diff --git a/changelogs/current.yaml b/changelogs/current.yaml
index 79947a08c0e2..1f8446e457a3 100644
--- a/changelogs/current.yaml
+++ b/changelogs/current.yaml
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ date: Pending
 
 behavior_changes:
 # *Changes that are expected to cause an incompatibility if applicable; deployment changes are likely required*
+- area: ext_proc
+  change: |
+    Previously, tracing spans generated by ``ext_proc`` were always sampled by default.
+     Now, the default sampling decision of an ``ext_proc`` span is inherited from the parent span.
 - area: tracing
   change: |
     Removed support for (long deprecated) opencensus tracing extension.
diff --git a/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc b/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc
index 06370ca21a4f..a24b99c310e2 100644
--- a/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc
+++ b/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc
@@ -399,7 +399,8 @@ Filter::StreamOpenState Filter::openStream() {
     auto options = Http::AsyncClient::StreamOptions()
                        .setParentSpan(decoder_callbacks_->activeSpan())
                        .setParentContext(grpc_context)
-                       .setBufferBodyForRetry(grpc_service_.has_retry_policy());
+                       .setBufferBodyForRetry(grpc_service_.has_retry_policy())
+                       .setSampled(absl::nullopt);
 
     ExternalProcessorClient* grpc_client = dynamic_cast<ExternalProcessorClient*>(client_.get());
     ExternalProcessorStreamPtr stream_object =
diff --git a/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc_integration_test.cc b/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc_integration_test.cc
index 7b77ed265849..fdc7fd69fa7f 100644
--- a/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc_integration_test.cc
+++ b/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc_integration_test.cc
@@ -793,7 +793,7 @@ TEST_P(ExtProcIntegrationTest, GetAndCloseStreamWithTracing) {
     ext_proc_span.set_operation_name(
         "async envoy.service.ext_proc.v3.ExternalProcessor.Process egress");
     ext_proc_span.set_context_injected(true);
-    ext_proc_span.set_sampled(true);
+    ext_proc_span.set_sampled(false);
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"grpc.status_code", "0"});
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"upstream_cluster", "ext_proc_server_0"});
     if (IsEnvoyGrpc()) {
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ TEST_P(ExtProcIntegrationTest, GetAndFailStreamWithTracing) {
     ext_proc_span.set_operation_name(
         "async envoy.service.ext_proc.v3.ExternalProcessor.Process egress");
     ext_proc_span.set_context_injected(true);
-    ext_proc_span.set_sampled(true);
+    ext_proc_span.set_sampled(false);
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"grpc.status_code", "2"});
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"error", "true"});
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"upstream_cluster", "ext_proc_server_0"});
@@ -2485,7 +2485,7 @@ TEST_P(ExtProcIntegrationTest, RequestMessageTimeoutWithTracing) {
     ext_proc_span.set_operation_name(
         "async envoy.service.ext_proc.v3.ExternalProcessor.Process egress");
     ext_proc_span.set_context_injected(true);
-    ext_proc_span.set_sampled(true);
+    ext_proc_span.set_sampled(false);
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"status", "canceled"});
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"error", ""}); // not an error
     ext_proc_span.mutable_tags()->insert({"upstream_cluster", "ext_proc_server_0"});
diff --git a/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/tracer_test_filter.cc b/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/tracer_test_filter.cc
index 645101ea1d21..bf29f3367960 100644
--- a/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/tracer_test_filter.cc
+++ b/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/tracer_test_filter.cc
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ const Tracing::TraceContextHandler& traceParentHeader() {
 
 struct ExpectedSpan {
   std::string operation_name;
-  bool sampled;
-  bool context_injected;
+  bool sampled{false};
+  bool context_injected{false};
   std::map<std::string, std::string> tags;
-  bool tested;
+  bool tested{false};
 };
 
 using ExpectedSpansSharedPtr = std::shared_ptr<std::vector<ExpectedSpan>>;
@@ -116,9 +116,9 @@ class Span : public Tracing::Span {
   ExpectedSpansSharedPtr expected_spans_;
 
   std::map<std::string, std::string> tags_;
-  bool context_injected_;
-  bool sampled_;
-  bool finished_;
+  bool context_injected_{false};
+  bool sampled_{false};
+  bool finished_{false};
 };
 
 class Driver : public Tracing::Driver, Logger::Loggable<Logger::Id::tracing> {