diff --git a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
index 324c6047465..1f4d681f29f 100644
--- a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
@@ -247,6 +247,11 @@ var ValidateEndpointsName = NameIsDNSSubdomain
 // ValidateClusterName can be used to check whether the given cluster name is valid.
 var ValidateClusterName = genericvalidation.ValidateClusterName
 
+// ValidateClassName can be used to check whether the given class name is valid.
+// It is defined here to avoid import cycle between pkg/apis/storage/validation
+// (where it should be) and this file.
+var ValidateClassName = NameIsDNSSubdomain
+
 // TODO update all references to these functions to point to the genericvalidation ones
 // NameIsDNSSubdomain is a ValidateNameFunc for names that must be a DNS subdomain.
 func NameIsDNSSubdomain(name string, prefix bool) []string {
@@ -1194,6 +1199,12 @@ func ValidatePersistentVolume(pv *api.PersistentVolume) field.ErrorList {
 		allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Forbidden(specPath.Child("persistentVolumeReclaimPolicy"), "may not be 'recycle' for a hostPath mount of '/'"))
 	}
 
+	if len(pv.Spec.StorageClassName) > 0 {
+		for _, msg := range ValidateClassName(pv.Spec.StorageClassName, false) {
+			allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Invalid(specPath.Child("storageClassName"), pv.Spec.StorageClassName, msg))
+		}
+	}
+
 	return allErrs
 }
 
@@ -1244,6 +1255,12 @@ func ValidatePersistentVolumeClaimSpec(spec *api.PersistentVolumeClaimSpec, fldP
 	} else {
 		allErrs = append(allErrs, ValidateResourceQuantityValue(string(api.ResourceStorage), storageValue, fldPath.Child("resources").Key(string(api.ResourceStorage)))...)
 	}
+
+	if spec.StorageClassName != nil && len(*spec.StorageClassName) > 0 {
+		for _, msg := range ValidateClassName(*spec.StorageClassName, false) {
+			allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Invalid(fldPath.Child("storageClassName"), *spec.StorageClassName, msg))
+		}
+	}
 	return allErrs
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go b/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
index df78584d311..6d22077cd1c 100644
--- a/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ func TestValidatePersistentVolumes(t *testing.T) {
 				PersistentVolumeSource: api.PersistentVolumeSource{
 					HostPath: &api.HostPathVolumeSource{Path: "/foo"},
 				},
+				StorageClassName: "valid",
 			}),
 		},
 		"good-volume-with-retain-policy": {
@@ -230,6 +231,19 @@ func TestValidatePersistentVolumes(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}),
 		},
+		"invalid-storage-class-name": {
+			isExpectedFailure: true,
+			volume: testVolume("invalid-storage-class-name", "", api.PersistentVolumeSpec{
+				Capacity: api.ResourceList{
+					api.ResourceName(api.ResourceStorage): resource.MustParse("10G"),
+				},
+				AccessModes: []api.PersistentVolumeAccessMode{api.ReadWriteOnce},
+				PersistentVolumeSource: api.PersistentVolumeSource{
+					HostPath: &api.HostPathVolumeSource{Path: "/foo"},
+				},
+				StorageClassName: "-invalid-",
+			}),
+		},
 	}
 
 	for name, scenario := range scenarios {
@@ -301,6 +315,8 @@ func testVolumeClaimAnnotation(name string, namespace string, ann string, annval
 }
 
 func TestValidatePersistentVolumeClaim(t *testing.T) {
+	invalidClassName := "-invalid-"
+	validClassName := "valid"
 	scenarios := map[string]struct {
 		isExpectedFailure bool
 		claim             *api.PersistentVolumeClaim
@@ -325,6 +341,7 @@ func TestValidatePersistentVolumeClaim(t *testing.T) {
 						api.ResourceName(api.ResourceStorage): resource.MustParse("10G"),
 					},
 				},
+				StorageClassName: &validClassName,
 			}),
 		},
 		"invalid-label-selector": {
@@ -428,6 +445,29 @@ func TestValidatePersistentVolumeClaim(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}),
 		},
+		"invalid-storage-class-name": {
+			isExpectedFailure: true,
+			claim: testVolumeClaim("foo", "ns", api.PersistentVolumeClaimSpec{
+				Selector: &metav1.LabelSelector{
+					MatchExpressions: []metav1.LabelSelectorRequirement{
+						{
+							Key:      "key2",
+							Operator: "Exists",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				AccessModes: []api.PersistentVolumeAccessMode{
+					api.ReadWriteOnce,
+					api.ReadOnlyMany,
+				},
+				Resources: api.ResourceRequirements{
+					Requests: api.ResourceList{
+						api.ResourceName(api.ResourceStorage): resource.MustParse("10G"),
+					},
+				},
+				StorageClassName: &invalidClassName,
+			}),
+		},
 	}
 
 	for name, scenario := range scenarios {
diff --git a/pkg/apis/storage/validation/validation.go b/pkg/apis/storage/validation/validation.go
index 117ec7427bd..d72288f9784 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/storage/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/storage/validation/validation.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import (
 
 // ValidateStorageClass validates a StorageClass.
 func ValidateStorageClass(storageClass *storage.StorageClass) field.ErrorList {
-	allErrs := apivalidation.ValidateObjectMeta(&storageClass.ObjectMeta, false, apivalidation.NameIsDNSSubdomain, field.NewPath("metadata"))
+	allErrs := apivalidation.ValidateObjectMeta(&storageClass.ObjectMeta, false, apivalidation.ValidateClassName, field.NewPath("metadata"))
 	allErrs = append(allErrs, validateProvisioner(storageClass.Provisioner, field.NewPath("provisioner"))...)
 	allErrs = append(allErrs, validateParameters(storageClass.Parameters, field.NewPath("parameters"))...)