diff --git a/python/pyspark/__init__.py b/python/pyspark/__init__.py
index 5f70ac6ed8fe6..8475dfb1c6ad0 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/__init__.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/__init__.py
@@ -48,6 +48,22 @@
 from pyspark.status import *
 from pyspark.profiler import Profiler, BasicProfiler
 
+
+def since(version):
+    """
+    A decorator that annotates a function to append the version of Spark the function was added.
+    """
+    import re
+    indent_p = re.compile(r'\n( +)')
+
+    def deco(f):
+        indents = indent_p.findall(f.__doc__)
+        indent = ' ' * (min(len(m) for m in indents) if indents else 0)
+        f.__doc__ = f.__doc__.rstrip() + "\n\n%s.. versionadded:: %s" % (indent, version)
+        return f
+    return deco
+
+
 # for back compatibility
 from pyspark.sql import SQLContext, HiveContext, SchemaRDD, Row
 
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/__init__.py b/python/pyspark/sql/__init__.py
index ad9c891ba1c04..98eaf52866d23 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/__init__.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/__init__.py
@@ -44,21 +44,6 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import
 
 
-def since(version):
-    """
-    A decorator that annotates a function to append the version of Spark the function was added.
-    """
-    import re
-    indent_p = re.compile(r'\n( +)')
-
-    def deco(f):
-        indents = indent_p.findall(f.__doc__)
-        indent = ' ' * (min(len(m) for m in indents) if indents else 0)
-        f.__doc__ = f.__doc__.rstrip() + "\n\n%s.. versionadded:: %s" % (indent, version)
-        return f
-    return deco
-
-
 from pyspark.sql.types import Row
 from pyspark.sql.context import SQLContext, HiveContext
 from pyspark.sql.column import Column
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/column.py b/python/pyspark/sql/column.py
index 56e75e8caee88..573f65f5bf096 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/column.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/column.py
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@
     basestring = str
     long = int
 
+from pyspark import since
 from pyspark.context import SparkContext
 from pyspark.rdd import ignore_unicode_prefix
-from pyspark.sql import since
 from pyspark.sql.types import *
 
 __all__ = ["DataFrame", "Column", "SchemaRDD", "DataFrameNaFunctions",
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/context.py b/python/pyspark/sql/context.py
index 0ef46c44644ab..89c8c6e0d94f1 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/context.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/context.py
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@
 
 from py4j.protocol import Py4JError
 
+from pyspark import since
 from pyspark.rdd import RDD, _prepare_for_python_RDD, ignore_unicode_prefix
 from pyspark.serializers import AutoBatchedSerializer, PickleSerializer
-from pyspark.sql import since
 from pyspark.sql.types import Row, StringType, StructType, _verify_type, \
     _infer_schema, _has_nulltype, _merge_type, _create_converter
 from pyspark.sql.dataframe import DataFrame
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/dataframe.py b/python/pyspark/sql/dataframe.py
index e269ef4304f3f..c5bf55791240b 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/dataframe.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/dataframe.py
@@ -26,11 +26,11 @@
 else:
     from itertools import imap as map
 
+from pyspark import since
 from pyspark.rdd import RDD, _load_from_socket, ignore_unicode_prefix
 from pyspark.serializers import BatchedSerializer, PickleSerializer, UTF8Deserializer
 from pyspark.storagelevel import StorageLevel
 from pyspark.traceback_utils import SCCallSiteSync
-from pyspark.sql import since
 from pyspark.sql.types import _parse_datatype_json_string
 from pyspark.sql.column import Column, _to_seq, _to_list, _to_java_column
 from pyspark.sql.readwriter import DataFrameWriter
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py b/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py
index 4b74a501521a5..26b8662718a60 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py
@@ -24,10 +24,9 @@
 if sys.version < "3":
     from itertools import imap as map
 
-from pyspark import SparkContext
+from pyspark import since, SparkContext
 from pyspark.rdd import _prepare_for_python_RDD, ignore_unicode_prefix
 from pyspark.serializers import PickleSerializer, AutoBatchedSerializer
-from pyspark.sql import since
 from pyspark.sql.types import StringType
 from pyspark.sql.column import Column, _to_java_column, _to_seq
 
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/group.py b/python/pyspark/sql/group.py
index 04594d5a836ce..71c0bccc5eeff 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/group.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/group.py
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 #
 
+from pyspark import since
 from pyspark.rdd import ignore_unicode_prefix
-from pyspark.sql import since
 from pyspark.sql.column import Column, _to_seq
 from pyspark.sql.dataframe import DataFrame
 from pyspark.sql.types import *
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py b/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py
index 3fa6895880a97..f43d8bf646a9e 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/readwriter.py
@@ -22,8 +22,7 @@
 
 from py4j.java_gateway import JavaClass
 
-from pyspark import RDD
-from pyspark.sql import since
+from pyspark import RDD, since
 from pyspark.sql.column import _to_seq
 from pyspark.sql.types import *
 
diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/window.py b/python/pyspark/sql/window.py
index eaf4d7e98620a..57bbe340bbd4d 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/window.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/window.py
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 
 import sys
 
-from pyspark import SparkContext
-from pyspark.sql import since
+from pyspark import since, SparkContext
 from pyspark.sql.column import _to_seq, _to_java_column
 
 __all__ = ["Window", "WindowSpec"]