diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 99c4c7badb2..afb6bf9fd3f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ include/
 .hypothesis/
 
 # autogenerated
-_pytest/_version.py
+src/_pytest/_version.py
 # setuptools
 .eggs/
 
diff --git a/changelog/3513.trivial.rst b/changelog/3513.trivial.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e8c0948e0b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/3513.trivial.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Switch pytest to the src/ layout as we already suggested it for good practice - now we implement it as well.
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1e67f27f08c..3f5ed39beac 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ def get_environment_marker_support_level():
             return 1
     except Exception as exc:
         sys.stderr.write("Could not test setuptool's version: %s\n" % exc)
+
+    # as of testing on 2018-05-26 fedora was on version 37* and debian was on version 33+
+    # we should consider erroring on those
     return 0
 
 
@@ -84,7 +87,7 @@ def main():
         name="pytest",
         description="pytest: simple powerful testing with Python",
         long_description=long_description,
-        use_scm_version={"write_to": "_pytest/_version.py"},
+        use_scm_version={"write_to": "src/_pytest/_version.py"},
         url="http://pytest.org",
         project_urls={
             "Source": "https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest",
@@ -102,6 +105,7 @@ def main():
         cmdclass={"test": PyTest},
         # the following should be enabled for release
         setup_requires=["setuptools-scm"],
+        package_dir={"": "src"},
         python_requires=">=2.7, !=3.0.*, !=3.1.*, !=3.2.*, !=3.3.*",
         install_requires=install_requires,
         extras_require=extras_require,
@@ -123,9 +127,9 @@ def finalize_options(self):
     def run(self):
         import subprocess
 
-        PPATH = [x for x in os.environ.get("PYTHONPATH", "").split(":") if x]
-        PPATH.insert(0, os.getcwd())
-        os.environ["PYTHONPATH"] = ":".join(PPATH)
+        python_path = [x for x in os.environ.get("PYTHONPATH", "").split(":") if x]
+        python_path.insert(0, os.getcwd())
+        os.environ["PYTHONPATH"] = ":".join(python_path)
         errno = subprocess.call([sys.executable, "pytest.py", "--ignore=doc"])
         raise SystemExit(errno)
 
diff --git a/_pytest/__init__.py b/src/_pytest/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/__init__.py
rename to src/_pytest/__init__.py
diff --git a/_pytest/_argcomplete.py b/src/_pytest/_argcomplete.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/_argcomplete.py
rename to src/_pytest/_argcomplete.py
diff --git a/_pytest/_code/__init__.py b/src/_pytest/_code/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/_code/__init__.py
rename to src/_pytest/_code/__init__.py
diff --git a/_pytest/_code/_py2traceback.py b/src/_pytest/_code/_py2traceback.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/_code/_py2traceback.py
rename to src/_pytest/_code/_py2traceback.py
diff --git a/_pytest/_code/code.py b/src/_pytest/_code/code.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/_code/code.py
rename to src/_pytest/_code/code.py
diff --git a/_pytest/_code/source.py b/src/_pytest/_code/source.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/_code/source.py
rename to src/_pytest/_code/source.py
diff --git a/_pytest/assertion/__init__.py b/src/_pytest/assertion/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/assertion/__init__.py
rename to src/_pytest/assertion/__init__.py
diff --git a/_pytest/assertion/rewrite.py b/src/_pytest/assertion/rewrite.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/assertion/rewrite.py
rename to src/_pytest/assertion/rewrite.py
diff --git a/_pytest/assertion/truncate.py b/src/_pytest/assertion/truncate.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/assertion/truncate.py
rename to src/_pytest/assertion/truncate.py
diff --git a/_pytest/assertion/util.py b/src/_pytest/assertion/util.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/assertion/util.py
rename to src/_pytest/assertion/util.py
diff --git a/_pytest/cacheprovider.py b/src/_pytest/cacheprovider.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/cacheprovider.py
rename to src/_pytest/cacheprovider.py
diff --git a/_pytest/capture.py b/src/_pytest/capture.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/capture.py
rename to src/_pytest/capture.py
diff --git a/_pytest/compat.py b/src/_pytest/compat.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/compat.py
rename to src/_pytest/compat.py
diff --git a/_pytest/config.py b/src/_pytest/config.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/config.py
rename to src/_pytest/config.py
diff --git a/_pytest/debugging.py b/src/_pytest/debugging.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/debugging.py
rename to src/_pytest/debugging.py
diff --git a/_pytest/deprecated.py b/src/_pytest/deprecated.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/deprecated.py
rename to src/_pytest/deprecated.py
diff --git a/_pytest/doctest.py b/src/_pytest/doctest.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/doctest.py
rename to src/_pytest/doctest.py
diff --git a/_pytest/fixtures.py b/src/_pytest/fixtures.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/fixtures.py
rename to src/_pytest/fixtures.py
diff --git a/_pytest/freeze_support.py b/src/_pytest/freeze_support.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/freeze_support.py
rename to src/_pytest/freeze_support.py
diff --git a/_pytest/helpconfig.py b/src/_pytest/helpconfig.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/helpconfig.py
rename to src/_pytest/helpconfig.py
diff --git a/_pytest/hookspec.py b/src/_pytest/hookspec.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/hookspec.py
rename to src/_pytest/hookspec.py
diff --git a/_pytest/junitxml.py b/src/_pytest/junitxml.py
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rename from _pytest/junitxml.py
rename to src/_pytest/junitxml.py
diff --git a/_pytest/logging.py b/src/_pytest/logging.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/logging.py
rename to src/_pytest/logging.py
diff --git a/_pytest/main.py b/src/_pytest/main.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/main.py
rename to src/_pytest/main.py
diff --git a/_pytest/mark/__init__.py b/src/_pytest/mark/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/mark/__init__.py
rename to src/_pytest/mark/__init__.py
diff --git a/_pytest/mark/evaluate.py b/src/_pytest/mark/evaluate.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/mark/evaluate.py
rename to src/_pytest/mark/evaluate.py
diff --git a/_pytest/mark/legacy.py b/src/_pytest/mark/legacy.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/mark/legacy.py
rename to src/_pytest/mark/legacy.py
diff --git a/_pytest/mark/structures.py b/src/_pytest/mark/structures.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/mark/structures.py
rename to src/_pytest/mark/structures.py
diff --git a/_pytest/monkeypatch.py b/src/_pytest/monkeypatch.py
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rename from _pytest/monkeypatch.py
rename to src/_pytest/monkeypatch.py
diff --git a/_pytest/nodes.py b/src/_pytest/nodes.py
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rename from _pytest/nodes.py
rename to src/_pytest/nodes.py
diff --git a/_pytest/nose.py b/src/_pytest/nose.py
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rename from _pytest/nose.py
rename to src/_pytest/nose.py
diff --git a/_pytest/outcomes.py b/src/_pytest/outcomes.py
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rename from _pytest/outcomes.py
rename to src/_pytest/outcomes.py
diff --git a/_pytest/pastebin.py b/src/_pytest/pastebin.py
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rename from _pytest/pastebin.py
rename to src/_pytest/pastebin.py
diff --git a/_pytest/pytester.py b/src/_pytest/pytester.py
similarity index 100%
rename from _pytest/pytester.py
rename to src/_pytest/pytester.py
diff --git a/_pytest/python.py b/src/_pytest/python.py
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rename from _pytest/python.py
rename to src/_pytest/python.py
diff --git a/_pytest/python_api.py b/src/_pytest/python_api.py
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rename from _pytest/python_api.py
rename to src/_pytest/python_api.py
diff --git a/_pytest/recwarn.py b/src/_pytest/recwarn.py
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rename from _pytest/recwarn.py
rename to src/_pytest/recwarn.py
diff --git a/_pytest/resultlog.py b/src/_pytest/resultlog.py
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rename from _pytest/resultlog.py
rename to src/_pytest/resultlog.py
diff --git a/_pytest/runner.py b/src/_pytest/runner.py
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rename from _pytest/runner.py
rename to src/_pytest/runner.py
diff --git a/_pytest/setuponly.py b/src/_pytest/setuponly.py
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rename from _pytest/setuponly.py
rename to src/_pytest/setuponly.py
diff --git a/_pytest/setupplan.py b/src/_pytest/setupplan.py
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rename from _pytest/setupplan.py
rename to src/_pytest/setupplan.py
diff --git a/_pytest/skipping.py b/src/_pytest/skipping.py
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rename from _pytest/skipping.py
rename to src/_pytest/skipping.py
diff --git a/_pytest/terminal.py b/src/_pytest/terminal.py
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rename from _pytest/terminal.py
rename to src/_pytest/terminal.py
diff --git a/_pytest/tmpdir.py b/src/_pytest/tmpdir.py
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rename from _pytest/tmpdir.py
rename to src/_pytest/tmpdir.py
diff --git a/_pytest/unittest.py b/src/_pytest/unittest.py
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rename from _pytest/unittest.py
rename to src/_pytest/unittest.py
diff --git a/_pytest/warnings.py b/src/_pytest/warnings.py
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rename from _pytest/warnings.py
rename to src/_pytest/warnings.py
diff --git a/pytest.py b/src/pytest.py
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rename from pytest.py
rename to src/pytest.py