diff --git a/state/state.go b/state/state.go
index 5862162d1..85d0f5612 100644
--- a/state/state.go
+++ b/state/state.go
@@ -304,6 +304,24 @@ func MedianTime(commit *types.Commit, validators *types.ValidatorSet) time.Time
 	return weightedMedian(weightedTimes, totalVotingPower)
 }
 
+// IsTimely validates that the passed in block timestamp is 'timely' according to the proposer-based timestamp algorithm.
+// To evaluate if a timestamp is timely, it is compared to the local time of the validator along with the configured
+// Precision and MsgDelay parameters.
+// Specifically, a proposed block timestamp is considered timely if it is satisfies the following inequalities:
+//
+// proposedBlockTime < validatorLocalTime + Precision + MsgDelay && proposedBlockTime > validatorLocaltime - Precision.
+//
+// For more information on the meaning of 'timely', see the proposer-based timestamp specification:
+// https://github.com/tendermint/spec/tree/master/spec/consensus/proposer-based-timestamp
+func IsTimely(bt time.Time, lt time.Time, precision time.Duration, msgDelay time.Duration) bool {
+	lhs := lt.Add(-precision).UnixMilli()
+	rhs := lt.Add(precision).Add(msgDelay).UnixMilli()
+	if lhs < bt.UnixMilli() && bt.UnixMilli() < rhs {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Genesis
 
diff --git a/state/time_test.go b/state/time_test.go
index 893ade7ea..6ccb8cc91 100644
--- a/state/time_test.go
+++ b/state/time_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	tmtime "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/time"
 )
 
@@ -55,3 +56,53 @@ func TestWeightedMedian(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, true, (median.After(t1) || median.Equal(t1)) &&
 		(median.Before(t4) || median.Equal(t4)))
 }
+
+func TestIsTimely(t *testing.T) {
+	genesisTime, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2019-03-13T23:00:00Z")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name         string
+		blockTime    time.Time
+		localTime    time.Time
+		precision    time.Duration
+		msgDelay     time.Duration
+		expectTimely bool
+	}{
+		{
+			// Checking that the following inequality evaluates to true:
+			// 1 - 2 < 0 < 1 + 2 + 1
+			name:         "basic timely",
+			blockTime:    genesisTime,
+			localTime:    genesisTime.Add(1 * time.Millisecond),
+			precision:    time.Millisecond * 2,
+			msgDelay:     time.Millisecond,
+			expectTimely: true,
+		},
+		{
+			// Checking that the following inequality evaluates to false:
+			// 3 - 2 < 0 < 3 + 2 + 1
+			name:         "local time too large",
+			blockTime:    genesisTime,
+			localTime:    genesisTime.Add(3 * time.Millisecond),
+			precision:    time.Millisecond * 2,
+			msgDelay:     time.Millisecond,
+			expectTimely: false,
+		},
+		{
+			// Checking that the following inequality evaluates to false:
+			// 0 - 2 < 2 < 2 + 1
+			name:         "block time too large",
+			blockTime:    genesisTime.Add(4 * time.Millisecond),
+			localTime:    genesisTime,
+			precision:    time.Millisecond * 2,
+			msgDelay:     time.Millisecond,
+			expectTimely: false,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, testCase := range testCases {
+		t.Run(testCase.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			ti := IsTimely(testCase.blockTime, testCase.localTime, testCase.precision, testCase.msgDelay)
+			assert.Equal(t, testCase.expectTimely, ti)
+		})
+	}
+}