diff --git a/lib/checks/aria/errormessage.js b/lib/checks/aria/errormessage.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0744ad198e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/checks/aria/errormessage.js
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+options = Array.isArray(options) ? options : [];
+
+var attr = node.getAttribute('aria-errormessage'),
+	hasAttr = node.hasAttribute('aria-errormessage');
+
+var doc = axe.commons.dom.getRootNode(node);
+
+function validateAttrValue() {
+	var idref = attr && doc.getElementById(attr);
+	if (idref) {
+		return idref.getAttribute('role') === 'alert' ||
+			idref.getAttribute('aria-live') === 'assertive' ||
+			axe.utils.tokenList(node.getAttribute('aria-describedby') || '').indexOf(attr) > -1;
+	}
+}
+
+// limit results to elements that actually have this attribute
+if (options.indexOf(attr) === -1 && hasAttr) {
+	if (!validateAttrValue()) {
+		this.data(attr);
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	return true;
+}
diff --git a/lib/checks/aria/errormessage.json b/lib/checks/aria/errormessage.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5bf3563ce3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/checks/aria/errormessage.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "id": "aria-errormessage",
+  "evaluate": "errormessage.js",
+  "metadata": {
+    "impact": "critical",
+    "messages": {
+      "pass": "Uses a supported aria-errormessage technique",
+      "fail": "aria-errormessage value{{=it.data && it.data.length > 1 ? 's' : ''}} {{~it.data:value}} `{{=value}}{{~}}` must use a technique to announce the message (e.g., aria-live, aria-describedby, role=alert, etc.)"
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js b/lib/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js
index 02ffad9ac0..b5a7c58757 100644
--- a/lib/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js
+++ b/lib/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js
@@ -6,13 +6,18 @@ var invalid = [],
 var attr, attrName,
 	attrs = node.attributes;
 
+var skipAttrs = ['aria-errormessage'];
+
 for (var i = 0, l = attrs.length; i < l; i++) {
 	attr = attrs[i];
 	attrName = attr.name;
-	if (options.indexOf(attrName) === -1 && aria.test(attrName) &&
-		!axe.commons.aria.validateAttrValue(node, attrName)) {
+	// skip any attributes handled elsewhere
+	if (!skipAttrs.includes(attrName)) {
+		if (options.indexOf(attrName) === -1 && aria.test(attrName) &&
+			!axe.commons.aria.validateAttrValue(node, attrName)) {
 
-		invalid.push(attrName + '="' + attr.nodeValue + '"');
+			invalid.push(attrName + '="' + attr.nodeValue + '"');
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/commons/aria/attributes.js b/lib/commons/aria/attributes.js
index baaf81a838..6a34d6555d 100644
--- a/lib/commons/aria/attributes.js
+++ b/lib/commons/aria/attributes.js
@@ -36,24 +36,6 @@ aria.validateAttr = function (att) {
 	return !!lookupTables.attributes[att];
 };
 
-/**
- * Validate the value of an ARIA attribute with an idref
- * @param  {HTMLElement} doc Root element
- * @param  {HTMLElement} node The element to check
- * @param  {String} attr The name of the attribute
- * @param  {String} value The value of the attribute
- * @return {Boolean}
- */
-aria.validateIdrefType = function (doc, node, attr, value) {
-	var idref = value && doc.getElementById(value);
-	if (idref && attr === 'aria-errormessage') {
-		return idref.getAttribute('role') === 'alert' ||
-			idref.getAttribute('aria-live') === 'assertive' ||
-			axe.utils.tokenList(node.getAttribute('aria-describedby') || '').indexOf(value) > -1;
-	}
-	return !!idref;
-};
-
 /**
  * Validate the value of an ARIA attribute
  * @param  {HTMLElement} node The element to check
@@ -87,7 +69,7 @@ aria.validateAttrValue = function (node, attr) {
 		}, list.length !== 0);
 
 	case 'idref':
-		return aria.validateIdrefType(doc, node, attr, value);
+		return !!(value && doc.getElementById(value));
 
 	case 'idrefs':
 		list = axe.utils.tokenList(value);
diff --git a/lib/rules/aria-valid-attr-value.json b/lib/rules/aria-valid-attr-value.json
index b009bb5914..0caed21830 100644
--- a/lib/rules/aria-valid-attr-value.json
+++ b/lib/rules/aria-valid-attr-value.json
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
   },
   "all": [],
   "any": [
+    "aria-errormessage",
     "aria-valid-attr-value"
   ],
   "none": []
diff --git a/test/checks/aria/errormessage.js b/test/checks/aria/errormessage.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..819cd875b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/checks/aria/errormessage.js
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+describe('aria-errormessage', function () {
+	'use strict';
+
+	var fixture = document.getElementById('fixture');
+
+	var checkContext = axe.testUtils.MockCheckContext();
+
+	afterEach(function () {
+		fixture.innerHTML = '';
+		checkContext._data = null;
+	});
+
+	it('should return false if aria-errormessage value is invalid', function () {
+		var testHTML = '<div></div>';
+		testHTML += '<div id="plain"></div>';
+		fixture.innerHTML = testHTML;
+		var target = fixture.children[0];
+		target.setAttribute('aria-errormessage', 'plain');
+		assert.isFalse(checks['aria-errormessage'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
+	});
+
+	it('should return true if aria-errormessage id is alert', function () {
+		var testHTML = '<div></div>';
+		testHTML += '<div id="alert" role="alert"></div>';
+		fixture.innerHTML = testHTML;
+		var target = fixture.children[0];
+		target.setAttribute('aria-errormessage', 'alert');
+		assert.isTrue(checks['aria-errormessage'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
+	});
+
+	it('should return true if aria-errormessage id is aria-live=assertive', function () {
+		var testHTML = '<div></div>';
+		testHTML += '<div id="live" aria-live="assertive"></div>';
+		fixture.innerHTML = testHTML;
+		var target = fixture.children[0];
+		target.setAttribute('aria-errormessage', 'live');
+		assert.isTrue(checks['aria-errormessage'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
+	});
+
+	it('should return true if aria-errormessage id is aria-describedby', function () {
+		var testHTML = '<div></div>';
+		testHTML += '<div id="plain"></div>';
+		fixture.innerHTML = testHTML;
+		var target = fixture.children[0];
+		target.setAttribute('aria-errormessage', 'plain');
+		target.setAttribute('aria-describedby', 'plain');
+		assert.isTrue(checks['aria-errormessage'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
+	});
+});
diff --git a/test/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js b/test/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js
index 0f415536c4..a375600de4 100644
--- a/test/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js
+++ b/test/checks/aria/valid-attr-value.js
@@ -60,23 +60,6 @@ describe('aria-valid-attr-value', function () {
 		assert.isNull(checkContext._data);
 	});
 
-	it('should return true if aria-errormessage id is alert or aria-describedby', function () {
-		var testHTML = '<div></div>';
-		testHTML += '<div id="plain"></div>';
-		testHTML += '<div id="live" aria-live="assertive"></div>';
-		testHTML += '<div id="alert" role="alert"></div>';
-		fixture.innerHTML = testHTML;
-		var target = fixture.children[0];
-		target.setAttribute('aria-errormessage', 'plain');
-		assert.isFalse(checks['aria-valid-attr-value'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
-		target.setAttribute('aria-errormessage', 'live');
-		assert.isTrue(checks['aria-valid-attr-value'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
-		target.setAttribute('aria-errormessage', 'alert');
-		assert.isTrue(checks['aria-valid-attr-value'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
-		target.setAttribute('aria-describedby', 'plain');
-		assert.isTrue(checks['aria-valid-attr-value'].evaluate.call(checkContext, target));
-	});
-
 	it('should return false if any values are invalid', function () {
 		var node = document.createElement('div');
 		node.id = 'test';