diff --git a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_processors.go b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_processors.go
index 101d1ecff4e9..f001f60d0f21 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_processors.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_processors.go
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/jobs/jobspb"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvserver/closedts"
-	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvserver/protectedts"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/roachpb"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/settings"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/settings/cluster"
@@ -1243,13 +1242,7 @@ func (cf *changeFrontier) checkpointJobProgress(
 			changefeedProgress := progress.Details.(*jobspb.Progress_Changefeed).Changefeed
 			changefeedProgress.Checkpoint = &checkpoint
 
-			timestampManager := cf.manageProtectedTimestamps
-			// TODO(samiskin): Remove this conditional and the associated deprecated
-			// methods once we're confident in ActiveProtectedTimestampsEnabled
-			if !changefeedbase.ActiveProtectedTimestampsEnabled.Get(&cf.flowCtx.Cfg.Settings.SV) {
-				timestampManager = cf.deprecatedManageProtectedTimestamps
-			}
-			if err := timestampManager(cf.Ctx, txn, changefeedProgress); err != nil {
+			if err := cf.manageProtectedTimestamps(cf.Ctx, txn, changefeedProgress); err != nil {
 				log.Warningf(cf.Ctx, "error managing protected timestamp record: %v", err)
 				return err
 			}
@@ -1327,47 +1320,6 @@ func (cf *changeFrontier) manageProtectedTimestamps(
 	return nil
 }
 
-// deprecatedManageProtectedTimestamps only sets a protected timestamp when the
-// changefeed is in a backfill or the highwater is lagging behind to a
-// sufficient degree after a backfill.  This was deprecated in favor of always
-// maintaining a timestamp record to avoid issues with a low gcttl setting.
-func (cf *changeFrontier) deprecatedManageProtectedTimestamps(
-	ctx context.Context, txn *kv.Txn, progress *jobspb.ChangefeedProgress,
-) error {
-	pts := cf.flowCtx.Cfg.ProtectedTimestampProvider
-	if err := cf.deprecatedMaybeReleaseProtectedTimestamp(ctx, progress, pts, txn); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	schemaChangePolicy := changefeedbase.SchemaChangePolicy(cf.spec.Feed.Opts[changefeedbase.OptSchemaChangePolicy])
-	shouldProtectBoundaries := schemaChangePolicy == changefeedbase.OptSchemaChangePolicyBackfill
-	if cf.frontier.schemaChangeBoundaryReached() && shouldProtectBoundaries {
-		highWater := cf.frontier.Frontier()
-		ptr := createProtectedTimestampRecord(ctx, cf.flowCtx.Codec(), cf.spec.JobID, AllTargets(cf.spec.Feed), highWater, progress)
-		return pts.Protect(ctx, txn, ptr)
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (cf *changeFrontier) deprecatedMaybeReleaseProtectedTimestamp(
-	ctx context.Context, progress *jobspb.ChangefeedProgress, pts protectedts.Storage, txn *kv.Txn,
-) error {
-	if progress.ProtectedTimestampRecord == uuid.Nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-	if !cf.frontier.schemaChangeBoundaryReached() && cf.isBehind() {
-		log.VEventf(ctx, 2, "not releasing protected timestamp because changefeed is behind")
-		return nil
-	}
-	log.VEventf(ctx, 2, "releasing protected timestamp %v",
-		progress.ProtectedTimestampRecord)
-	if err := pts.Release(ctx, txn, progress.ProtectedTimestampRecord); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	progress.ProtectedTimestampRecord = uuid.Nil
-	return nil
-}
-
 func (cf *changeFrontier) maybeEmitResolved(newResolved hlc.Timestamp) error {
 	if cf.freqEmitResolved == emitNoResolved || newResolved.IsEmpty() {
 		return nil
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_stmt.go b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_stmt.go
index dc796396a190..dcd069a332ef 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_stmt.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_stmt.go
@@ -261,16 +261,14 @@ func changefeedPlanHook(
 		{
 			var ptr *ptpb.Record
 			codec := p.ExecCfg().Codec
-
-			activeTimestampProtection := changefeedbase.ActiveProtectedTimestampsEnabled.Get(&p.ExecCfg().Settings.SV)
-			initialScanType, err := opts.GetInitialScanType()
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			shouldProtectTimestamp := activeTimestampProtection || (initialScanType != changefeedbase.NoInitialScan)
-			if shouldProtectTimestamp {
-				ptr = createProtectedTimestampRecord(ctx, codec, jobID, AllTargets(details), details.StatementTime, progress.GetChangefeed())
-			}
+			ptr = createProtectedTimestampRecord(
+				ctx,
+				codec,
+				jobID,
+				AllTargets(details),
+				details.StatementTime,
+				progress.GetChangefeed(),
+			)
 
 			jr.Progress = *progress.GetChangefeed()
 
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeedbase/settings.go b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeedbase/settings.go
index 22841234c7e1..4c09ad9a6d38 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeedbase/settings.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeedbase/settings.go
@@ -211,15 +211,6 @@ var ProtectTimestampInterval = settings.RegisterDurationSetting(
 	settings.PositiveDuration,
 )
 
-// ActiveProtectedTimestampsEnabled enables always having protected timestamps
-// laid down that are periodically advanced to the highwater mark.
-var ActiveProtectedTimestampsEnabled = settings.RegisterBoolSetting(
-	settings.TenantWritable,
-	"changefeed.active_protected_timestamps.enabled",
-	"if set, rather than only protecting changefeed targets from garbage collection during backfills, data will always be protected up to the changefeed's frontier",
-	true,
-)
-
 // BatchReductionRetryEnabled enables the temporary reduction of batch sizes upon kafka message too large errors
 var BatchReductionRetryEnabled = settings.RegisterBoolSetting(
 	settings.TenantWritable,
diff --git a/pkg/settings/registry.go b/pkg/settings/registry.go
index e50664666bdc..f75659d42535 100644
--- a/pkg/settings/registry.go
+++ b/pkg/settings/registry.go
@@ -150,9 +150,10 @@ var retiredSettings = map[string]struct{}{
 	"sql.ttl.default_range_concurrency": {},
 
 	// removed as of 23.1.
-	"sql.catalog.descs.validate_on_write.enabled": {},
-	"sql.distsql.max_running_flows":               {},
-	"sql.distsql.flow_scheduler_queueing.enabled": {},
+	"sql.catalog.descs.validate_on_write.enabled":    {},
+	"sql.distsql.max_running_flows":                  {},
+	"sql.distsql.flow_scheduler_queueing.enabled":    {},
+	"changefeed.active_protected_timestamps.enabled": {},
 }
 
 // sqlDefaultSettings is the list of "grandfathered" existing sql.defaults