diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/pel.hpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/pel.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..564fe33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/pel.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,204 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "private_header.hpp"
+#include "user_header.hpp"
+
+#include <memory>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace openpower
+{
+namespace pels
+{
+
+/** @class PEL
+ *
+ * @brief This class represents a specific event log format referred to as a
+ * Platform Event Log.
+ *
+ * Every field in a PEL are in structures call sections, of which there are
+ * several types.  Some sections are required, and some are optional.  In some
+ * cases there may be more than one instance of a section type.
+ *
+ * The only two required sections for every type of PEL are the Private Header
+ * section and User Header section, which must be in the first and second
+ * positions, respectively.
+ *
+ * Every section starts with an 8 byte section header, which has the section
+ * size and type, among other things.
+ *
+ * This class represents all sections with objects.
+ *
+ * The available constructors are:
+ * - PEL(const std::vector<uint8_t>& data) - build this object out of a fully
+ *   formed flattened PEL.
+ *
+ * The data() method allows one to retrieve the PEL as a vector<uint8_t>.  This
+ * is the format in which it is stored and transmitted.
+ */
+class PEL
+{
+  public:
+    PEL() = delete;
+    ~PEL() = default;
+    PEL(const PEL&) = delete;
+    PEL& operator=(const PEL&) = delete;
+    PEL(PEL&&) = delete;
+    PEL& operator=(PEL&&) = delete;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Constructor
+     *
+     * Build a PEL from raw data.
+     *
+     * @param[in] data - The PEL data
+     */
+    PEL(const std::vector<uint8_t>& data);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Constructor
+     *
+     * Build a PEL from the raw data.
+     *
+     * @param[in] data - the PEL data
+     * @param[in] obmcLogID - the corresponding OpenBMC event log ID
+     */
+    PEL(const std::vector<uint8_t>& data, uint32_t obmcLogID);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Convenience function to return the log ID field from the
+     *        Private Header section.
+     *
+     * @return uint32_t - the ID
+     */
+    uint32_t id() const
+    {
+        return _ph->id();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Convenience function to return the PLID field from the
+     *        Private Header section.
+     *
+     * @return uint32_t - the PLID
+     */
+    uint32_t plid() const
+    {
+        return _ph->plid();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Convenience function to return the OpenBMC event log ID field
+     * from the Private Header section.
+     *
+     * @return uint32_t - the OpenBMC event log ID
+     */
+    uint32_t obmcLogID() const
+    {
+        return _ph->obmcLogID();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Convenience function to return the commit time field from
+     *        the Private Header section.
+     *
+     * @return BCDTime - the timestamp
+     */
+    BCDTime commitTime() const
+    {
+        return _ph->commitTimestamp();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Convenience function to return the create time field from
+     *        the Private Header section.
+     *
+     * @return BCDTime - the timestamp
+     */
+    BCDTime createTime() const
+    {
+        return _ph->createTimestamp();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Gives access to the Private Header section class
+     *
+     * @return std::unique_ptr<PrivateHeader>& the private header
+     */
+    std::unique_ptr<PrivateHeader>& privateHeader()
+    {
+        return _ph;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Gives access to the User Header section class
+     *
+     * @return std::unique_ptr<UserHeader>& the user header
+     */
+    std::unique_ptr<UserHeader>& userHeader()
+    {
+        return _uh;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the PEL data.
+     *
+     * @return std::vector<uint8_t> - the raw PEL data
+     */
+    std::vector<uint8_t> data();
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Says if the PEL is valid (the sections are all valid)
+     *
+     * @return bool - if the PEL is valid
+     */
+    bool valid() const;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Sets the commit timestamp to the current time
+     */
+    void setCommitTime();
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Sets the error log ID field to a unique ID.
+     */
+    void assignID();
+
+  private:
+    /**
+     * @brief Builds the section objects from a PEL data buffer
+     *
+     * @param[in] obmcLogID - The OpenBMC event log ID to use for that
+     *                        field in the Private Header.
+     */
+    void populateFromRawData(uint32_t obmcLogID);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Flattens the PEL objects into the buffer
+     *
+     * @param[out] pelBuffer - What the data will be written to
+     */
+    void flatten(std::vector<uint8_t>& pelBuffer);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The PEL Private Header section
+     */
+    std::unique_ptr<PrivateHeader> _ph;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The PEL User Header section
+     */
+    std::unique_ptr<UserHeader> _uh;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The PEL itself.
+     *
+     * This should be able to be removed when this class is able to
+     * serialize/deserialize a complete PEL from its objects, as
+     * then there will be no need to keep around the data anymore.
+     */
+    std::vector<uint8_t> _rawPEL;
+};
+
+} // namespace pels
+} // namespace openpower