A voltage regulator including a bandgap control circuit that maintains the regulator's bandgap voltage at a predetermined voltage level after an externally generated enable signal is de-asserted until the regulated output voltage has dropped below a predetermined low reference voltage. The bandgap control circuit includes a latch that is set by the enable control signal to generate a bandgap control signal, which is used to activate a bandgap reference generator that generates the bandgap voltage. The latch is reset to de-assert the bandgap control signal by a logic gate and a low output voltage detector. The detector generates a low output voltage detection signal when the regulated output voltage falls below a low reference voltage. The logic gate generates a rising edge signal that resets the latch only when the enable signal is de-asserted and the detector generates the detection signal, thereby preventing unintended shutdown of the bandgap reference generator.