diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 02650eccfd..7bf426e527 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ Makefile
 !developer_tests/time_manager/Makefile
 !developer_tests/mpi_utilities/tests/Makefile
 build_templates/mkmf.template
+build_templates/version_mod.f90
 dart_log.*
 mkmf.template
 input.nml.*default
diff --git a/assimilation_code/programs/preprocess/path_names_preprocess b/assimilation_code/programs/preprocess/path_names_preprocess
index 55156d5ce3..7ac864b932 100644
--- a/assimilation_code/programs/preprocess/path_names_preprocess
+++ b/assimilation_code/programs/preprocess/path_names_preprocess
@@ -3,5 +3,5 @@ assimilation_code/modules/utilities/parse_args_mod.f90
 assimilation_code/modules/utilities/time_manager_mod.f90
 assimilation_code/modules/utilities/types_mod.f90
 assimilation_code/modules/utilities/utilities_mod.f90
-build_templates/version_mod.F90
+build_templates/version_mod.f90
 assimilation_code/programs/preprocess/preprocess.f90
diff --git a/build_templates/buildconvfunctions.sh b/build_templates/buildconvfunctions.sh
index 56d14c2428..07e9f98c17 100644
--- a/build_templates/buildconvfunctions.sh
+++ b/build_templates/buildconvfunctions.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ mpisrc="null_mpi"
 m=""
 LIBRARIES=""
 EXTRA=""
-version_def=""
 
 source "$DART"/build_templates/buildpreprocess.sh
 dartversion
@@ -117,7 +116,7 @@ local misc="$DART/models/utilities/ \
             $DART/assimilation_code/modules/observations/obs_sequence_mod.f90 \
             $DART/assimilation_code/modules/observations/forward_operator_mod.f90 \
             $DART/observations/obs_converters/utilities/obs_utilities_mod.f90 \
-            $DART/build_templates/version_mod.F90"
+            $DART/build_templates/version_mod.f90"
 local obserrsrc=$DART/observations/obs_converters/obs_error/$OBS_ERROR"_obs_err_mod.f90"
 
 # remove null/mpi from list
@@ -192,7 +191,7 @@ else
   mkmf_libs=""
 fi
  
- $DART/build_templates/mkmf -c $version_def -a $DART -x $m $mkmf_libs -p $(basename $1)  \
+ $DART/build_templates/mkmf -a $DART -x $m $mkmf_libs -p $(basename $1)  \
      $EXTRA \
      $convsrc \
      $program \
diff --git a/build_templates/buildfunctions.sh b/build_templates/buildfunctions.sh
index fa94e0d9ce..5bebb4b582 100644
--- a/build_templates/buildfunctions.sh
+++ b/build_templates/buildfunctions.sh
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ EXTRA=""
 EXCLUDE=""
 TEST=""
 dev_test=0
-version_def=""
 
 declare -a programs
 declare -a serial_programs
@@ -156,7 +155,7 @@ local misc="$DART/models/utilities/ \
             $DART/assimilation_code/modules/observations/obs_kind_mod.f90 \
             $DART/assimilation_code/modules/observations/obs_sequence_mod.f90 \
             $DART/assimilation_code/modules/observations/forward_operator_mod.f90 \
-            $DART/build_templates/version_mod.F90"
+            $DART/build_templates/version_mod.f90"
 
 # The quantity_mod.f90 files are in assimilation_code/modules/observations
 # so adding individual files from assimilation_code/modules/observations
@@ -242,7 +241,7 @@ else
   devlibs=$DART/developer_tests/contrib/fortran-testanything
 fi
 
- $DART/build_templates/mkmf  -c $version_def -x -a $DART $m -p $1 \
+ $DART/build_templates/mkmf  -x -a $DART $m -p $1 \
      $dartsrc \
      $EXTRA \
      $devlibs \
@@ -255,7 +254,7 @@ fi
 #-------------------------
 function buildlib() {
 findsrc
-$DART/build_templates/mkmf -c $version_def -x -a $DART $m -p $1 \
+$DART/build_templates/mkmf -x -a $DART $m -p $1 \
      $dartsrc \
      $EXTRA
 }
@@ -266,7 +265,7 @@ $DART/build_templates/mkmf -c $version_def -x -a $DART $m -p $1 \
 #  program name
 #-------------------------
 function modelbuild() {
- $DART/build_templates/mkmf -c $version_def -x -a $DART $m -p $(basename $1) $DART/models/$MODEL/$1.f90 \
+ $DART/build_templates/mkmf -x -a $DART $m -p $(basename $1) $DART/models/$MODEL/$1.f90 \
      $EXTRA \
      $dartsrc
 }
diff --git a/build_templates/buildpreprocess.sh b/build_templates/buildpreprocess.sh
index 4116e67034..425793ed69 100644
--- a/build_templates/buildpreprocess.sh
+++ b/build_templates/buildpreprocess.sh
@@ -5,27 +5,80 @@
 # http://www.image.ucar.edu/DAReS/DART/DART_download
 
 #-------------------------
-# Build and run preprocess
-# Arguements: 
+# Generate build_templates/version_mod.f90 with the version from git describe.
+# Arguments:
 #  none
 # Globals:
 #  DART - root of DART
 #-------------------------
 function dartversion() {
 
-local git_version
+local git_version out tmp
 
+git_version=""
 if command -v git >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ -e "$DART/.git" ]; then
-    git_version=$(cd "$DART" && git describe --tags --dirty --always 2>/dev/null || echo "version_unknown")
-else
-    git_version="version_unknown"
+   git_version=$(cd "$DART" && git describe --tags --dirty --always 2>/dev/null) || git_version=""
 fi
 
-# preprocessor definition for DART version
-version_def="-DDART_VERSION=\"'$git_version'\""
+# The version becomes a Fortran character literal.
+# Restrict it to characters that cannot break out of the quotes and cap length to 64 characters
+git_version=$(printf '%s' "$git_version" | LC_ALL=C tr -c 'A-Za-z0-9._+-' '_' | cut -c1-64)
+git_version="${git_version:-unknown}"
+
+out="$DART/build_templates/version_mod.f90"
+tmp="$out.$$"
+
+cat > "$tmp" << EOF
+! DART software - Copyright UCAR. This open source software is provided
+! by UCAR, "as is", without charge, subject to all terms of use at
+! http://www.image.ucar.edu/DAReS/DART/DART_download
+
+!> Module to provide version information for DART programs
+!>
+!> Generated at build time by dartversion() in
+!> \$DART/build_templates/buildpreprocess.sh - do not edit, do not commit.
+
+module version_mod
+
+implicit none
+private
+
+character(len=*), parameter :: dart_version_string = &
+   '$git_version'
+
+public :: get_dart_version
+
+contains
+
+! Return DART version in string
+function get_dart_version() result(version)
+
+character(len=len(dart_version_string)) :: version
+
+version = dart_version_string
+
+end function get_dart_version
+
+end module version_mod
+EOF
+
+# leave the file alone if the version has not changed, so make does not
+# rebuild everything that uses version_mod on every build
+if cmp -s "$tmp" "$out" ; then
+  \rm -f -- "$tmp"
+else
+  mv -f -- "$tmp" "$out"
+fi
 
 }
 
+#-------------------------
+# Build and run preprocess
+# Arguements:
+#  none
+# Globals:
+#  DART - root of DART
+#-------------------------
 function buildpreprocess() {
 
  local pp_dir=$DART/assimilation_code/programs/preprocess
@@ -45,7 +98,7 @@ fi
 
  # build preprocess, link, run
  cd $pp_dir
- $DART/build_templates/mkmf -c $version_def -x -p $pp_dir/preprocess \
+ $DART/build_templates/mkmf -x -p $pp_dir/preprocess \
       -a $DART $pp_dir/path_names_preprocess
  cd -
  ln -s $pp_dir/preprocess .
diff --git a/build_templates/version_mod.F90 b/build_templates/version_mod.F90
deleted file mode 100644
index 8865223649..0000000000
--- a/build_templates/version_mod.F90
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-! DART software - Copyright UCAR. This open source software is provided
-! by UCAR, "as is", without charge, subject to all terms of use at
-! http://www.image.ucar.edu/DAReS/DART/DART_download
-
-!> Module to provide version information for DART programs
-!>
-!> This module stores the version information that is captured at build time
-!> from git describe and provides a function to access it.
-
-module version_mod
-
-implicit none
-private 
-
-! Assign a preprocessor variable for the version, which we'll get using git
-#ifndef DART_VERSION
-#define DART_VERSION 'unknown'
-#endif
-
-character(len=*), parameter :: dart_version_string = DART_VERSION
-
-public :: get_dart_version
-
-contains
-
-! Return DART version in string
-function get_dart_version() result(version)
-
-character(len=len(dart_version_string)) :: version
-
-version = dart_version_string
-
-end function get_dart_version
-
-
-end module version_mod
-
-
diff --git a/developer_tests/build_everything/run_all_quickbuilds.sh b/developer_tests/build_everything/run_all_quickbuilds.sh
index 2df673b94f..5a50b541d4 100755
--- a/developer_tests/build_everything/run_all_quickbuilds.sh
+++ b/developer_tests/build_everything/run_all_quickbuilds.sh
@@ -62,8 +62,10 @@ esac
 
 cp build_templates/$mkmf_template build_templates/mkmf.template
 
-# Build preprocess once
+# Build preprocess once, and get dart_version 
 pp_dir=$DART/assimilation_code/programs/preprocess
+source "$DART"/build_templates/buildpreprocess.sh
+dartversion
 cd $pp_dir
 $DART/build_templates/mkmf -x -p $pp_dir/preprocess \
       -a $DART $pp_dir/path_names_preprocess