diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk b/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk
index 8a852d4..cc933f9 100644
--- a/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk
@@ -2,4 +2,5 @@
 	extensions/openpower-pels/bcd_time.cpp \
 	extensions/openpower-pels/entry_points.cpp \
 	extensions/openpower-pels/manager.cpp \
-	extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp
+	extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp \
+	extensions/openpower-pels/user_header.cpp
diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/user_header.cpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/user_header.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..16d6212
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/user_header.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+#include "user_header.hpp"
+
+#include <phosphor-logging/log.hpp>
+
+namespace openpower
+{
+namespace pels
+{
+
+using namespace phosphor::logging;
+
+Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, UserHeader& uh)
+{
+    s >> uh._header >> uh._eventSubsystem >> uh._eventScope >>
+        uh._eventSeverity >> uh._eventType >> uh._reserved4Byte1 >>
+        uh._problemDomain >> uh._problemVector >> uh._actionFlags >>
+        uh._reserved4Byte2;
+    return s;
+}
+
+Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, UserHeader& uh)
+{
+    s << uh._header << uh._eventSubsystem << uh._eventScope << uh._eventSeverity
+      << uh._eventType << uh._reserved4Byte1 << uh._problemDomain
+      << uh._problemVector << uh._actionFlags << uh._reserved4Byte2;
+    return s;
+}
+
+UserHeader::UserHeader(Stream& pel)
+{
+    try
+    {
+        pel >> *this;
+        validate();
+    }
+    catch (const std::exception& e)
+    {
+        log<level::ERR>("Cannot unflatten user header",
+                        entry("ERROR=%s", e.what()));
+        _valid = false;
+    }
+}
+
+void UserHeader::validate()
+{
+    bool failed = false;
+    if (header().id != userHeaderSectionID)
+    {
+        log<level::ERR>("Invalid user header section ID",
+                        entry("ID=0x%X", header().id));
+        failed = true;
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (header().version != userHeaderVersion)
+    {
+        log<level::ERR>("Invalid user header version",
+                        entry("VERSION=0x%X", header().version));
+        failed = true;
+        return;
+    }
+
+    _valid = (failed) ? false : true;
+}
+
+} // namespace pels
+} // namespace openpower
diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/user_header.hpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/user_header.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2c6ffc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/user_header.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "section.hpp"
+#include "stream.hpp"
+
+namespace openpower
+{
+namespace pels
+{
+
+static constexpr uint16_t userHeaderSectionID = 0x5548; // 'UH'
+static constexpr uint16_t userHeaderVersion = 0x01;
+
+/**
+ * @class UserHeader
+ *
+ * This represents the User Header section in a PEL.  It is required,
+ * and it is always the second section.
+ *
+ * The Section base class handles the section header structure that every
+ * PEL section has at offset zero.
+ *
+ * The fields in this class directly correspond to the order and sizes of
+ * the fields in the section.
+ */
+class UserHeader : public Section
+{
+  public:
+    UserHeader() = delete;
+    ~UserHeader() = default;
+    UserHeader(const UserHeader&) = default;
+    UserHeader& operator=(const UserHeader&) = default;
+    UserHeader(UserHeader&&) = default;
+    UserHeader& operator=(UserHeader&&) = default;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Constructor
+     *
+     * Fills in this class's data fields from the stream.
+     *
+     * @param[in] pel - the PEL data stream
+     */
+    explicit UserHeader(Stream& pel);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the subsystem field.
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the subsystem
+     */
+    uint8_t& subsystem()
+    {
+        return _eventSubsystem;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the event scope field.
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the event scope
+     */
+    uint8_t& scope()
+    {
+        return _eventScope;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the severity field.
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the severity
+     */
+    uint8_t& severity()
+    {
+        return _eventSeverity;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the event type field.
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the event type
+     */
+    uint8_t& eventType()
+    {
+        return _eventType;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the problem domain field.
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the problem domain
+     */
+    uint8_t& problemDomain()
+    {
+        return _problemDomain;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the problem vector field.
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the problem vector
+     */
+    uint8_t& problemVector()
+    {
+        return _problemVector;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the action flags field.
+     *
+     * @return uint16_t& - the action flags
+     */
+    uint16_t& actionFlags()
+    {
+        return _actionFlags;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @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(_eventSubsystem) +
+               sizeof(_eventScope) + sizeof(_eventSeverity) +
+               sizeof(_eventType) + sizeof(_reserved4Byte1) +
+               sizeof(_problemDomain) + sizeof(_problemVector) +
+               sizeof(_actionFlags) + sizeof(_reserved4Byte2);
+    }
+
+    friend Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, UserHeader& ph);
+    friend Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, UserHeader& ph);
+
+  private:
+    /**
+     * @brief Validates the section contents
+     *
+     * Updates _valid (in Section) with the results.
+     */
+    void validate() override;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The subsystem associated with the event.
+     */
+    uint8_t _eventSubsystem;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The event scope field.
+     */
+    uint8_t _eventScope;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The event severity.
+     */
+    uint8_t _eventSeverity;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The event type.
+     */
+    uint8_t _eventType;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief A reserved word placeholder
+     */
+    uint32_t _reserved4Byte1;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The problem domain field.
+     */
+    uint8_t _problemDomain;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The problem vector field.
+     */
+    uint8_t _problemVector;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The action flags field.
+     */
+    uint16_t _actionFlags;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The second reserved word placeholder.
+     */
+    uint32_t _reserved4Byte2;
+};
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream extraction operator for the UserHeader
+ *
+ * @param[in] s - the stream
+ * @param[out] uh - the UserHeader object
+ */
+Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, UserHeader& uh);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream insertion operator for the UserHeader
+ *
+ * @param[out] s - the stream
+ * @param[in] uh - the UserHeader object
+ */
+Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, UserHeader& uh);
+
+} // namespace pels
+} // namespace openpower