diff --git a/attn/pel/private_header.hpp b/attn/pel/private_header.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b80968
--- /dev/null
+++ b/attn/pel/private_header.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+#pragma once
+
+//#include "bcd_time.hpp"
+#include "pel_common.hpp"
+#include "pel_section.hpp"
+#include "stream.hpp"
+
+namespace attn
+{
+namespace pel
+{
+
+// creator version field type, init to null terminated
+// struct CreatorVersion
+//{
+//    uint8_t version[8];
+
+//    CreatorVersion()
+//    {
+//        memset(version, '\0', sizeof(version));
+//    }
+//};
+
+/**
+ * @class PrivateHeader
+ *
+ * This represents the Private Header section in a PEL.  It is required,
+ * and it is always the first section.
+ *
+ * The Section base class handles the SectionHeader structure that every
+ * PEL section has at offset zero.
+ *
+ * |--------+----------------------+----------+----------+---------------|
+ * | length | byte0                | byte1    | byte2    | byte3         |
+ * |--------+----------------------+----------+----------+---------------|
+ * | 8      | Section Header                                             |
+ * |        |                                                            |
+ * |--------+------------------------------------------------------------|
+ * | 8      | Timestamp - Creation                                       |
+ * |        |                                                            |
+ * |--------+------------------------------------------------------------|
+ * | 8      | Timestamp - Commit                                         |
+ * |        |                                                            |
+ * |--------+----------------------+----------+----------+---------------|
+ * | 4      | Creator ID           | reserved | reserved | section count |
+ * |--------+----------------------+----------+----------+---------------|
+ * | 4      | OpenBMC Event Log ID                                       |
+ * |--------+------------------------------------------------------------|
+ * | 8      | Creator Implementation                                     |
+ * |        |                                                            |
+ * |--------+------------------------------------------------------------|
+ * | 4      | Platform Log ID                                            |
+ * |--------+------------------------------------------------------------|
+ * | 4      | Log Entry ID                                               |
+ * |--------+------------------------------------------------------------|
+ */
+class PrivateHeader : public Section
+{
+  public:
+    PrivateHeader()                     = delete;
+    ~PrivateHeader()                    = default;
+    PrivateHeader(const PrivateHeader&) = default;
+    PrivateHeader& operator=(const PrivateHeader&) = default;
+    PrivateHeader(PrivateHeader&&)                 = default;
+    PrivateHeader& operator=(PrivateHeader&&) = default;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Constructor
+     *
+     * Fills in this class's data fields from raw data.
+     *
+     * @param[in] pel - the PEL data stream
+     *
+     */
+    explicit PrivateHeader(Stream& pel);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Flatten the section into the stream
+     *
+     * @param[in] stream - The stream to write to
+     */
+    void flatten(Stream& stream) const override;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Fills in the object from the stream data
+     *
+     * @param[in] stream - The stream to read from
+     */
+    void unflatten(Stream& stream);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the size of this section when flattened into a PEL
+     *
+     * @return size_t - the size of the section
+     */
+    static constexpr size_t flattenedSize()
+    {
+        return Section::flattenedSize() + sizeof(_createTimestamp) +
+               sizeof(_commitTimestamp) + sizeof(_creatorID) +
+               sizeof(_reservedByte1) + sizeof(_reservedByte2) +
+               sizeof(_sectionCount) + sizeof(_obmcLogID) +
+               sizeof(_creatorVersion) + sizeof(_plid) + sizeof(_id);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Get the total number of sections in this PEL
+     *
+     * @return Number of sections
+     */
+    uint8_t getSectionCount();
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Set the total number of sections in this PEL
+     *
+     * @param[in] sectionCount - Number of sections
+     */
+    void setSectionCount(uint8_t sectionCount);
+
+  private:
+    /**
+     * @brief The creation time timestamp
+     */
+    uint64_t _createTimestamp;
+    // BCDTime _createTimestamp;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The commit time timestamp
+     */
+    uint64_t _commitTimestamp;
+    // BCDTime _commitTimestamp;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The creator ID field
+     */
+    uint8_t _creatorID;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief A reserved byte.
+     */
+    uint8_t _reservedByte1 = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief A reserved byte.
+     */
+    uint8_t _reservedByte2 = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Total number of sections in the PEL
+     */
+    uint8_t _sectionCount = 3; // private header, user header, primary src = 3
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The OpenBMC event log ID that corresponds to this PEL.
+     */
+    uint32_t _obmcLogID = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The creator subsystem version field
+     */
+    uint64_t _creatorVersion;
+    // CreatorVersion _creatorVersion;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The platform log ID field
+     */
+    uint32_t _plid;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The log entry ID field
+     */
+    uint32_t _id = 0;
+};
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream insertion operator for the CreatorVersion
+ *
+ * @param[out] s - the stream
+ * @param[in] cv - the CreatorVersion object
+ */
+// Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, const CreatorVersion& cv);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream extraction operator for the CreatorVersion
+ *
+ * @param[in] s - the stream
+ * @param[out] cv - the CreatorVersion object
+ */
+// Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, CreatorVersion& cv);
+
+} // namespace pel
+} // namespace attn