diff --git a/include/device.h b/include/device.h
index 50cf1d6a515..5767d7b3b48 100644
--- a/include/device.h
+++ b/include/device.h
@@ -304,6 +304,25 @@ struct device {
 void _sys_device_do_config_level(int level);
 struct device* device_get_binding(char *name);
 
+/**
+ * @brief Indicate that the device is in the middle of a transaction
+ *
+ * Called by a device driver to indicate that it is in the middle of a
+ * transaction.
+ *
+ * @param busy_dev Pointer to device structure of the driver instance.
+ */
+void device_busy_set(struct device *busy_dev);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Indicate that the device has completed its transaction
+ *
+ * Called by a device driver to indicate the end of a transaction.
+ *
+ * @param busy_dev Pointer to device structure of the driver instance.
+ */
+void device_busy_clear(struct device *busy_dev);
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_DEVICE_POWER_MANAGEMENT
 /**
  * Device PM functions
@@ -370,6 +389,30 @@ static inline int device_resume(struct device *device, int pm_policy)
  */
 void device_list_get(struct device **device_list, int *device_count);
 
+/**
+ * @brief Check if any device is in the middle of a transaction
+ *
+ * Called by an application to see if any device is in the middle
+ * of a critical transaction that cannot be interrupted.
+ *
+ * @retval 0 if no device is busy
+ * @retval -EBUSY if any device is busy
+ */
+int device_any_busy_check(void);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Check if a specific device is in the middle of a transaction
+ *
+ * Called by an application to see if a particular device is in the
+ * middle of a critical transaction that cannot be interrupted.
+ *
+ * @param chk_dev Pointer to device structure of the specific device driver
+ * the caller is interested in.
+ * @retval 0 if the device is not busy
+ * @retval -EBUSY if the device is busy
+ */
+int device_busy_check(struct device *chk_dev);
+
 #endif
 
 /**
diff --git a/include/linker-defs.h b/include/linker-defs.h
index 26a01a6d6e3..947ead1a702 100644
--- a/include/linker-defs.h
+++ b/include/linker-defs.h
@@ -45,6 +45,24 @@
 
 #ifdef _LINKER
 
+
+/*
+ * Space for storing per device busy bitmap. Since we do not know beforehand
+ * the number of devices, we go through the below mechanism to allocate the
+ * required space.
+ */
+#ifdef CONFIG_DEVICE_POWER_MANAGEMENT
+#define DEVICE_COUNT	((__device_init_end - __device_init_start) / __DEVICE_STR_SIZEOF)
+#define DEV_BUSY_SZ	(((DEVICE_COUNT + 31) / 32) * 4)
+#define DEVICE_BUSY_BITFIELD()			\
+		FILL(0x00) ;			\
+		__device_busy_start = .;	\
+		. = . + DEV_BUSY_SZ;		\
+		__device_busy_end = .;
+#else
+#define DEVICE_BUSY_BITFIELD()
+#endif
+
 /*
  * generate a symbol to mark the start of the device initialization objects for
  * the specified level, then link all of those objects (sorted by priority);
@@ -69,7 +87,8 @@
 		DEVICE_INIT_LEVEL(NANOKERNEL)	\
 		DEVICE_INIT_LEVEL(MICROKERNEL)	\
 		DEVICE_INIT_LEVEL(APPLICATION)	\
-		__device_init_end = .;			\
+		__device_init_end = .;		\
+		DEVICE_BUSY_BITFIELD()		\
 
 
 /* define a section for undefined device initialization levels */
diff --git a/kernel/nanokernel/device.c b/kernel/nanokernel/device.c
index 34be89ff39d..1b774a29fbf 100644
--- a/kernel/nanokernel/device.c
+++ b/kernel/nanokernel/device.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <device.h>
 #include <misc/util.h>
+#include <atomic.h>
 
 extern struct device __device_init_start[];
 extern struct device __device_PRIMARY_start[];
@@ -37,6 +38,9 @@ static struct device *config_levels[] = {
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_DEVICE_POWER_MANAGEMENT
 struct device_pm_ops device_pm_ops_nop = {device_pm_nop, device_pm_nop};
+extern uint32_t __device_busy_start[];
+extern uint32_t __device_busy_end[];
+#define DEVICE_BUSY_SIZE (__device_busy_end - __device_busy_start)
 #endif
 
 /**
@@ -98,4 +102,43 @@ void device_list_get(struct device **device_list, int *device_count)
 	*device_list = __device_init_start;
 	*device_count = __device_init_end - __device_init_start;
 }
+
+
+int device_any_busy_check(void)
+{
+	int i = 0;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < DEVICE_BUSY_SIZE; i++) {
+		if (__device_busy_start[i] != 0) {
+			return -EBUSY;
+		}
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int device_busy_check(struct device *chk_dev)
+{
+	if (atomic_test_bit((const atomic_t *)__device_busy_start,
+				 (chk_dev - __device_init_start))) {
+		return -EBUSY;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
 #endif
+
+void device_busy_set(struct device *busy_dev)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_DEVICE_POWER_MANAGEMENT
+	atomic_set_bit((atomic_t *) __device_busy_start,
+				 (busy_dev - __device_init_start));
+#endif
+}
+
+void device_busy_clear(struct device *busy_dev)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_DEVICE_POWER_MANAGEMENT
+	atomic_clear_bit((atomic_t *) __device_busy_start,
+				 (busy_dev - __device_init_start));
+#endif
+}
diff --git a/kernel/nanokernel/include/nano_offsets.h b/kernel/nanokernel/include/nano_offsets.h
index 043c7d38c05..8dbd2fca52d 100644
--- a/kernel/nanokernel/include/nano_offsets.h
+++ b/kernel/nanokernel/include/nano_offsets.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
+#include <device.h>
 
 #ifndef _NANO_OFFSETS__H_
 #define _NANO_OFFSETS__H_
@@ -64,4 +65,7 @@ GEN_OFFSET_SYM(tTCS, errno_var);
 
 GEN_ABSOLUTE_SYM(__tTCS_SIZEOF, sizeof(tTCS));
 
+/* size of the device structure. Used by linker scripts */
+GEN_ABSOLUTE_SYM(__DEVICE_STR_SIZEOF, sizeof(struct device));
+
 #endif /* _NANO_OFFSETS__H_ */