diff --git a/src/utils/openmc/settings.py b/src/utils/openmc/settings.py
index 6acb720cbe..4acf6f53a4 100644
--- a/src/utils/openmc/settings.py
+++ b/src/utils/openmc/settings.py
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ class SettingsFile(object):
         self._dd_mesh_upper_right = None
         self._dd_nodemap = None
         self._dd_allow_leakage = False
+        self._dd_count_interactions = False
 
         self._settings_file = ET.Element("settings")
         self._eigenvalue_element = None
@@ -813,6 +814,19 @@ class SettingsFile(object):
 
         self._dd_allow_leakage = allow
 
+    def set_dd_count_interactions(self, interactions):
+
+        # TODO: remove this when domain decomposition is merged
+        warnings.warn('This feature is not yet implemented in a release ' \
+                      'version of openmc')
+
+        if not type(interactions) == bool:
+            msg = 'Unable to set DD count_interactions {0} which is ' \
+                  'not a Python bool'.format(dimension)
+            raise ValueError(msg)
+
+        self._dd_count_interactions = interactions
+
     def create_eigenvalue_subelement(self):
 
         self.create_particles_subelement()
@@ -1190,6 +1204,12 @@ class SettingsFile(object):
             else:
                 subelement.text = 'false'
                 
+            subelement = ET.SubElement(element, "count_interactions")
+            if self._dd_count_interactions:
+                subelement.text = 'true'
+            else:
+                subelement.text = 'false'
+
 
     def export_to_xml(self):