diff --git a/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/invoker.properties b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/invoker.properties
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3f2b089
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/invoker.properties
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+# or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+# distributed with this work for additional information
+# regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+# to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+# "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+# with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+# software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+# "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+# KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+# specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+
+invoker.goals.1 = clean verify
+invoker.profiles.1 =
+# no clean for the next executions, otherwise we can't verify
+invoker.goals.2 = verify
+invoker.profiles.2 = customTargetOld
+invoker.goals.3 = verify
+invoker.profiles.3 = customTarget
diff --git a/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/pom.xml b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8299c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+
+<!--
+Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+distributed with this work for additional information
+regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+"License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+  http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+"AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+specific language governing permissions and limitations
+under the License.
+-->
+
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+  xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.it</groupId>
+  <artifactId>MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory</artifactId>
+  <version>1.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+
+  <description>Verifies that the resolved and extracted rulesets are in the correct target directory</description>
+
+  <build>
+    <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+        <artifactId>maven-pmd-plugin</artifactId>
+        <version>@project.version@</version>
+        <configuration>
+            <failOnViolation>false</failOnViolation>
+        </configuration>
+        <executions>
+            <execution>
+                <id>pmd-check</id>
+                <goals>
+                    <goal>check</goal>
+                </goals>
+            </execution>
+        </executions>
+      </plugin>
+    </plugins>
+  </build>
+  
+  <profiles>
+    <profile>
+      <id>customTargetOld</id>
+      <build>
+        <plugins>
+          <plugin>
+            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+            <artifactId>maven-pmd-plugin</artifactId>
+            <configuration>
+              <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${project.build.directory}</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
+            </configuration>
+          </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+      </build>
+    </profile>
+    <profile>
+      <id>customTarget</id>
+      <build>
+        <plugins>
+          <plugin>
+            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+            <artifactId>maven-pmd-plugin</artifactId>
+            <configuration>
+              <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${project.build.directory}/pmd-custom</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
+            </configuration>
+          </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+      </build>
+    </profile>
+  </profiles>
+</project>
diff --git a/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/src/main/java/test/MyClass.java b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/src/main/java/test/MyClass.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0be3612
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/src/main/java/test/MyClass.java
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package test;
+
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+public class MyClass
+{
+
+    public static void main( String[] args )
+    {
+        ;
+        return;
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/verify.groovy b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/verify.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f14b837
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/it/MPMD-296-rulesetsTargetDirectory/verify.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+File buildLog = new File( basedir, 'build.log' )
+assert buildLog.exists()
+
+// default configuration
+File defaultRuleset = new File( basedir, 'target/pmd/rulesets/maven-pmd-plugin-default.xml' )
+assert defaultRuleset.exists()
+
+// backwards compatible configuration (profile customTargetOld)
+File customTargetOld = new File( basedir, 'target/maven-pmd-plugin-default.xml' )
+assert customTargetOld.exists()
+
+// custom configuration (profile customTarget)
+File customTarget = new File( basedir, 'target/pmd-custom/maven-pmd-plugin-default.xml' )
+assert customTarget.exists()
diff --git a/src/it/multi-module/verify.bsh b/src/it/multi-module/verify.bsh
index e568bff..fbede4e 100644
--- a/src/it/multi-module/verify.bsh
+++ b/src/it/multi-module/verify.bsh
@@ -59,14 +59,14 @@
 
 
 // check PMD rulesets target copy
-File rule = new File( basedir, "mod-1/target/latin-1.xml" );
+File rule = new File( basedir, "mod-1/target/pmd/rulesets/latin-1.xml" );
 String nonascii = "-CHARS: \u00C4\u00D6\u00DC\u00E4\u00F6\u00FC\u00DF\u00BC\u00BD\u00BE\u00A4";
 String content = FileUtils.fileRead( rule, "ISO-8859-1" );
 if ( content.indexOf( nonascii ) < 0 )
 {
     throw new IOException( "non-ascii content corrupted in Latin1." );
 }
-rule = new File( basedir, "mod-1/target/utf-8.xml" );
+rule = new File( basedir, "mod-1/target/pmd/rulesets/utf-8.xml" );
 content = FileUtils.fileRead( rule, "UTF-8" );
 if ( content.indexOf( nonascii ) < 0 )
 {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReport.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReport.java
index 0c59b3d..0573e31 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReport.java
@@ -250,6 +250,15 @@
     @Parameter( property = "pmd.renderViolationsByPriority", defaultValue = "true" )
     private boolean renderViolationsByPriority = true;
 
+    /**
+     * Before PMD is executed, the configured rulesets are resolved and copied into this directory.
+     * <p>Note: Before 3.13.0, this was by default ${project.build.directory}.
+     *
+     * @since 3.13.0
+     */
+    @Parameter( property = "pmd.rulesetsTargetDirectory", defaultValue = "${project.build.directory}/pmd/rulesets" )
+    private File rulesetsTargetDirectory;
+
     @Component
     private DependencyResolver dependencyResolver;
 
@@ -396,7 +405,7 @@
         // configure ResourceManager
         locator.addSearchPath( FileResourceLoader.ID, project.getFile().getParentFile().getAbsolutePath() );
         locator.addSearchPath( "url", "" );
-        locator.setOutputDirectory( targetDirectory );
+        locator.setOutputDirectory( rulesetsTargetDirectory );
 
         renderer = new PmdCollectingRenderer();
         PMDConfiguration pmdConfiguration = getPMDConfiguration();
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdViolationCheckMojoTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdViolationCheckMojoTest.java
index ad26cf8..09c0dd5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdViolationCheckMojoTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdViolationCheckMojoTest.java
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
 
         testPom =
             new File( getBasedir(),
-                      "src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-check-notfailonviolation-plugin-config.xml" );
+                      "src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/cpd-check-notfailonviolation-plugin-config.xml" );
         final CpdViolationCheckMojo cpdViolationMojo = (CpdViolationCheckMojo) lookupMojo( "cpd-check", testPom );
         cpdViolationMojo.execute();
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java
index a92ed4c..70d6ed0 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         // check if the rulesets, that have been applied, have been copied
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/maven-pmd-plugin-default.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/maven-pmd-plugin-default.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/pmd.html" );
@@ -187,13 +187,13 @@
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         // these are the rulesets, that have been applied...
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/bestpractices.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/bestpractices.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/codestyle.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/codestyle.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/errorprone.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/errorprone.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/pmd.html" );
@@ -250,18 +250,19 @@
         File generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/basic.xml" );
+        // the resolved and extracted rulesets
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/basic.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/imports.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/imports.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/unusedcode.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/unusedcode.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         generatedFile =
             new File( getBasedir(),
-                      "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/export_format_pmd_language_java_name_Sonar_2520way.xml" );
+                      "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/export_format_pmd_language_java_name_Sonar_2520way.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/pmd.html" );
@@ -306,7 +307,7 @@
         File generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/pmd.csv" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/custom.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/custom.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/site/pmd.html" );
@@ -528,19 +529,19 @@
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         // these are the rulesets, that have been applied...
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/bestpractices.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/bestpractices.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/codestyle.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/codestyle.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/design.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/design.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/errorprone.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/errorprone.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
-        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/security.xml" );
+        generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets/security.xml" );
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
 
         generatedFile = new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/pmd.html" );
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/custom-configuration-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/custom-configuration-plugin-config.xml
index 5a1df25..b99ab01 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/custom-configuration-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/custom-configuration-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.CustomConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>csv</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/pmd-check-exception-test-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/pmd-check-exception-test-plugin-config.xml
index eccc73c..4f6add4 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/pmd-check-exception-test-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/pmd-check-exception-test-plugin-config.xml
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
         <configuration>          
           <sourceDirectory>${basedir}/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration</sourceDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/custom-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <failOnViolation>false</failOnViolation>
           <language>java</language>
         </configuration>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/skip-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/skip-plugin-config.xml
index d209a5b..0705d31 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/skip-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/custom-configuration/skip-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.CustomConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/skip-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/skip-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/skip-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>csv</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/skip-configuration/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/cpd-check-notfailonviolation-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/cpd-check-notfailonviolation-plugin-config.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45d1e52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/cpd-check-notfailonviolation-plugin-config.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+<!--
+Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+distributed with this work for additional information
+regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+"License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+"AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+specific language governing permissions and limitations
+under the License.
+-->
+
+<project>
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  <groupId>custom.configuration</groupId>
+  <artifactId>custom-configuration</artifactId>
+  <packaging>jar</packaging>
+  <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  <inceptionYear>2006</inceptionYear>
+  <name>Maven PMD CPD Violation Check Custom Configuration Test</name>
+  <url>http://maven.apache.org</url>
+  <build>
+    <finalName>custom-configuration</finalName>
+    <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+        <artifactId>maven-pmd-plugin</artifactId>
+        <configuration>
+          <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
+          <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <failOnViolation>false</failOnViolation>
+          <verbose>false</verbose>
+        </configuration>
+      </plugin>
+    </plugins>
+  </build>
+  <reporting>
+    <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+        <artifactId>maven-jxr-plugin</artifactId>
+      </plugin>
+    </plugins>
+  </reporting>
+</project>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/default-configuration-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/default-configuration-plugin-config.xml
index ccff112..f476e09 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/default-configuration-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/default-configuration-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/javascript-configuration-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/javascript-configuration-plugin-config.xml
index 2a1abf8..a9f7c56 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/javascript-configuration-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/javascript-configuration-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <sourceEncoding>UTF-8</sourceEncoding>
           <language>javascript</language>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/jsp-configuration-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/jsp-configuration-plugin-config.xml
index 14fe3bb..53b026a 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/jsp-configuration-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/jsp-configuration-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <sourceEncoding>UTF-8</sourceEncoding>
           <language>jsp</language>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-include-xml-in-site-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-include-xml-in-site-plugin-config.xml
index dc0e98d..1963d89 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-include-xml-in-site-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-include-xml-in-site-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <sourceEncoding>UTF-8</sourceEncoding>
           <includeXmlInSite>true</includeXmlInSite>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-no-render-violations-by-priority.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-no-render-violations-by-priority.xml
index 1c58040..e224833 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-no-render-violations-by-priority.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-no-render-violations-by-priority.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-not-render-rule-priority-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-not-render-rule-priority-plugin-config.xml
index 9afeda3..002ee55 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-not-render-rule-priority-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-not-render-rule-priority-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-pmd-exclusions-configuration-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-pmd-exclusions-configuration-plugin-config.xml
index 7e48e05..3071f8e 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-pmd-exclusions-configuration-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-report-pmd-exclusions-configuration-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config.xml
index 15bbc9d..142bc62 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/pmd-with-analysis-cache-plugin-config/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-suppressMarker-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-suppressMarker-plugin-config.xml
index fa9552e..88d8a93 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-suppressMarker-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/default-configuration/pmd-with-suppressMarker-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/empty-report-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/empty-report-plugin-config.xml
index ba98e29..56e3bc1 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/empty-report-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/empty-report-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.CustomConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/empty-report/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/empty-report/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/empty-report/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <compileSourceRoots>
             <compileSourceRoot>${basedir}/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/java/</compileSourceRoot>
           </compileSourceRoots>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/skip-empty-report-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/skip-empty-report-plugin-config.xml
index 6bc5fc4..41e1aef 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/skip-empty-report-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/skip-empty-report-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.CustomConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/empty-report/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/empty-report/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/empty-report/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <compileSourceRoots>
             <compileSourceRoot>${basedir}/src/test/resources/unit/empty-report/java/</compileSourceRoot>
           </compileSourceRoots>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/exclude-roots/pmd-exclude-roots-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/exclude-roots/pmd-exclude-roots-plugin-config.xml
index 6fdf793..9435974 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/exclude-roots/pmd-exclude-roots-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/exclude-roots/pmd-exclude-roots-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/exclude-roots/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/exclude-roots/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/exclude-roots/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <sourceEncoding>UTF-8</sourceEncoding>
 
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-format-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-format-plugin-config.xml
index f454f49..9d5958a 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-format-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-format-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.InvalidFormatMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/invalid-format/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/invalid-format/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/invalid-format/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xhtml</format>
           <linkXRef>false</linkXRef>
           <xrefLocation>${basedir}/target/test/unit/invalid-format/target/site/xref</xrefLocation>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-target-jdk-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-target-jdk-plugin-config.xml
index c8088a3..30dc635 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-target-jdk-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/invalid-format/invalid-target-jdk-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/default-configuration/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <targetJdk>1.x</targetJdk>
           <linkXRef>true</linkXRef>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-no-report-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-no-report-plugin-config.xml
index 77953cf..7db20a1 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-no-report-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-no-report-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <sourceEncoding>UTF-8</sourceEncoding>
           <skipPmdError>true</skipPmdError>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-plugin-config.xml
index 6791180..0a2a10e 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <sourceEncoding>UTF-8</sourceEncoding>
           <skipPmdError>false</skipPmdError>
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-skip-plugin-config.xml b/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-skip-plugin-config.xml
index faa30c1..9974a8f 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-skip-plugin-config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/processing-error/pmd-processing-error-skip-plugin-config.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
           <project implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.pmd.stubs.DefaultConfigurationMavenProjectStub"/>
           <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target/site</outputDirectory>
           <targetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target</targetDirectory>
+          <rulesetsTargetDirectory>${basedir}/target/test/unit/parse-error/target/pmd/rulesets</rulesetsTargetDirectory>
           <format>xml</format>
           <sourceEncoding>UTF-8</sourceEncoding>
           <skipPmdError>true</skipPmdError>