diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/custom-resource-provider/nodejs-entrypoint.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/custom-resource-provider/nodejs-entrypoint.ts
index c90bf96e684cf..bf4a5642d3cf9 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/custom-resource-provider/nodejs-entrypoint.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/custom-resource-provider/nodejs-entrypoint.ts
@@ -21,9 +21,27 @@ export type HandlerResponse = undefined | {
   NoEcho?: boolean;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Decodes encoded true/false values
+ */
+function decodeBooleans(object: object) {
+  return JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(object), (_k, v) => {
+    switch (v) {
+      case 'TRUE:BOOLEAN':
+        return true;
+      case 'FALSE:BOOLEAN':
+        return false;
+      default:
+        return v;
+    }
+  });
+}
+
 export async function handler(event: AWSLambda.CloudFormationCustomResourceEvent) {
   external.log(JSON.stringify(event, undefined, 2));
 
+  event.ResourceProperties = decodeBooleans(event.ResourceProperties || { });
+
   // ignore DELETE event when the physical resource ID is the marker that
   // indicates that this DELETE is a subsequent DELETE to a failed CREATE
   // operation.
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/aws-custom-resource/aws-custom-resource.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/aws-custom-resource/aws-custom-resource.ts
index 17092538f32ca..b5c0058a3a0e7 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/aws-custom-resource/aws-custom-resource.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/aws-custom-resource/aws-custom-resource.ts
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ export class AwsCustomResource extends cdk.Construct implements iam.IGrantable {
       pascalCaseProperties: true,
       encodeValues: true,
       properties: {
-        create: create,
+        create,
         update: props.onUpdate,
         delete: props.onDelete,
       },
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/provider-framework/runtime/framework.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/provider-framework/runtime/framework.ts
index 2bd4116caa283..221af177a1b12 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/provider-framework/runtime/framework.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/custom-resources/lib/provider-framework/runtime/framework.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,22 @@ export = {
   [consts.FRAMEWORK_ON_TIMEOUT_HANDLER_NAME]: onTimeout,
 };
 
+/**
+ * Decodes encoded true/false values
+ */
+function decodeBooleans(object: object) {
+  return JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(object), (_k, v) => {
+    switch (v) {
+      case 'TRUE:BOOLEAN':
+        return true;
+      case 'FALSE:BOOLEAN':
+        return false;
+      default:
+        return v;
+    }
+  });
+}
+
 /**
  * The main runtime entrypoint of the async custom resource lambda function.
  *
@@ -26,7 +42,7 @@ export = {
 async function onEvent(cfnRequest: AWSLambda.CloudFormationCustomResourceEvent) {
   log('onEventHandler', cfnRequest);
 
-  cfnRequest.ResourceProperties = cfnRequest.ResourceProperties || { };
+  cfnRequest.ResourceProperties = decodeBooleans(cfnRequest.ResourceProperties || { });
 
   const onEventResult = await invokeUserFunction(consts.USER_ON_EVENT_FUNCTION_ARN_ENV, cfnRequest) as OnEventResponse;
   log('onEvent returned:', onEventResult);