctype. This way, the host's resources can be fully leveraged for single-threaded applications (e.g. `dokku ps:scale node-js-app web=4` on a 4-core machine)
+Nginx will proxy the requests in a [round-robin balancing fashion](http://nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_upstream_module.html#upstream) to the different deployed (scaled) containers running the `web` proctype. This way, the host's resources can be fully leveraged for single-threaded applications (e.g. `dokku ps:scale node-js-app web=4` on a 4-core machine).
+
+### Starting nginx
+
+The nginx server can be started via `nginx:start`.
+
+```shell
+dokku nginx:start
+````
+
+### Stopping nginx
+
+The nginx server can be stopped via `nginx:stop`.
+
+```shell
+dokku nginx:stop
+````
 
 ### Binding to specific addresses
 
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/command-functions b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/command-functions
index 71f0a9d61..2a5d8530a 100755
--- a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/command-functions
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/command-functions
@@ -107,6 +107,24 @@ cmd-nginx-show-config() {
   cat "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/nginx.conf"
 }
 
+cmd-nginx-stop() {
+  declare desc="stops the nginx server"
+  declare cmd="nginx:stop"
+  [[ "$1" == "$cmd" ]] && shift 1
+
+  touch "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts/nginx.stopped"
+  fn-nginx-vhosts-nginx-init-cmd "stop"
+}
+
+cmd-nginx-start() {
+  declare desc="starts the nginx server"
+  declare cmd="nginx:start"
+  [[ "$1" == "$cmd" ]] && shift 1
+
+  rm -f "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts/nginx.stopped"
+  fn-nginx-vhosts-nginx-init-cmd "start"
+}
+
 cmd-nginx-validate-config() {
   declare desc="validates and optionally cleans up invalid nginx configurations"
   declare cmd="nginx:validate-config"
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/help-functions b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/help-functions
index f34f32b02..53219a912 100755
--- a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/help-functions
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/help-functions
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ fn-help-content() {
     nginx:report [<app>] [<flag>], Displays an nginx report for one or more apps
     nginx:set <app> <property> (<value>), Set or clear an nginx property for an app
     nginx:show-config <app>, Display app nginx config
+    nginx:start, Starts the nginx server
+    nginx:stop, Stops the nginx server
     nginx:validate-config [<app>] [--clean], Validates and optionally cleans up invalid nginx configurations
 help_content
 }
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/install b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/install
index 8893d92b2..7c8f6b518 100755
--- a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/install
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/install
@@ -27,19 +27,19 @@ trigger-nginx-vhosts-install() {
   local mode="0440"
   case "$DOKKU_DISTRO" in
     debian | raspbian)
-      echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d $NGINX_INIT_NAME reload, $NGINX_BIN -t, ${NGINX_BIN} -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
+      echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d $NGINX_INIT_NAME reload, /usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d $NGINX_INIT_NAME start, /usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d $NGINX_INIT_NAME stop, $NGINX_BIN -t, ${NGINX_BIN} -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
       ;;
 
     ubuntu)
       if [[ -x /usr/bin/sv ]]; then
-        echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/usr/bin/sv reload $NGINX_INIT_NAME, $NGINX_BIN -t, $NGINX_BIN -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
+        echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/usr/bin/sv reload $NGINX_INIT_NAME, /usr/bin/sv start $NGINX_INIT_NAME, /usr/bin/sv stop $NGINX_INIT_NAME, $NGINX_BIN -t, $NGINX_BIN -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
       else
-        echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/etc/init.d/$NGINX_INIT_NAME reload, $NGINX_BIN -t, $NGINX_BIN -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
+        echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/etc/init.d/$NGINX_INIT_NAME reload, /etc/init.d/$NGINX_INIT_NAME start, /etc/init.d/$NGINX_INIT_NAME stop, $NGINX_BIN -t, $NGINX_BIN -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
       fi
       ;;
 
     arch)
-      echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/usr/bin/systemctl reload $NGINX_INIT_NAME, $NGINX_BIN -t, $NGINX_BIN -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
+      echo "%dokku ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/usr/bin/systemctl reload $NGINX_INIT_NAME, /usr/bin/systemctl start $NGINX_INIT_NAME, /usr/bin/systemctl stop $NGINX_INIT_NAME, $NGINX_BIN -t, $NGINX_BIN -t -c *" >"$NGINX_SUDOERS_FILE"
       ;;
   esac
 
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ trigger-nginx-vhosts-install() {
 
   # Create nginx error templates
   mkdir -p "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts/dokku-errors"
+  chown -R "${DOKKU_SYSTEM_USER}:${DOKKU_SYSTEM_GROUP}" "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts"
   cp "${PLUGIN_CORE_AVAILABLE_PATH}/nginx-vhosts/templates/400-error.html" "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts/dokku-errors/400-error.html"
   cp "${PLUGIN_CORE_AVAILABLE_PATH}/nginx-vhosts/templates/404-error.html" "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts/dokku-errors/404-error.html"
   cp "${PLUGIN_CORE_AVAILABLE_PATH}/nginx-vhosts/templates/500-error.html" "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts/dokku-errors/500-error.html"
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ trigger-nginx-vhosts-install() {
   # avoid failing runit init calls on install
   # the runit binaries are not yet available during dockerfile building
   # and therefore both these calls will fail
-  if [[ ! -x /usr/bin/sv ]]; then
+  if [[ ! -x /usr/bin/sv ]] && [[ ! -f "${DOKKU_LIB_ROOT}/data/nginx-vhosts/nginx.stopped" ]]; then
     fn-nginx-vhosts-nginx-init-cmd start || fn-nginx-vhosts-nginx-init-cmd reload
   fi
 }
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/subcommands/start b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/subcommands/start
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..cb5a854c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/subcommands/start
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+source "$PLUGIN_AVAILABLE_PATH/nginx-vhosts/command-functions"
+set -eo pipefail
+[[ $DOKKU_TRACE ]] && set -x
+
+cmd-nginx-start "$@"
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/subcommands/stop b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/subcommands/stop
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..c11428491
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/subcommands/stop
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+source "$PLUGIN_AVAILABLE_PATH/nginx-vhosts/command-functions"
+set -eo pipefail
+[[ $DOKKU_TRACE ]] && set -x
+
+cmd-nginx-stop "$@"