diff --git a/awx/api/views.py b/awx/api/views.py
index dd2174f7da..5e080ccea9 100644
--- a/awx/api/views.py
+++ b/awx/api/views.py
@@ -671,6 +671,14 @@ class InstanceGroupDetail(RelatedJobsPreventDeleteMixin, RetrieveUpdateDestroyAP
     serializer_class = InstanceGroupSerializer
     permission_classes = (InstanceGroupTowerPermission,)
 
+    def destroy(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
+        instance = self.get_object()
+        if instance.controller is not None:
+            raise PermissionDenied(detail=_("Isolated Groups can not be removed from the API"))
+        if instance.controlled_groups.count():
+            raise PermissionDenied(detail=_("Instance Groups acting as a controller for an Isolated Group can not be removed from the API"))
+        return super(InstanceGroupDetail, self).destroy(request, *args, **kwargs)
+
 
 class InstanceGroupUnifiedJobsList(SubListAPIView):
 
diff --git a/awx/main/tests/functional/api/test_instance_group.py b/awx/main/tests/functional/api/test_instance_group.py
index 0488453fcc..3dfd554f11 100644
--- a/awx/main/tests/functional/api/test_instance_group.py
+++ b/awx/main/tests/functional/api/test_instance_group.py
@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ def instance_group(job_factory):
     return ig
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def isolated_instance_group(instance_group):
+    ig = InstanceGroup(name="iso", controller=instance_group)
+    ig.save()
+    return ig
+
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def create_job_factory(job_factory, instance_group):
     def fn(status='running'):
@@ -91,3 +98,11 @@ def test_modify_delete_tower_instance_group_prevented(delete, options, tower_ins
     assert 'DELETE' not in resp.data['actions']
     assert 'GET' in resp.data['actions']
     assert 'PUT' in resp.data['actions']
+
+
+@pytest.mark.django_db
+def test_prevent_delete_iso_and_control_groups(delete, isolated_instance_group, admin):
+    iso_url = reverse("api:instance_group_detail", kwargs={'pk': isolated_instance_group.pk})
+    controller_url = reverse("api:instance_group_detail", kwargs={'pk': isolated_instance_group.controller.pk})
+    delete(iso_url, None, admin, expect=403)
+    delete(controller_url, None, admin, expect=403)