diff --git a/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ZMSImpl.java b/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ZMSImpl.java
index 55fe7d50739..cf6c5ba01f3 100644
--- a/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ZMSImpl.java
+++ b/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ZMSImpl.java
@@ -5845,6 +5845,16 @@ public void deleteAssertion(ResourceContext ctx, String domainName, String polic
 
         verifyAuthorizedServiceOperation(((RsrcCtxWrapper) ctx).principal().getAuthorizedService(), caller);
 
+        // extract our policy object to get its attributes
+
+        AthenzDomain domain = getAthenzDomain(domainName, false);
+        Policy policy = getPolicyFromDomain(policyName, domain);
+
+        if (policy == null) {
+            throw ZMSUtils.notFoundError("Invalid policy name specified", caller);
+        }
+
+        ResourceOwnership.verifyPolicyAssertionsDeleteResourceOwnership(policy, resourceOwner, caller);
         dbService.executeDeleteAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, null, assertionId, auditRef, caller);
     }
 
@@ -10115,6 +10125,18 @@ Group getGroupFromDomain(final String groupName, AthenzDomain domain) {
         return null;
     }
 
+    Policy getPolicyFromDomain(final String policyName, AthenzDomain domain) {
+        if (domain != null && domain.getPolicies() != null) {
+            final String resourcePolicyName = ResourceUtils.policyResourceName(domain.getName(), policyName);
+            for (Policy policy : domain.getPolicies()) {
+                if (policy.getName().equalsIgnoreCase(resourcePolicyName)) {
+                    return policy;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
     boolean isAllowedPutMembershipAccess(Principal principal, final AthenzDomain domain, final String resourceName) {
 
         // evaluate our domain's roles and policies to see if either update or update_members
diff --git a/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnership.java b/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnership.java
index 1765c4efb13..8c29dbfae08 100644
--- a/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnership.java
+++ b/servers/zms/src/main/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnership.java
@@ -774,6 +774,19 @@ public static boolean ownershipCheckFailure(boolean bOwnerSpecified, final Strin
             (!bOwnerSpecified && !StringUtil.isEmpty(objectOwner)));
     }
 
+    public static void verifyPolicyAssertionsDeleteResourceOwnership(Policy policy, final String resourceOwner,
+            final String caller) {
+
+        // if the object has no owner then we're good for the enforcement check
+
+        ResourcePolicyOwnership resourceOwnership = policy.getResourceOwnership();
+        if (resourceOwnership == null || resourceOwnership.getAssertionsOwner() == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        verifyDeleteResourceOwnership(resourceOwner, resourceOwnership.getAssertionsOwner(), caller);
+    }
+  
     public static void verifyGroupMembersDeleteResourceOwnership(Group group, final String resourceOwner,
             final String caller) {
 
diff --git a/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ResourceOwnershipTest.java b/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ResourceOwnershipTest.java
index b44c0603138..c3f372c4dd9 100644
--- a/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ResourceOwnershipTest.java
+++ b/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/ResourceOwnershipTest.java
@@ -2007,8 +2007,7 @@ public void testResourcePolicyOwnershipAssertions() {
 
         // apply the assertion with the same ownership which should be ok
 
-        zmsImpl.putAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, auditRef, "TF1", assertion);
-
+        Assertion assertion1 = zmsImpl.putAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, auditRef, "TF1", assertion);
         // apply the assertion with a different value and verify it's rejected
 
         try {
@@ -2018,6 +2017,39 @@ public void testResourcePolicyOwnershipAssertions() {
             assertEquals(ResourceException.CONFLICT, ex.getCode());
         }
 
+        // delete the assertion with different ownership and it should be rejected
+
+        try {
+            zmsImpl.deleteAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, assertion1.getId(), auditRef, "TF2");
+            fail();
+        } catch (ResourceException ex) {
+            assertEquals(ResourceException.CONFLICT, ex.getCode());
+        }
+
+        // delete the assertion with null ownership and it should be rejected
+
+        try {
+            zmsImpl.deleteAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, assertion1.getId(), auditRef, null);
+            fail();
+        } catch (ResourceException ex) {
+            assertEquals(ResourceException.CONFLICT, ex.getCode());
+        }
+
+        // delete the assertion with same ownership and it should be ok
+        try {
+            zmsImpl.deleteAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, assertion1.getId(), auditRef, "TF1");
+        } catch (ResourceException ex) {
+            fail();
+        }
+
+        // apply the assertion again with resource owner TF1
+        assertion1 = zmsImpl.putAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, auditRef, "TF1", assertion);
+        policy = zmsImpl.getPolicy(ctx, domainName, policyName);
+        resourceOwnership = policy.getResourceOwnership();
+        assertNotNull(resourceOwnership);
+        assertNull(resourceOwnership.getObjectOwner());
+        assertEquals(resourceOwnership.getAssertionsOwner(), "TF1");
+
         // apply the assertion with a null value and verify it's rejected
 
         try {
@@ -2037,6 +2069,14 @@ public void testResourcePolicyOwnershipAssertions() {
         assertNull(resourceOwnership.getObjectOwner());
         assertEquals(resourceOwnership.getAssertionsOwner(), "TF1");
 
+        // delete the assertion with the ignore ownership flag which should be ok
+        zmsImpl.deleteAssertion(ctx, domainName, policyName, assertion1.getId(), auditRef, "ignore");
+        policy = zmsImpl.getPolicy(ctx, domainName, policyName);
+        resourceOwnership = policy.getResourceOwnership();
+        assertNotNull(resourceOwnership);
+        assertNull(resourceOwnership.getObjectOwner());
+        assertEquals(resourceOwnership.getAssertionsOwner(), "TF1");
+
         // create a new policy without any assertions
 
         final String policyName2 = "policy2";
diff --git a/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnershipTest.java b/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnershipTest.java
index 9dfb02cc2c1..82f5aba37bc 100644
--- a/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnershipTest.java
+++ b/servers/zms/src/test/java/com/yahoo/athenz/zms/utils/ResourceOwnershipTest.java
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ public void testVerifyRoleMembersDeleteResourceOwnership() {
             fail();
         }
     }
-  
+
     @Test
     public void testVerifyGroupMembersDeleteResourceOwnership() {
 
@@ -331,4 +331,27 @@ public void testVerifyGroupMembersDeleteResourceOwnership() {
             fail();
         }
     }
+  
+    @Test
+    public void testVerifyPolicyAssertionsDeleteResourceOwnership() {
+
+        ResourceOwnership.verifyPolicyAssertionsDeleteResourceOwnership(new Policy(), "resourceOwner", "unit-test");
+        ResourceOwnership.verifyPolicyAssertionsDeleteResourceOwnership(new Policy()
+                .setResourceOwnership(new ResourcePolicyOwnership()), "resourceOwner", "unit-test");
+
+        Policy assertionsOwnerPolicy = new Policy().setResourceOwnership(new ResourcePolicyOwnership().setAssertionsOwner("assertions-owner"));
+        try {
+            ResourceOwnership.verifyPolicyAssertionsDeleteResourceOwnership(assertionsOwnerPolicy, "resourceOwner", "unit-test");
+            fail();
+        } catch (ResourceException ex) {
+            assertEquals(ex.getCode(), 409);
+        }
+
+        Policy objectOwnerPolicy = new Policy().setResourceOwnership(new ResourcePolicyOwnership().setObjectOwner("object-owner"));
+        try {
+            ResourceOwnership.verifyPolicyAssertionsDeleteResourceOwnership(objectOwnerPolicy, "resourceOwner", "unit-test");
+        } catch (ResourceException ex) {
+            fail();
+        }
+    }
 }