diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/fake.py b/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/fake.py
index 0abbfa734238..688b1febf755 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/fake.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/fake.py
@@ -1242,7 +1242,7 @@ class FakeVim(object):
 
         about_info = DataObject()
         about_info.name = "VMware vCenter Server"
-        about_info.version = "5.1.0"
+        about_info.version = constants.MIN_VC_VERSION
         about_info.instanceUuid = _FAKE_VCENTER_UUID
 
         service_content.about = about_info
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/test_driver_api.py b/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/test_driver_api.py
index 8e745ee7ce07..059027a09c48 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/test_driver_api.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/virt/vmwareapi/test_driver_api.py
@@ -2289,18 +2289,17 @@ class VMwareAPIVMTestCase(test.NoDBTestCase):
                          self.conn._create_nodename(test_mor),
                          "VC driver failed to create the proper node name")
 
-    @mock.patch.object(driver.LOG, 'warning')
-    def test_min_version(self, mock_warning):
-        self.conn._check_min_version()
-        self.assertFalse(mock_warning.called)
+    @mock.patch.object(oslo_vim_util, 'get_vc_version', return_value='5.0.0')
+    def test_invalid_min_version(self, mock_version):
+        self.assertRaises(exception.NovaException,
+                          self.conn._check_min_version)
 
     @mock.patch.object(driver.LOG, 'warning')
-    @mock.patch.object(oslo_vim_util, 'get_vc_version',
-                       return_value='5.0.0')
-    def test_invalid_min_version(self, mock_version, mock_warning):
+    @mock.patch.object(oslo_vim_util, 'get_vc_version', return_value='5.1.0')
+    def test_warning_deprecated_version(self, mock_version, mock_warning):
         self.conn._check_min_version()
-        # assert that the min version is in a warning message
-        expected_arg = {'version': constants.MIN_VC_VERSION}
+        # assert that the next min version is in the warning message
+        expected_arg = {'version': constants.NEXT_MIN_VC_VERSION}
         version_arg_found = False
         for call in mock_warning.call_args_list:
             if call[0][1] == expected_arg:
diff --git a/nova/virt/vmwareapi/constants.py b/nova/virt/vmwareapi/constants.py
index ca4e9bdff804..ee994078bcfa 100644
--- a/nova/virt/vmwareapi/constants.py
+++ b/nova/virt/vmwareapi/constants.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Shared constants across the VMware driver
 from nova.network import model as network_model
 
 MIN_VC_VERSION = '5.1.0'
+NEXT_MIN_VC_VERSION = '5.5.0'
 # The minimum VC version for Neutron 'ovs' port type support
 MIN_VC_OVS_VERSION = '5.5.0'
 
diff --git a/nova/virt/vmwareapi/driver.py b/nova/virt/vmwareapi/driver.py
index d3916ef8b1cb..5a724745609a 100644
--- a/nova/virt/vmwareapi/driver.py
+++ b/nova/virt/vmwareapi/driver.py
@@ -127,15 +127,22 @@ class VMwareVCDriver(driver.ComputeDriver):
 
     def _check_min_version(self):
         min_version = v_utils.convert_version_to_int(constants.MIN_VC_VERSION)
+        next_min_ver = v_utils.convert_version_to_int(
+            constants.NEXT_MIN_VC_VERSION)
         vc_version = vim_util.get_vc_version(self._session)
         LOG.info(_LI("VMware vCenter version: %s"), vc_version)
-        if min_version > v_utils.convert_version_to_int(vc_version):
-            # TODO(garyk): enforce this from M
+        if v_utils.convert_version_to_int(vc_version) < min_version:
+            raise exception.NovaException(
+                _('Detected vCenter version %(version)s. Nova requires VMware '
+                  'vCenter version %(min_version)s or greater.') % {
+                      'version': vc_version,
+                      'min_version': constants.MIN_VC_VERSION})
+        elif v_utils.convert_version_to_int(vc_version) < next_min_ver:
             LOG.warning(_LW('Running Nova with a VMware vCenter version less '
                             'than %(version)s is deprecated. The required '
                             'minimum version of vCenter will be raised to '
-                            '%(version)s in the 13.0.0 release.'),
-                        {'version': constants.MIN_VC_VERSION})
+                            '%(version)s in the 16.0.0 release.'),
+                        {'version': constants.NEXT_MIN_VC_VERSION})
 
     @property
     def need_legacy_block_device_info(self):
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/minimum_vc_version-0695a79dc1df3caa.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/minimum_vc_version-0695a79dc1df3caa.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7b9a71d0e4bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/minimum_vc_version-0695a79dc1df3caa.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+upgrade:
+  - As of Ocata, the minimum version of VMware vCenter that nova compute will
+    interoperate with will be 5.1.0. Deployments using older versions of
+    vCenter should upgrade. Running with vCenter version less than 5.5.0 is
+    also now deprecated and 5.5.0 will become the minimum version in the
+    16.0.0 Pike release of Nova.