diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/placement/handlers/allocation_candidate.py b/nova/api/openstack/placement/handlers/allocation_candidate.py
index 4ed1fec58..cc3eaae28 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/placement/handlers/allocation_candidate.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/placement/handlers/allocation_candidate.py
@@ -194,12 +194,21 @@ def list_allocation_candidates(req):
     """
     context = req.environ['placement.context']
     want_version = req.environ[microversion.MICROVERSION_ENVIRON]
-    util.validate_query_params(req, schema.GET_SCHEMA_1_10)
+    get_schema = schema.GET_SCHEMA_1_10
+    if want_version.matches((1, 16)):
+        get_schema = schema.GET_SCHEMA_1_16
+    util.validate_query_params(req, get_schema)
 
     requests = util.parse_qs_request_groups(req.GET)
+    limit = req.GET.getall('limit')
+    # JSONschema has already confirmed that limit has the form
+    # of an integer.
+    if limit:
+        limit = int(limit[0])
 
     try:
-        cands = rp_obj.AllocationCandidates.get_by_requests(context, requests)
+        cands = rp_obj.AllocationCandidates.get_by_requests(context, requests,
+                                                            limit)
     except exception.ResourceClassNotFound as exc:
         raise webob.exc.HTTPBadRequest(
             _('Invalid resource class in resources parameter: %(error)s') %
diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/placement/microversion.py b/nova/api/openstack/placement/microversion.py
index ab64883ea..637ac1a3d 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/placement/microversion.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/placement/microversion.py
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ VERSIONS = [
     '1.14',  # Adds parent and root provider UUID on resource provider
              # representation and 'in_tree' filter on GET /resource_providers
     '1.15',  # Include last-modified and cache-control headers
+    '1.16',  # Add 'limit' query parameter to GET /allocation_candidates
 ]
 
 
diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/placement/rest_api_version_history.rst b/nova/api/openstack/placement/rest_api_version_history.rst
index 380ad3654..7e7c27ebd 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/placement/rest_api_version_history.rst
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/placement/rest_api_version_history.rst
@@ -207,3 +207,10 @@ actual last modified time of the most recently modified associated database
 entity or the current time if there is no direct mapping to the database. In
 addition, 'cache-control: no-cache' headers are added where the 'last-modified'
 header has been added to prevent inadvertent caching of resources.
+
+1.16 Limit allocation candidates
+--------------------------------
+
+Add support for a ``limit`` query parameter when making a
+``GET /allocation_candidates`` request. The parameter accepts an integer
+value, `N`, which limits the maximum number of candidates returned.
diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/placement/schemas/allocation_candidate.py b/nova/api/openstack/placement/schemas/allocation_candidate.py
index 0d7766cc7..d155f8ef0 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/placement/schemas/allocation_candidate.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/placement/schemas/allocation_candidate.py
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@
 #    under the License.
 """Placement API schemas for getting allocation candidates."""
 
+import copy
+
+
 # Represents the allowed query string parameters to the GET
 # /allocation_candidates API call
 GET_SCHEMA_1_10 = {
@@ -25,3 +28,15 @@ GET_SCHEMA_1_10 = {
     ],
     "additionalProperties": False,
 }
+
+
+# Add limit query parameter.
+GET_SCHEMA_1_16 = copy.deepcopy(GET_SCHEMA_1_10)
+GET_SCHEMA_1_16['properties']['limit'] = {
+    # A query parameter is always a string in webOb, but
+    # we'll handle integer here as well.
+    "type": ["integer", "string"],
+    "pattern": "^[1-9][0-9]*$",
+    "minimum": 1,
+    "minLength": 1
+}
diff --git a/nova/conf/placement.py b/nova/conf/placement.py
index 69c920a5d..74cefbc11 100644
--- a/nova/conf/placement.py
+++ b/nova/conf/placement.py
@@ -49,7 +49,17 @@ Possible values:
         help="""
 Endpoint interface for this node. This is used when picking the URL in the
 service catalog.
-""")
+"""),
+    cfg.BoolOpt('randomize_allocation_candidates',
+                default=False,
+                help="""
+If True, when limiting allocation candidate results, the results will be
+a random sampling of the full result set. If False, allocation candidates
+are returned in a deterministic but undefined order. That is, all things
+being equal, two requests for allocation candidates will return the same
+results in the same order; but no guarantees are made as to how that order
+is determined.
+"""),
 ]
 
 deprecated_opts = {
diff --git a/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/allocation-candidates.yaml b/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/allocation-candidates.yaml
index a32115e68..36cfa1053 100644
--- a/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/allocation-candidates.yaml
+++ b/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/allocation-candidates.yaml
@@ -43,6 +43,42 @@ tests:
   response_strings:
       - Invalid resource class in resources parameter
 
+- name: get bad limit microversion
+  GET: /allocation_candidates?resources=VCPU:1&limit=5
+  request_headers:
+      openstack-api-version: placement 1.15
+  status: 400
+  response_strings:
+      - Invalid query string parameters
+      - "'limit' was unexpected"
+
+- name: get bad limit type
+  GET: /allocation_candidates?resources=VCPU:1&limit=cow
+  request_headers:
+      openstack-api-version: placement 1.16
+  status: 400
+  response_strings:
+      - Invalid query string parameters
+      - "Failed validating 'pattern'"
+
+- name: get bad limit value negative
+  GET: /allocation_candidates?resources=VCPU:1&limit=-99
+  request_headers:
+      openstack-api-version: placement 1.16
+  status: 400
+  response_strings:
+      - Invalid query string parameters
+      - "Failed validating 'pattern'"
+
+- name: get bad limit value zero
+  GET: /allocation_candidates?resources=VCPU:1&limit=0
+  request_headers:
+      openstack-api-version: placement 1.16
+  status: 400
+  response_strings:
+      - Invalid query string parameters
+      - "Failed validating 'pattern'"
+
 - name: get allocation candidates no allocations yet
   GET: /allocation_candidates?resources=VCPU:1,MEMORY_MB:1024,DISK_GB:100
   status: 200
@@ -126,3 +162,11 @@ tests:
       cache-control: no-cache
       # Does last-modified look like a legit timestamp?
       last-modified:  /^\w+, \d+ \w+ \d{4} [\d:]+ GMT$/
+
+- name: get allocation candidates with limit
+  GET: /allocation_candidates?resources=VCPU:1,MEMORY_MB:1024,DISK_GB:100&limit=1
+  status: 200
+  request_headers:
+      openstack-api-version: placement 1.16
+  response_json_paths:
+      $.allocation_requests.`len`: 1
diff --git a/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/microversion.yaml b/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/microversion.yaml
index 93110b615..e4f098a6c 100644
--- a/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/microversion.yaml
+++ b/nova/tests/functional/api/openstack/placement/gabbits/microversion.yaml
@@ -39,13 +39,13 @@ tests:
   response_json_paths:
       $.errors[0].title: Not Acceptable
 
-- name: latest microversion is 1.15
+- name: latest microversion is 1.16
   GET: /
   request_headers:
       openstack-api-version: placement latest
   response_headers:
       vary: /OpenStack-API-Version/
-      openstack-api-version: placement 1.15
+      openstack-api-version: placement 1.16
 
 - name: other accept header bad version
   GET: /
diff --git a/placement-api-ref/source/allocation_candidates.inc b/placement-api-ref/source/allocation_candidates.inc
index 0a07a7c9e..9ed805e62 100644
--- a/placement-api-ref/source/allocation_candidates.inc
+++ b/placement-api-ref/source/allocation_candidates.inc
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ Request
 .. rest_parameters:: parameters.yaml
 
   - resources: resources_query_required
+  - limit: allocation_candidates_limit
 
 Response (microversions 1.12 - )
 --------------------------------
diff --git a/placement-api-ref/source/parameters.yaml b/placement-api-ref/source/parameters.yaml
index db9056728..e4d57e701 100644
--- a/placement-api-ref/source/parameters.yaml
+++ b/placement-api-ref/source/parameters.yaml
@@ -42,6 +42,14 @@ trait_name:
     The name of a trait.
 
 # variables in query
+allocation_candidates_limit:
+  type: integer
+  in: query
+  required: false
+  min_version: 1.16
+  description: >
+    A positive integer used to limit the maximum number of allocation
+    candidates returned in the response.
 member_of:
   type: string
   in: query
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/allocation-candidates-limit-37fe5c2ce57daf7f.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/allocation-candidates-limit-37fe5c2ce57daf7f.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..02a904e17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/allocation-candidates-limit-37fe5c2ce57daf7f.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+features:
+  - |
+    Add support, in new placement microversion 1.16, for a ``limit`` query
+    parameter when making a ``GET /allocation_candidates`` request. The
+    parameter accepts an integer value, `N`, which limits the number of
+    candidates returned. A new configuration item
+    ``[placement]/randomize_allocation_candidates``, defaulting to `False`,
+    controls how the limited results are chosen. If `True`, a random sampling
+    of the entire result set is taken, otherwise the first N results are
+    returned.