diff --git a/core/common/validation/statebased/validator.go b/core/common/validation/statebased/validator.go
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/core/common/validation/statebased/validator.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/*
+Copyright IBM Corp. All Rights Reserved.
+
+SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+*/
+
+package statebased
+
+import (
+	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/protos/peer"
+)
+
+// StateBasedValidator is used to validate a transaction that performs changes to
+// KVS keys that use key-level endorsement policies. This interface is supposed to be called
+// by any validator plugin (including the default validator plugin). The functions of this
+// interface are to be called as follows:
+// 1) the validator plugin extracts the read-write set from the transaction and calls PreValidate
+//    (even before determining whether the transaction is valid)
+// 2) the validator plugin calls Validate before or after having determined the validity of the
+//    transaction based on other considerations
+// 3) the validator plugin determines the overall validity of the transaction and then calls
+//    PostValidate
+type StateBasedValidator interface {
+	// PreValidate sets the internal data structures of the validator needed before validation
+	// of `rwset` on the specified channel at the specified height
+	PreValidate(ch, cc string, blockNum, txNum uint64, rwset []byte) error
+	// TODO: remove the channel argument as part of FAB-9908
+
+	// Validate determines whether the transaction on the specified channel at the specified height
+	// is valid according to its chaincode-level endorsement policy and any key-level validation
+	// parametres
+	Validate(ch, cc string, blockNum, txNum uint64, rwset, prp, ep []byte, endorsements []*peer.Endorsement) error
+	// TODO: remove the channel argument as part of FAB-9908
+
+	// PostValidate sets the internal data structures of the validator needed after the validation
+	// code was determined for a transaction on the specified channel at the specified height
+	PostValidate(ch, cc string, blockNum, txNum uint64, vc peer.TxValidationCode) error
+	// TODO: remove the channel argument as part of FAB-9908
+}