diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 86ad3c318..07a7f219c 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -2698,7 +2698,6 @@ if test "x$enable_dynamic_linking" = "x"; then
 	exit 1
 fi
 
-orig_cflags="$CFLAGS"
 
 BUILDDIR_NOW="`pwd`"
 
@@ -4096,6 +4095,8 @@ then :
   as_fn_error $? "No C99 compiler was found. Please install gcc or clang and other build tools. Eg, on Debian/Ubuntu you probably want to run the following as root: apt-get install build-essential " "$LINENO" 5
 fi
 
+orig_cflags="$CFLAGS"
+
 # Extract the first word of "gmake", so it can be a program name with args.
 set dummy gmake; ac_word=$2
 { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index da16c572b..f9c6542af 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ if test "x$enable_dynamic_linking" = "x"; then
 	exit 1
 fi
 
-dnl Save CFLAGS, use this when building the libraries like c-ares
-orig_cflags="$CFLAGS"
 
 dnl Save build directory early on (used in our m4 macros too)
 BUILDDIR_NOW="`pwd`"
@@ -68,6 +66,9 @@ AC_PROG_CC_C99
 AS_IF([test "$ac_cv_prog_cc_c99" = "no"],
 	[AC_MSG_ERROR([No C99 compiler was found. Please install gcc or clang and other build tools. Eg, on Debian/Ubuntu you probably want to run the following as root: apt-get install build-essential ])])
 
+dnl Save CFLAGS, use this when building the libraries like c-ares
+orig_cflags="$CFLAGS"
+
 dnl Check for make moved down, so the above compiler check takes precedence.
 AC_CHECK_PROG(MAKER, gmake, gmake, make)
 AC_PATH_PROG(GMAKE,gmake)