diff --git a/pkg/sql/opt/memo/BUILD.bazel b/pkg/sql/opt/memo/BUILD.bazel
index 0933d250cabc..d44105c48479 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/opt/memo/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/pkg/sql/opt/memo/BUILD.bazel
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library", "go_test")
+load("//pkg/testutils/buildutil:buildutil.bzl", "disallowed_imports_test")
 
 go_library(
     name = "memo",
@@ -35,7 +36,6 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/sql/opt/props/physical",
         "//pkg/sql/rowenc/keyside",
         "//pkg/sql/rowenc/valueside",
-        "//pkg/sql/sem/builtins",
         "//pkg/sql/sem/cast",
         "//pkg/sql/sem/eval",
         "//pkg/sql/sem/tree",
@@ -117,3 +117,8 @@ genrule(
     exec_tools = ["//pkg/sql/opt/optgen/cmd/optgen"],
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
 )
+
+disallowed_imports_test(
+    "memo",
+    ["//pkg/sql/sem/builtins"],
+)
diff --git a/pkg/sql/opt/memo/typing.go b/pkg/sql/opt/memo/typing.go
index 17aacc19f9a4..931e1665852a 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/opt/memo/typing.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/opt/memo/typing.go
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ package memo
 
 import (
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/opt"
-	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sem/builtins"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sem/tree"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/types"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/errors"
@@ -98,11 +97,16 @@ func BinaryAllowsNullArgs(op opt.Operator, leftType, rightType *types.T) bool {
 	return o.NullableArgs
 }
 
+// GetBuiltinProperties is set to builtins.GetBuiltinProperties in an init
+// function in the norm package. This allows the memo package to resolve builtin
+// functions without importing the builtins package.
+var GetBuiltinProperties func(name string) (*tree.FunctionProperties, []tree.Overload)
+
 // AggregateOverloadExists returns whether or not the given operator has a
 // unary overload which takes the given type as input.
 func AggregateOverloadExists(agg opt.Operator, typ *types.T) bool {
 	name := opt.AggregateOpReverseMap[agg]
-	_, overloads := builtins.GetBuiltinProperties(name)
+	_, overloads := GetBuiltinProperties(name)
 	for _, o := range overloads {
 		if o.Types.MatchAt(typ, 0) {
 			return true
@@ -117,7 +121,7 @@ func AggregateOverloadExists(agg opt.Operator, typ *types.T) bool {
 func FindFunction(
 	e opt.ScalarExpr, name string,
 ) (props *tree.FunctionProperties, overload *tree.Overload, ok bool) {
-	props, overloads := builtins.GetBuiltinProperties(name)
+	props, overloads := GetBuiltinProperties(name)
 	for o := range overloads {
 		overload = &overloads[o]
 		if overload.Types.Length() != e.ChildCount() {
diff --git a/pkg/sql/opt/norm/factory.go b/pkg/sql/opt/norm/factory.go
index f65ba641c7ea..94b22758c189 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/opt/norm/factory.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/opt/norm/factory.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/opt/cat"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/opt/memo"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/opt/props/physical"
+	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sem/builtins"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sem/eval"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sem/tree"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/types"
@@ -105,6 +106,12 @@ type Factory struct {
 // expression that is not fully optimized.
 const maxConstructorStackDepth = 10_000
 
+// Injecting this builtins dependency in the init function allows the memo
+// package to access builtin properties without importing the builtins package.
+func init() {
+	memo.GetBuiltinProperties = builtins.GetBuiltinProperties
+}
+
 // Init initializes a Factory structure with a new, blank memo structure inside.
 // This must be called before the factory can be used (or reused).
 //