diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index a646ca3e1..f83b9ab33 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ M: Neil Horman <nhorman@tuxdriver.com>
 F: lib/librte_compat/
 F: doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst
 F: devtools/validate-abi.sh
+F: devtools/check-symbol-change.sh
 F: buildtools/check-experimental-syms.sh
 
 Driver information
diff --git a/devtools/check-symbol-change.sh b/devtools/check-symbol-change.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..22b17e6f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/devtools/check-symbol-change.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright(c) 2018 Neil Horman <nhorman@tuxdriver.com>
+
+build_map_changes()
+{
+	local fname=$1
+	local mapdb=$2
+
+	cat $fname | filterdiff -i *.map | awk '
+		# Initialize our variables
+		BEGIN {map="";sym="";ar="";sec=""; in_sec=0}
+
+		# Anything that starts with + or -, followed by an a
+		# and ends in the string .map is the name of our map file
+		# This may appear multiple times in a patch if multiple
+		# map files are altered, and all section/symbol names
+		# appearing between a triggering of this rule and the
+		# next trigger of this rule are associated with this file
+		/[-+] a\/.*\.map/ {map=$2}
+
+		# Triggering this rule, which starts a line with a + and ends it
+		# with a { identifies a versioned section.  The section name is
+		# the rest of the line with the + and { symbols remvoed.
+		# Triggering this rule sets in_sec to 1, which actives the
+		# symbol rule below
+		/+.*{/ {gsub("+","");sec=$1; in_sec=1}
+
+		# This rule idenfies the end of a section, and disables the
+		# symbol rule
+		/.*}/ {in_sec=0}
+
+		# This rule matches on a + followed by any characters except a :
+		# (which denotes a global vs local segment), and ends with a ;.
+		# The semicolon is removed and the symbol is printed with its
+		# association file name and version section, along with an
+		# indicator that the symbol is a new addition.  Note this rule
+		# only works if we have found a version section in the rule
+		# above (hence the in_sec check).  Otherwise we flag it as an
+		# unknown section
+		/^+[^}].*[^:*];/ {gsub(";","");sym=$2;
+			if (in_sec == 1) {
+				print map " " sym " " sec " add"
+			} else {
+				print map " " sym " unknown add"
+			}
+		}
+
+		# This is the same rule as above, but the rule matches on a
+		# leading - rather than a +, denoting that the symbol is being
+		# removed.
+		/^-[^}].*[^:*];/ {gsub(";","");sym=$2;
+			if (in_sec == 1) {
+				print map " " sym " " sec " del"
+			} else {
+				print map " " sym " unknown del"
+			}
+		}' > ./$mapdb
+
+		sort -u $mapdb > ./$mapdb.2
+		mv -f $mapdb.2 $mapdb
+
+}
+
+check_for_rule_violations()
+{
+	local mapdb=$1
+	local mname
+	local symname
+	local secname
+	local ar
+	local ret=0
+
+	while read mname symname secname ar
+	do
+		if [ "$ar" == "add" ]
+		then
+
+			if [ "$secname" == "unknown" ]
+			then
+				# Just inform the user of this occurrence, but
+				# don't flag it as an error
+				echo -n "INFO: symbol $syname is added but "
+				echo -n "patch has insuficient context "
+				echo -n "to determine the section name "
+				echo -n "please ensure the version is "
+				echo "EXPERIMENTAL"
+				continue
+			fi
+
+			if [ "$secname" != "EXPERIMENTAL" ]
+			then
+				# Symbols that are getting added in a section
+				# other ithan the experimental section
+				# to be moving from an already supported
+				# section or its a violation
+				grep -q \
+				"$mname $symname [^EXPERIMENTAL] del" $mapdb
+				if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+				then
+					echo -n "ERROR: symbol $symname "
+					echo -n "is added in a section "
+					echo -n "other than the EXPERIMENTAL "
+					echo "section of the version map"
+					ret=1
+				fi
+			fi
+		else
+
+			if [ "$secname" != "EXPERIMENTAL" ]
+			then
+				# Just inform users that non-experimenal
+				# symbols need to go through a deprecation
+				# process
+				echo -n "INFO: symbol $symname is being "
+				echo -n "removed, ensure that it has "
+				echo "gone through the deprecation process"
+			fi
+		fi
+	done < $mapdb
+
+	return $ret
+}
+
+trap clean_and_exit_on_sig EXIT
+
+mapfile=`mktemp mapdb.XXXXXX`
+patch=$1
+exit_code=1
+
+clean_and_exit_on_sig()
+{
+	rm -f $mapfile
+	exit $exit_code
+}
+
+build_map_changes $patch $mapfile
+check_for_rule_violations $mapfile
+exit_code=$?
+
+rm -f $mapfile
+
+exit $exit_code
+
+
diff --git a/devtools/checkpatches.sh b/devtools/checkpatches.sh
index 7676a6b50..fa36b0d98 100755
--- a/devtools/checkpatches.sh
+++ b/devtools/checkpatches.sh
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
 # - DPDK_CHECKPATCH_LINE_LENGTH
 . $(dirname $(readlink -e $0))/load-devel-config
 
+trap "rm -f $TMPINPUT" SIGINT
+
+VALIDATE_NEW_API=$(dirname $(readlink -e $0))/check-symbol-change.sh
+
 length=${DPDK_CHECKPATCH_LINE_LENGTH:-80}
 
 # override default Linux options
@@ -61,6 +65,7 @@ print_usage () {
 	END_OF_HELP
 }
 
+
 number=0
 quiet=false
 verbose=false
@@ -86,19 +91,50 @@ total=0
 status=0
 
 check () { # <patch> <commit> <title>
+	local ret=0
+	TMPINPUT=`mktemp checkpatches.XXXXXX`
+
 	total=$(($total + 1))
 	! $verbose || printf '\n### %s\n\n' "$3"
 	if [ -n "$1" ] ; then
 		report=$($DPDK_CHECKPATCH_PATH $options "$1" 2>/dev/null)
 	elif [ -n "$2" ] ; then
-		report=$(git format-patch --find-renames --no-stat --stdout -1 $commit |
+		git format-patch --find-renames --no-stat --stdout -1 $commit > ./$TMPINPUT
+		report=$(cat ./$TMPINPUT |
 			$DPDK_CHECKPATCH_PATH $options - 2>/dev/null)
 	else
-		report=$($DPDK_CHECKPATCH_PATH $options - 2>/dev/null)
+		cat > ./$TMPINPUT
+		report=$(cat ./$TMPINPUT | $DPDK_CHECKPATCH_PATH $options - 2>/dev/null)
+	fi
+	if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+	then
+		$verbose || printf '\n### %s\n\n' "$3"
+		printf '%s\n' "$report" | sed -n '1,/^total:.*lines checked$/p'
+		ret=1
+	fi
+
+	! $verbose || printf '\nChecking API additions/removals:\n'
+
+	if [ -n "$1" ] ; then
+		report=$($VALIDATE_NEW_API "$1")
+	elif [ -n "$2" ] ; then
+		report=$( cat ./$TMPINPUT | 
+			$VALIDATE_NEW_API -)
+	else
+		report=$(cat ./$TMPINPUT | $VALIDATE_NEW_API -)
+	fi
+
+	if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+	then
+		printf '%s\n' "$report"
+		ret=1
+	fi
+
+	rm -f ./$TMPINPUT
+	if [ $ret -eq 0 ]
+	then
+		return 0
 	fi
-	[ $? -ne 0 ] || return 0
-	$verbose || printf '\n### %s\n\n' "$3"
-	printf '%s\n' "$report" | sed -n '1,/^total:.*lines checked$/p'
 	status=$(($status + 1))
 }
 
