diff --git a/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/README.md b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/README.md
index f42b1694748..6f741582dbc 100644
--- a/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/README.md
+++ b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/README.md
@@ -15,3 +15,9 @@ wsdl-artifact-resolution
 ------------------------
 
 Verifies that a wsdlArtifact from local repository is properly resolved for codegen.
+
+wsdl-classpath-resolution
+------------------------
+
+Verifies that using wsdlRoot with "classpath;<path-to-replace>" will generate Java classes with valid classpath 
+URLs instead of the local file URL.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/wsdl-classpath-resolution/Cxf5052Service-1.0.0.wsdl b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/wsdl-classpath-resolution/Cxf5052Service-1.0.0.wsdl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..327cafcff46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/wsdl-classpath-resolution/Cxf5052Service-1.0.0.wsdl
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!--
+==============================================================================
+=====  Describe all service specific name spaces.                        =====               
+==============================================================================
+--><wsdl:definitions xmlns:wsdl="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/" xmlns:tns="urn:org:apache:cxf:Cxf5052Service" xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/soap/" xmlns:Cxf5052msg="urn:org:apache:cxf:message:Cxf5052Message" targetNamespace="urn:org:apache:cxf:Cxf5052Service"><!--Content from Maven Artifact: "org.apache.cxf.Cxf5052:Cxf5052Service:wsdl:1.0.0" generated 2017-06-28T13:11:08CEST:-->
+<!--
+==============================================================================
+=====  Describe all data types transmitted between the client and server.=====              
+==============================================================================
+-->
+    <wsdl:types><xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:tns="urn:org:apache:cxf:Cxf5052:Domain-1" targetNamespace="urn:org:apache:cxf:Cxf5052:Domain-1" elementFormDefault="qualified"><!--Content from Maven Artifact: "org.apache.cxf.Cxf5052:Domain-1:xsd:1.0.0":-->
+    <xsd:complexType name="Cxf5052DomainType">
+        <xsd:sequence>
+            <xsd:element name="Id" type="xsd:string" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" />
+        </xsd:sequence>
+    </xsd:complexType>
+</xsd:schema><xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:tns="urn:org:apache:cxf:message:Cxf5052Message" xmlns:domain="urn:org:apache:cxf:Cxf5052:Domain-1" targetNamespace="urn:org:apache:cxf:message:Cxf5052Message" elementFormDefault="qualified"><!--Content from Maven Artifact: "org.apache.cxf.Cxf5052:Cxf5052Message:xsd:1.1.0":-->
+    <xsd:import namespace="urn:org:apache:cxf:Cxf5052:Domain-1" />
+    <xsd:element name="Cxf5052Request" type="tns:Cxf5052RequestType" />
+    <xsd:element name="Cxf5052Response" type="tns:Cxf5052ResponseType" />
+    <xsd:complexType name="Cxf5052RequestType">
+        <xsd:sequence>
+            <xsd:element name="domain" type="domain:Cxf5052DomainType" />
+        </xsd:sequence>
+    </xsd:complexType>
+    <xsd:complexType name="Cxf5052ResponseType">
+        <xsd:sequence>
+            <xsd:element name="domain" type="domain:Cxf5052DomainType" />
+        </xsd:sequence>
+    </xsd:complexType>
+</xsd:schema></wsdl:types>
+<!--
+==============================================================================
+=====   Describe all messages transmitted between the client and server. =====               
+==============================================================================
+-->	
+    <wsdl:message name="Cxf5052Request">
+        <wsdl:part name="Cxf5052req" element="Cxf5052msg:Cxf5052Request" />
+    </wsdl:message>
+    <wsdl:message name="Cxf5052Response">
+        <wsdl:part name="Cxf5052resp" element="Cxf5052msg:Cxf5052Response" />
+    </wsdl:message>
+<!--
+==============================================================================
+=====   Describe interface and all operations.                           =====  
+==============================================================================
+-->	
+    <wsdl:portType name="Cxf5052Port">
+        <wsdl:operation name="Cxf5052operation">
+            <wsdl:input message="tns:Cxf5052Request" />
+            <wsdl:output message="tns:Cxf5052Response" />
+        </wsdl:operation>
+    </wsdl:portType>
+<!--
+==============================================================================
+=====   Describe how the service will be implemented on the wire.        =====               
+==============================================================================
+-->	
+    <wsdl:binding name="Cxf5052PortBinding" type="tns:Cxf5052Port">
+        <soap:binding transport="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/http" />
+        <wsdl:operation name="Cxf5052operation">
+            <soap:operation soapAction="Cxf5052operation" style="document" />
+            <wsdl:input>
+                <soap:body use="literal" />
+            </wsdl:input>
+            <wsdl:output>
+                <soap:body use="literal" />
+            </wsdl:output>
+        </wsdl:operation>
+    </wsdl:binding>
+<!--
+==============================================================================
+=====   Describe where the service can be invoked.	                     =====               
+==============================================================================
+-->	
+    <wsdl:service name="Cxf5052Service">
+        <wsdl:port name="Cxf5052Port_pt" binding="tns:Cxf5052PortBinding">
+            <soap:address location="http://cxf.apache.cxf/ws/Cxf5052Service" />
+        </wsdl:port>
+    </wsdl:service>
+</wsdl:definitions>
diff --git a/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/wsdl-classpath-resolution/pom.xml b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/wsdl-classpath-resolution/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..825c288153d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/it/wsdl-classpath-resolution/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+
+    <groupId>org.apache.cxf</groupId>
+    <artifactId>cxf5052-codegen</artifactId>
+    <version>1.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <packaging>jar</packaging>
+    <name>cxf5052-codegen</name>
+
+    <properties>
+        <wsdl.groupid>org.apache.cxf.cxf5052</wsdl.groupid>
+        <wsdl.artifactid>Cxf5052Service</wsdl.artifactid>
+        <wsdl.version>1.0.0</wsdl.version>
+    </properties>
+
+    <build>
+        <plugins>
+            <plugin>
+                <artifactId>maven-install-plugin</artifactId>
+                <version>2.5.2</version>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <phase>initialize</phase>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>install-file</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                        <configuration>
+                            <groupId>${wsdl.groupid}</groupId>
+                            <artifactId>${wsdl.artifactid}</artifactId>
+                            <version>${wsdl.version}</version>
+                            <packaging>wsdl</packaging>
+                            <file>Cxf5052Service-1.0.0.wsdl</file>
+                        </configuration>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+            </plugin>
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.apache.cxf</groupId>
+                <artifactId>cxf-codegen-plugin</artifactId>
+                <version>3.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <id>generate-sources</id>
+                        <phase>generate-sources</phase>
+                        <configuration>
+	                        <wsdlRoot>${basedir}</wsdlRoot> 
+	                   		<includes> 
+								<include>**/*.wsdl</include> 
+							</includes>
+							<defaultOptions>
+								<extraargs>
+									<extraarg>-impl</extraarg>
+									<extraarg>-server</extraarg>
+									<extraarg>-client</extraarg>
+	                                <extraarg>-verbose</extraarg>
+	                                <extraarg>-validate</extraarg>
+								</extraargs>
+								<wsdlLocation>classpath;${basedir}</wsdlLocation>
+							</defaultOptions>
+                        </configuration>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>wsdl2java</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+            </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+    </build>
+</project>
diff --git a/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/main/java/org/apache/cxf/maven_plugin/wsdl2java/WsdlOption.java b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/main/java/org/apache/cxf/maven_plugin/wsdl2java/WsdlOption.java
index ec8646484d0..437e459ac4a 100644
--- a/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/main/java/org/apache/cxf/maven_plugin/wsdl2java/WsdlOption.java
+++ b/maven-plugins/codegen-plugin/src/main/java/org/apache/cxf/maven_plugin/wsdl2java/WsdlOption.java
@@ -263,4 +263,35 @@ public String getUri() {
     public void setUri(String uri) {
         wsdl = uri;
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * Calls {@link Option#merge(Option)} and checks afterwards, if a classpath
+     * replacement string has been set as default option.<br>
+     * <br>
+     * A classpath replacement string in the format
+     * "classpath;/path/to/replace/" will be processed to replace the local
+     * file-Url of the WSDL-files with the classpath URL.<br>
+     * <br>
+     * Example: "file:/path/to/package1/package2/myservice.wsdl" will be converted
+     * to "classpath:/package1/package2/myservice.wsdl", if "classpath;/path/to/"
+     * has been set<br>
+     * 
+     * @see org.apache.cxf.maven_plugin.wsdl2java.Option#merge(org.apache.cxf.maven_plugin.wsdl2java.Option)
+     */
+    @Override
+    public void merge(Option defaultOptions) {
+        super.merge(defaultOptions);
+        if (!isSetWsdlLocation() && defaultOptions.isSetWsdlLocation()) {
+            String defaultWsdlLocation = defaultOptions.getWsdlLocation();
+            if (defaultWsdlLocation != null && defaultWsdlLocation.startsWith("classpath;")) {
+                try {
+                    String[] replacer = defaultWsdlLocation.split(";");
+                    String filePath = new File(replacer[1]).toURI().toURL().toExternalForm();
+                    this.wsdlLocation = this.getWsdl().replace(filePath, "classpath:/");
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    e.printStackTrace();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }