diff --git a/apps/docker/Dockerfile b/apps/docker/Dockerfile
index e003ae875..0fdee45ce 100644
--- a/apps/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/apps/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 ARG UBUNTU_VERSION=22.04 # lts
-ARG TZ=Etc/UTC
 
 # This target lays out the general directory skeleton for AzerothCore,
 # This target isn't intended to be directly used
 FROM ubuntu:$UBUNTU_VERSION AS skeleton
 
+# Note: ARG instructions defined after FROM are available in this build stage.
+# Placing ARG TZ here (after FROM) ensures it is accessible for configuring the timezone below.
+ARG TZ=Etc/UTC
 ARG DOCKER=1
 ARG DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive