diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/enable_su_on_local.yaml b/changelogs/fragments/enable_su_on_local.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1f5cdb4bf98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/enable_su_on_local.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+    - allow become method 'su' to work on 'local' connection by allocating a fake tty.
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py
index 2ababb061af..c6ec01d82d8 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ DOCUMENTATION = '''
 '''
 
 import os
+import pty
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import fcntl
@@ -79,15 +80,32 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
         else:
             cmd = map(to_bytes, cmd)
 
+        master = None
+        stdin = subprocess.PIPE
+        if sudoable and self.become and self.become.expect_prompt():
+            # Create a pty if sudoable for privlege escalation that needs it.
+            # Falls back to using a standard pipe if this fails, which may
+            # cause the command to fail in certain situations where we are escalating
+            # privileges or the command otherwise needs a pty.
+            try:
+                master, stdin = pty.openpty()
+            except (IOError, OSError) as e:
+                display.debug("Unable to open pty: %s" % to_native(e))
+
         p = subprocess.Popen(
             cmd,
             shell=isinstance(cmd, (text_type, binary_type)),
             executable=executable,
             cwd=self.cwd,
-            stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+            stdin=stdin,
             stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
             stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
         )
+
+        # if we created a master, we can close the other half of the pty now
+        if master is not None:
+            os.close(stdin)
+
         display.debug("done running command with Popen()")
 
         if self.become and self.become.expect_prompt() and sudoable:
@@ -120,7 +138,8 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
 
             if not self.become.check_success(become_output):
                 become_pass = self.become.get_option('become_pass', playcontext=self._play_context)
-                p.stdin.write(to_bytes(become_pass, errors='surrogate_or_strict') + b'\n')
+                os.write(master, to_bytes(become_pass, errors='surrogate_or_strict') + b'\n')
+
             fcntl.fcntl(p.stdout, fcntl.F_SETFL, fcntl.fcntl(p.stdout, fcntl.F_GETFL) & ~os.O_NONBLOCK)
             fcntl.fcntl(p.stderr, fcntl.F_SETFL, fcntl.fcntl(p.stderr, fcntl.F_GETFL) & ~os.O_NONBLOCK)
 
@@ -128,6 +147,10 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
         stdout, stderr = p.communicate(in_data)
         display.debug("done communicating")
 
+        # finally, close the other half of the pty, if it was created
+        if master:
+            os.close(master)
+
         display.debug("done with local.exec_command()")
         return (p.returncode, stdout, stderr)
 
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/become_su/aliases b/test/integration/targets/become_su/aliases
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3a07aab32d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/become_su/aliases
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+destructive
+shippable/posix/group1
+skip/aix
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/become_su/runme.sh b/test/integration/targets/become_su/runme.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..87a3511f655
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/become_su/runme.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -eux
+
+# ensure we execute su with a pseudo terminal
+[ "$(ansible -a whoami --become-method=su localhost --become)" != "su: requires a terminal to execute" ]