diff --git a/cli/main.go b/cli/main.go
index 72c9165e7d..8d0b36e84c 100644
--- a/cli/main.go
+++ b/cli/main.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/pkg/katautils"
+	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/pkg/rootless"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/pkg/signals"
 	vc "github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers"
 	vf "github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/factory"
@@ -241,6 +242,9 @@ func setExternalLoggers(ctx context.Context, logger *logrus.Entry) {
 
 	// Set the katautils package logger
 	katautils.SetLogger(ctx, logger, originalLoggerLevel)
+
+	// Set the rootless package logger
+	rootless.SetLogger(ctx, logger)
 }
 
 // beforeSubcommands is the function to perform preliminary checks
@@ -337,6 +341,12 @@ func beforeSubcommands(c *cli.Context) error {
 
 	kataLog.WithFields(fields).Info()
 
+	// Check if running rootlessly, and setup for rootless execution
+	err = rootless.SetRootless()
+	if err != nil {
+		fatal(err)
+	}
+
 	// make the data accessible to the sub-commands.
 	c.App.Metadata["runtimeConfig"] = runtimeConfig
 	c.App.Metadata["configFile"] = configFile
diff --git a/pkg/rootless/rootless.go b/pkg/rootless/rootless.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b9946fac7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/rootless/rootless.go
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2019 Intel Corporation
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+//
+
+package rootless
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"context"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+var (
+	isRootless  bool
+	rootlessDir = os.Getenv("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR")
+	uidMapPath  = "/proc/self/uid_map"
+
+	rootlessLog = logrus.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
+		"source": "rootless",
+	})
+)
+
+// SetLogger sets up a logger for the rootless pkg
+func SetLogger(ctx context.Context, logger *logrus.Entry) {
+	fields := rootlessLog.Data
+	rootlessLog = logger.WithFields(fields)
+}
+
+// SetRootless reads a uid_map file, compares the UID of the
+// user inside the container vs on the host. If the host UID
+// is not root, but the container ID is, it can be determined
+// the user is running rootlessly.
+func SetRootless() error {
+	file, err := os.Open(uidMapPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer file.Close()
+
+	buf := bufio.NewReader(file)
+	for {
+		line, _, err := buf.ReadLine()
+		if err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				return nil
+			}
+			return err
+		}
+		if line == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		// if the container id (id[0]) is 0 (root inside the container)
+		// has a mapping to the host id (id[1]) that is not root, then
+		// it can be determined that the host user is running rootless
+		ids := strings.Fields(string(line))
+		if ids[0] == "0" && ids[1] != "0" {
+			rootlessLog.Infof("Running as rootless")
+			isRootless = true
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// IsRootless states whether kata is being ran with root or not
+func IsRootless() bool {
+	return isRootless
+}
+
+// GetRootlessDir returns the path to the location for rootless
+// container and sandbox storage
+func GetRootlessDir() string {
+	return rootlessDir
+}
diff --git a/pkg/rootless/rootless_test.go b/pkg/rootless/rootless_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..48df54f5c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/rootless/rootless_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2019 Intel Corporation
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+//
+
+package rootless
+
+import (
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+var uidMapPathStore = uidMapPath
+
+func createTestUIDMapFile(input string) error {
+	f, err := os.Create(uidMapPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+
+	_, err = f.WriteString(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// TestSetRootlessRootlessUID1000 tests that isRootless is set to
+// true when a host UID is not 0
+func TestSetRootlessRootlessUID1000(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	// by default isRootless should be set to false initially
+	assert.False(IsRootless())
+
+	tmpDir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "")
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	uidMapPath = filepath.Join(tmpDir, "testUIDMapFile")
+	defer func() {
+		uidMapPath = uidMapPathStore
+		os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+		isRootless = false
+	}()
+
+	mapping := "\t0\t1000\t5555"
+	err = createTestUIDMapFile(mapping)
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	err = SetRootless()
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	assert.True(IsRootless())
+}
+
+// TestSetRootlessRootUID0 tests that isRootless is not set when
+// the host UID is 0
+func TestSetRootlessRootUID0(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	// by default isRootless should be set to false initially
+	assert.False(IsRootless())
+
+	tmpDir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "")
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	uidMapPath = filepath.Join(tmpDir, "testUIDMapFile")
+	defer func() {
+		uidMapPath = uidMapPathStore
+		os.RemoveAll(uidMapPath)
+		isRootless = false
+	}()
+
+	mapping := "\t0\t0\t5555"
+	err = createTestUIDMapFile(mapping)
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	err = SetRootless()
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	assert.False(IsRootless())
+}