diff --git a/docs/api/trace.rst b/docs/api/trace.rst
index 411e31023ec..65d9b4d8c88 100644
--- a/docs/api/trace.rst
+++ b/docs/api/trace.rst
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ Submodules
 
 .. toctree::
 
-   trace.sampling
    trace.status
    trace.span
 
diff --git a/docs/api/trace.sampling.rst b/docs/api/trace.sampling.rst
deleted file mode 100644
index 6280fd1d11b..00000000000
--- a/docs/api/trace.sampling.rst
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-Sampling Traces
-===============
-
-.. automodule:: opentelemetry.trace.sampling
-    :members:
-    :undoc-members:
-    :show-inheritance:
diff --git a/docs/sdk/trace.rst b/docs/sdk/trace.rst
index ce06fb4abb0..0b53444e3bf 100644
--- a/docs/sdk/trace.rst
+++ b/docs/sdk/trace.rst
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Submodules
 .. toctree::
 
    trace.export
+   trace.sampling
    util.instrumentation
 
 .. automodule:: opentelemetry.sdk.trace
diff --git a/docs/sdk/trace.sampling.rst b/docs/sdk/trace.sampling.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f9c2fffa253
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/sdk/trace.sampling.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+opentelemetry.sdk.trace.sampling
+==========================================
+
+.. automodule:: opentelemetry.sdk.trace.sampling
+    :members:
+    :undoc-members:
+    :show-inheritance:
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/src/opentelemetry/exporter/datadog/exporter.py b/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/src/opentelemetry/exporter/datadog/exporter.py
index 49dab7c6866..c23288442dc 100644
--- a/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/src/opentelemetry/exporter/datadog/exporter.py
+++ b/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/src/opentelemetry/exporter/datadog/exporter.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 from ddtrace.span import Span as DatadogSpan
 
 import opentelemetry.trace as trace_api
+from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import sampling
 from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.export import SpanExporter, SpanExportResult
 from opentelemetry.trace.status import StatusCanonicalCode
 
@@ -246,7 +247,7 @@ def _get_sampling_rate(span):
     return (
         span.sampler.rate
         if ctx.trace_flags.sampled
-        and isinstance(span.sampler, trace_api.sampling.ProbabilitySampler)
+        and isinstance(span.sampler, sampling.ProbabilitySampler)
         else None
     )
 
diff --git a/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/tests/test_datadog_exporter.py b/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/tests/test_datadog_exporter.py
index 45ce9417e1a..47a0280c0a3 100644
--- a/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/tests/test_datadog_exporter.py
+++ b/exporter/opentelemetry-exporter-datadog/tests/test_datadog_exporter.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 from opentelemetry import trace as trace_api
 from opentelemetry.exporter import datadog
 from opentelemetry.sdk import trace
+from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import sampling
 from opentelemetry.sdk.util.instrumentation import InstrumentationInfo
 
 
@@ -497,7 +498,7 @@ def test_sampling_rate(self):
             is_remote=False,
             trace_flags=trace_api.TraceFlags(trace_api.TraceFlags.SAMPLED),
         )
-        sampler = trace_api.sampling.ProbabilitySampler(0.5)
+        sampler = sampling.ProbabilitySampler(0.5)
 
         span = trace.Span(
             name="sampled", context=context, parent=None, sampler=sampler
diff --git a/opentelemetry-api/CHANGELOG.md b/opentelemetry-api/CHANGELOG.md
index 2defb0a59a0..d5a69d4db49 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-api/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/opentelemetry-api/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+- Moved samplers from API to SDK
+  ([#1023](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/pull/1023))
+
 ## Version 0.12b0
 
 Released 2020-08-14
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md b/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md
index a5fe59878bd..33d9d6e2e6e 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,11 +2,15 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+- Moved samplers from API to SDK
+  ([#1023](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/pull/1023))
+
 ## Version 0.12b0
 
 Released 2020-08-14
 
 - Changed default Sampler to `ParentOrElse(AlwaysOn)`
+  ([#960](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/pull/960))
 - Update environment variable names, prefix changed from `OPENTELEMETRY` to `OTEL`
   ([#904](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/pull/904))
 - Implement Views in metrics SDK
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/__init__.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/__init__.py
index 7a53fbdae34..034acd0f440 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/__init__.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/__init__.py
@@ -40,9 +40,10 @@
 from opentelemetry import trace as trace_api
 from opentelemetry.sdk import util
 from opentelemetry.sdk.resources import Resource
+from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import sampling
 from opentelemetry.sdk.util import BoundedDict, BoundedList
 from opentelemetry.sdk.util.instrumentation import InstrumentationInfo
-from opentelemetry.trace import SpanContext, sampling
+from opentelemetry.trace import SpanContext
 from opentelemetry.trace.propagation import SPAN_KEY
 from opentelemetry.trace.status import Status, StatusCanonicalCode
 from opentelemetry.util import time_ns, types
@@ -869,7 +870,7 @@ def use_span(
 class TracerProvider(trace_api.TracerProvider):
     def __init__(
         self,
-        sampler: sampling.Sampler = trace_api.sampling.DEFAULT_ON,
+        sampler: sampling.Sampler = sampling.DEFAULT_ON,
         resource: Resource = Resource.create_empty(),
         shutdown_on_exit: bool = True,
         active_span_processor: Union[
diff --git a/opentelemetry-api/src/opentelemetry/trace/sampling.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/sampling.py
similarity index 98%
rename from opentelemetry-api/src/opentelemetry/trace/sampling.py
rename to opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/sampling.py
index 868678b05c0..4429e33a48a 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-api/src/opentelemetry/trace/sampling.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/sampling.py
@@ -36,12 +36,12 @@
 .. code:: python
 
     from opentelemetry import trace
-    from opentelemetry.trace.sampling import ProbabilitySampler
     from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import TracerProvider
     from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.export import (
         ConsoleSpanExporter,
         SimpleExportSpanProcessor,
     )
+    from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.sampling import ProbabilitySampler
 
     # sample 1 in every 1000 traces
     sampler = ProbabilitySampler(1/1000)
diff --git a/opentelemetry-api/tests/trace/test_sampling.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/test_sampling.py
similarity index 99%
rename from opentelemetry-api/tests/trace/test_sampling.py
rename to opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/test_sampling.py
index 0be222f3dc0..a198bd32965 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-api/tests/trace/test_sampling.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/test_sampling.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 import unittest
 
 from opentelemetry import trace
-from opentelemetry.trace import sampling
+from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import sampling
 
 TO_DEFAULT = trace.TraceFlags(trace.TraceFlags.DEFAULT)
 TO_SAMPLED = trace.TraceFlags(trace.TraceFlags.SAMPLED)
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/test_trace.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/test_trace.py
index b494ab8ee2f..9915860cf05 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/test_trace.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/test_trace.py
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
 
 from opentelemetry import trace as trace_api
 from opentelemetry.sdk import resources, trace
+from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import sampling
 from opentelemetry.sdk.util.instrumentation import InstrumentationInfo
-from opentelemetry.trace import sampling
 from opentelemetry.trace.status import StatusCanonicalCode
 from opentelemetry.util import time_ns