diff --git a/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/src/opentelemetry/instrumentation/django/middleware.py b/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/src/opentelemetry/instrumentation/django/middleware.py
index f46805316..07e3eb710 100644
--- a/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/src/opentelemetry/instrumentation/django/middleware.py
+++ b/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/src/opentelemetry/instrumentation/django/middleware.py
@@ -101,21 +101,23 @@ class _DjangoMiddleware(MiddlewareMixin):
 
         tracer = get_tracer(__name__, __version__)
 
-        attributes = collect_request_attributes(environ)
-        for attr in self._traced_request_attrs:
-            value = getattr(request, attr, None)
-            if value is not None:
-                attributes[attr] = str(value)
-
         span = tracer.start_span(
             self._get_span_name(request),
             kind=SpanKind.SERVER,
-            attributes=attributes,
             start_time=environ.get(
                 "opentelemetry-instrumentor-django.starttime_key"
             ),
         )
 
+        if span.is_recording():
+            attributes = collect_request_attributes(environ)
+            for attr in self._traced_request_attrs:
+                value = getattr(request, attr, None)
+                if value is not None:
+                    attributes[attr] = str(value)
+            for key, value in attributes.items():
+                span.set_attribute(key, value)
+
         activation = tracer.use_span(span, end_on_exit=True)
         activation.__enter__()
 
diff --git a/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/tests/test_middleware.py b/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/tests/test_middleware.py
index 378139d1c..7e9ab72b5 100644
--- a/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/tests/test_middleware.py
+++ b/instrumentation/opentelemetry-instrumentation-django/tests/test_middleware.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 from sys import modules
-from unittest.mock import patch
+from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
 
 from django import VERSION
 from django.conf import settings
@@ -89,6 +89,21 @@ class TestMiddleware(WsgiTestBase):
         self.assertEqual(span.attributes["http.status_code"], 200)
         self.assertEqual(span.attributes["http.status_text"], "OK")
 
+    def test_not_recording(self):
+        mock_tracer = Mock()
+        mock_span = Mock()
+        mock_span.is_recording.return_value = False
+        mock_tracer.start_span.return_value = mock_span
+        mock_tracer.use_span.return_value.__enter__ = mock_span
+        mock_tracer.use_span.return_value.__exit__ = mock_span
+        with patch("opentelemetry.trace.get_tracer") as tracer:
+            tracer.return_value = mock_tracer
+            Client().get("/traced/")
+            self.assertFalse(mock_span.is_recording())
+            self.assertTrue(mock_span.is_recording.called)
+            self.assertFalse(mock_span.set_attribute.called)
+            self.assertFalse(mock_span.set_status.called)
+
     def test_traced_post(self):
         Client().post("/traced/")