diff --git a/src/test/java/net/onrc/onos/core/util/UtilityClassChecker.java b/src/test/java/net/onrc/onos/core/util/UtilityClassChecker.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3fcc65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/net/onrc/onos/core/util/UtilityClassChecker.java
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+package net.onrc.onos.core.util;
+
+import org.hamcrest.Description;
+import org.hamcrest.StringDescription;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Constructor;
+import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
+import java.lang.reflect.Modifier;
+
+
+/**
+ * Hamcrest style class for verifying that a class follows the
+ * accepted rules for utility classes.
+ *
+ * The rules that are enforced for utility classes:
+ *    - the class must be declared final
+ *    - the class must have only one constructor
+ *    - the constructor must be private and inaccessible to callers
+ *    - the class must have only static methods
+ */
+
+public class UtilityClassChecker {
+
+    private String failureReason = "";
+
+    /**
+     * Method to determine if a given class is a properly specified
+     * utility class.  In addition to checking that the class meets the criteria
+     * for utility classes, an object of the class type is allocated to force
+     * test code coverage onto the class constructor.
+     *
+     * @param clazz the class to check
+     * @return true if the given class is a properly specified utility class.
+     */
+    private boolean isProperlyDefinedUtilityClass(Class clazz) {
+        // class must be declared final
+        if (!Modifier.isFinal(clazz.getModifiers())) {
+            failureReason = "a class that is not final";
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // class must have only one constructor
+        final Constructor<?>[] constructors = clazz.getDeclaredConstructors();
+        if (constructors.length != 1) {
+            failureReason = "a class with more than one constructor";
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        //  constructor must not be accessible outside of the class
+        final Constructor<?> constructor = constructors[0];
+        if (constructor.isAccessible()) {
+            failureReason = "a class with an accessible default constructor";
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // constructor must be private
+        if (!Modifier.isPrivate(constructor.getModifiers())) {
+            failureReason = "a class with a default constructor that is not private";
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // class must have only static methods
+        for (final Method method : clazz.getMethods()) {
+            if (method.getDeclaringClass().equals(clazz)) {
+                if (!Modifier.isStatic(method.getModifiers())) {
+                    failureReason = "a class with one or more non-static methods";
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+
+        }
+
+        // Trigger an allocation of the object to force the hidden
+        // constructor call
+        try {
+            constructor.setAccessible(true);
+            constructor.newInstance();
+            constructor.setAccessible(false);
+        } catch (InstantiationException|IllegalAccessException|
+                 InvocationTargetException error) {
+            failureReason = error.getCause() + " when calling constructor";
+            return false;
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Describe why an error was reported.  Uses Hamcrest style Description
+     * interfaces.
+     *
+     * @param description the Description object to use for reporting the
+     *                    mismatch
+     */
+    public void describeMismatch(Description description) {
+        description.appendText(failureReason);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Describe the source object that caused an error, using a Hamcrest
+     * Matcher style interface.  In this case, it always returns
+     * that we are looking for a properly defined utility class.
+     *
+     * @param description the Description object to use to report the "to"
+     *                    object
+     */
+    public void describeTo(Description description) {
+        description.appendText("a properly defined utility class");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Assert that the given class adheres to the utility class rules.
+     *
+     * @param clazz the class to check
+     *
+     * @throws java.lang.AssertionError if the class is not a valid
+     *         utility class
+     */
+    public static void assertThatClassIsUtility(Class clazz) {
+        final UtilityClassChecker checker = new UtilityClassChecker();
+        if (!checker.isProperlyDefinedUtilityClass(clazz)) {
+            final Description toDescription = new StringDescription();
+            final Description mismatchDescription = new StringDescription();
+
+            checker.describeTo(toDescription);
+            checker.describeMismatch(mismatchDescription);
+            final String reason =
+                "\n" +
+                "Expected: is \"" + toDescription.toString() + "\"\n" +
+                "    but : was \"" + mismatchDescription.toString() + "\"";
+
+            throw new AssertionError(reason);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/onrc/onos/core/util/UtilityClassCheckerTest.java b/src/test/java/net/onrc/onos/core/util/UtilityClassCheckerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57ae6c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/net/onrc/onos/core/util/UtilityClassCheckerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+package net.onrc.onos.core.util;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import static net.onrc.onos.core.util.UtilityClassChecker.assertThatClassIsUtility;
+import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsString;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is;
+
+/**
+ * Set of unit tests to check the implementation of the utility class
+ * checker.
+ */
+public class UtilityClassCheckerTest {
+    /**
+     * Test class for non final class check.
+     */
+    static class NonFinal {
+        private NonFinal() {}
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Check that a non final class correctly produces an error.
+     * @throws Exception if any of the reflection lookups fail.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testNonFinalClass() throws Exception {
+        boolean gotException = false;
+        try {
+            assertThatClassIsUtility(NonFinal.class);
+        } catch (AssertionError assertion) {
+            assertThat(assertion.getMessage(),
+                       containsString("is not final"));
+            gotException = true;
+        }
+        assertThat(gotException, is(true));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test class for final no constructor class check.
+     */
+    static final class FinalNoConstructor {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Check that a final class with no declared constructor correctly produces
+     * an error.  In this case, the compiler generates a default constructor
+     * for you, but the constructor is 'protected' and will fail the check.
+     *
+     * @throws Exception if any of the reflection lookups fail.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testFinalNoConstructorClass() throws Exception {
+        boolean gotException = false;
+        try {
+            assertThatClassIsUtility(FinalNoConstructor.class);
+        } catch (AssertionError assertion) {
+            assertThat(assertion.getMessage(),
+                    containsString("class with a default constructor that " +
+                                   "is not private"));
+            gotException = true;
+        }
+        assertThat(gotException, is(true));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test class for class with more than one constructor check.
+     */
+    final static class TwoConstructors {
+        private TwoConstructors() {}
+        private TwoConstructors(int x) {}
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Check that a non static class correctly produces an error.
+     * @throws Exception if any of the reflection lookups fail.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testOnlyOneConstructor() throws Exception {
+        boolean gotException = false;
+        try {
+            assertThatClassIsUtility(TwoConstructors.class);
+        } catch (AssertionError assertion) {
+            assertThat(assertion.getMessage(),
+                       containsString("more than one constructor"));
+            gotException = true;
+        }
+        assertThat(gotException, is(true));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test class with a non private constructor.
+     */
+    final static class NonPrivateConstructor {
+        protected NonPrivateConstructor() {}
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Check that a class with a non private constructor correctly
+     * produces an error.
+     * @throws Exception if any of the reflection lookups fail.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testNonPrivateConstructor() throws Exception {
+
+        boolean gotException = false;
+        try {
+            assertThatClassIsUtility(NonPrivateConstructor.class);
+        } catch (AssertionError assertion) {
+            assertThat(assertion.getMessage(),
+                       containsString("constructor that is not private"));
+            gotException = true;
+        }
+        assertThat(gotException, is(true));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test class with a non static method.
+     */
+    final static class NonStaticMethod {
+        private NonStaticMethod() {}
+        public void aPublicMethod() {}
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Check that a class with a non static method correctly produces an error.
+     * @throws Exception if any of the reflection lookups fail.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testNonStaticMethod() throws Exception {
+
+        boolean gotException = false;
+        try {
+            assertThatClassIsUtility(NonStaticMethod.class);
+        } catch (AssertionError assertion) {
+            assertThat(assertion.getMessage(),
+                       containsString("one or more non-static methods"));
+            gotException = true;
+        }
+        assertThat(gotException, is(true));
+    }
+}