diff --git a/controller/ovn-controller.c b/controller/ovn-controller.c
index 41e2678cf4..61de0af8d9 100644
--- a/controller/ovn-controller.c
+++ b/controller/ovn-controller.c
@@ -2648,25 +2648,29 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
         engine_set_context(&eng_ctx);
 
-        if (ovsdb_idl_has_ever_connected(ovnsb_idl_loop.idl) &&
+        bool northd_version_match =
             check_northd_version(ovs_idl_loop.idl, ovnsb_idl_loop.idl,
-                                 ovn_version)) {
+                                 ovn_version);
+
+        const struct ovsrec_bridge_table *bridge_table =
+            ovsrec_bridge_table_get(ovs_idl_loop.idl);
+        const struct ovsrec_open_vswitch_table *ovs_table =
+            ovsrec_open_vswitch_table_get(ovs_idl_loop.idl);
+        const struct ovsrec_bridge *br_int =
+            process_br_int(ovs_idl_txn, bridge_table, ovs_table);
+
+        if (ovsdb_idl_has_ever_connected(ovnsb_idl_loop.idl) &&
+            northd_version_match) {
             /* Contains the transport zones that this Chassis belongs to */
             struct sset transport_zones = SSET_INITIALIZER(&transport_zones);
             sset_from_delimited_string(&transport_zones,
                 get_transport_zones(ovsrec_open_vswitch_table_get(
                                     ovs_idl_loop.idl)), ",");
 
-            const struct ovsrec_bridge_table *bridge_table =
-                ovsrec_bridge_table_get(ovs_idl_loop.idl);
-            const struct ovsrec_open_vswitch_table *ovs_table =
-                ovsrec_open_vswitch_table_get(ovs_idl_loop.idl);
             const struct sbrec_chassis_table *chassis_table =
                 sbrec_chassis_table_get(ovnsb_idl_loop.idl);
             const struct sbrec_chassis_private_table *chassis_pvt_table =
                 sbrec_chassis_private_table_get(ovnsb_idl_loop.idl);
-            const struct ovsrec_bridge *br_int =
-                process_br_int(ovs_idl_txn, bridge_table, ovs_table);
             const char *chassis_id = get_ovs_chassis_id(ovs_table);
             const struct sbrec_chassis *chassis = NULL;
             const struct sbrec_chassis_private *chassis_private = NULL;
@@ -2836,6 +2840,13 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
             }
         }
 
+        if (!northd_version_match && br_int) {
+            /* Set the integration bridge name to pinctrl so that the pinctrl
+             * thread can handle any packet-ins when we are not processing
+             * any DB updates due to version mismatch. */
+            pinctrl_set_br_int_name(br_int->name);
+        }
+
         unixctl_server_run(unixctl);
 
         unixctl_server_wait(unixctl);
diff --git a/controller/pinctrl.c b/controller/pinctrl.c
index a5236564b4..c9dd5ea301 100644
--- a/controller/pinctrl.c
+++ b/controller/pinctrl.c
@@ -3114,6 +3114,29 @@ pinctrl_handler(void *arg_)
     return NULL;
 }
 
+static void
+pinctrl_set_br_int_name_(char *br_int_name)
+{
+    if (br_int_name && (!pinctrl.br_int_name || strcmp(pinctrl.br_int_name,
+                                                       br_int_name))) {
+        if (pinctrl.br_int_name) {
+            free(pinctrl.br_int_name);
+        }
+        pinctrl.br_int_name = xstrdup(br_int_name);
+        /* Notify pinctrl_handler that integration bridge is
+         * set/changed. */
+        notify_pinctrl_handler();
+    }
+}
+
+void
+pinctrl_set_br_int_name(char *br_int_name)
+{
+    ovs_mutex_lock(&pinctrl_mutex);
+    pinctrl_set_br_int_name_(br_int_name);
+    ovs_mutex_unlock(&pinctrl_mutex);
+}
+
 /* Called by ovn-controller. */
 void
 pinctrl_run(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *ovnsb_idl_txn,
@@ -3133,16 +3156,7 @@ pinctrl_run(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *ovnsb_idl_txn,
             const struct sset *active_tunnels)
 {
     ovs_mutex_lock(&pinctrl_mutex);
-    if (br_int && (!pinctrl.br_int_name || strcmp(pinctrl.br_int_name,
-                                                  br_int->name))) {
-        if (pinctrl.br_int_name) {
-            free(pinctrl.br_int_name);
-        }
-        pinctrl.br_int_name = xstrdup(br_int->name);
-        /* Notify pinctrl_handler that integration bridge is
-         * set/changed. */
-        notify_pinctrl_handler();
-    }
+    pinctrl_set_br_int_name_(br_int->name);
     run_put_mac_bindings(ovnsb_idl_txn, sbrec_datapath_binding_by_key,
                          sbrec_port_binding_by_key,
                          sbrec_mac_binding_by_lport_ip);
diff --git a/controller/pinctrl.h b/controller/pinctrl.h
index 8fa4baae9e..4b101ec925 100644
--- a/controller/pinctrl.h
+++ b/controller/pinctrl.h
@@ -49,5 +49,5 @@ void pinctrl_run(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *ovnsb_idl_txn,
                  const struct sset *active_tunnels);
 void pinctrl_wait(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *ovnsb_idl_txn);
 void pinctrl_destroy(void);
-
+void pinctrl_set_br_int_name(char *br_int_name);
 #endif /* controller/pinctrl.h */
diff --git a/tests/ovn.at b/tests/ovn.at
index b322b681af..e682f9edf4 100644
--- a/tests/ovn.at
+++ b/tests/ovn.at
@@ -6008,7 +6008,64 @@ expected_dhcp_opts=${boofile}330400000e100104ffffff0003040a00000136040a000001
 test_dhcp 19 1 f00000000001 01 0 $ciaddr $offer_ip $request_ip 1 0 ff1000000001 $server_ip 02 $expected_dhcp_opts
 compare_dhcp_packets 1
 
-OVN_CLEANUP([hv1])
+# Test that ovn-controller pinctrl thread handles dhcp requests when it
+# connects to a wrong version of ovn-northd at startup.
+
+# Stop ovn-northd so that we can modify the northd_version.
+as northd
+OVS_APP_EXIT_AND_WAIT([ovn-northd])
+
+as northd-backup
+OVS_APP_EXIT_AND_WAIT([ovn-northd])
+
+northd_version=$(ovn-sbctl get SB_Global . options:northd_internal_version | sed s/\"//g)
+echo "northd version = $northd_version"
+
+check ovn-sbctl set SB_Global . options:northd_internal_version=foo
+
+echo
+echo "__file__:__line__: Stop ovn-controller."
+as hv1
+OVS_APP_EXIT_AND_WAIT([ovn-controller])
+
+echo
+echo "__file__:__line__: Pin ovn-controller to ovn-northd version."
+
+as hv1
+check ovs-vsctl set open . external_ids:ovn-match-northd-version=true
+
+# Start ovn-controller
+as hv1
+start_daemon ovn-controller
+
+OVS_WAIT_UNTIL(
+    [test 1 = $(grep -c "controller version - $northd_version mismatch with northd version - foo" hv1/ovn-controller.log)
+])
+
+reset_pcap_file hv1-vif1 hv1/vif1
+reset_pcap_file hv1-vif2 hv1/vif2
+rm -f 1.expected
+rm -f 2.expected
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+offer_ip=`ip_to_hex 10 0 0 4`
+server_ip=`ip_to_hex 10 0 0 1`
+ciaddr=`ip_to_hex 0 0 0 0`
+request_ip=0
+boofile=4308626f6f7466696c65
+expected_dhcp_opts=${boofile}330400000e100104ffffff0003040a00000136040a000001
+test_dhcp 20 1 f00000000001 01 0 $ciaddr $offer_ip $request_ip 1 0 ff1000000001 $server_ip 02 $expected_dhcp_opts
+compare_dhcp_packets 1
+
+as hv1
+OVS_APP_EXIT_AND_WAIT([ovn-controller])
+
+as ovn-sb
+OVS_APP_EXIT_AND_WAIT([ovsdb-server])
+
+as ovn-nb
+OVS_APP_EXIT_AND_WAIT([ovsdb-server])
 
 AT_CLEANUP
 
