diff --git a/pkg/vm/contract_checks.go b/pkg/vm/contract_checks.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f51e7c99b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/vm/contract_checks.go
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+package vm
+
+import (
+	"encoding/binary"
+)
+
+func getNumOfThingsFromInstr(instr Instruction, param []byte) (int, bool) {
+	var nthings int
+
+	switch instr {
+	case PUSH1, PUSH2, PUSH3, PUSH4, PUSH5, PUSH6, PUSH7, PUSH8,
+		PUSH9, PUSH10, PUSH11, PUSH12, PUSH13, PUSH14, PUSH15, PUSH16:
+		nthings = int(instr-PUSH1) + 1
+	case PUSHBYTES1:
+		nthings = int(param[0])
+	case PUSHBYTES2:
+		nthings = int(binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(param))
+	default:
+		return 0, false
+	}
+	if nthings < 1 || nthings > MaxArraySize {
+		return 0, false
+	}
+	return nthings, true
+}
+
+// IsMultiSigContract checks whether the passed script is a multi-signature
+// contract.
+func IsMultiSigContract(script []byte) bool {
+	var nsigs, nkeys int
+
+	ctx := NewContext(script)
+	instr, param, err := ctx.Next()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	nsigs, ok := getNumOfThingsFromInstr(instr, param)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	for {
+		instr, param, err = ctx.Next()
+		if err != nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		if instr != PUSHBYTES33 {
+			break
+		}
+		nkeys++
+		if nkeys > MaxArraySize {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	if nkeys < nsigs {
+		return false
+	}
+	nkeys2, ok := getNumOfThingsFromInstr(instr, param)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	if nkeys2 != nkeys {
+		return false
+	}
+	instr, _, err = ctx.Next()
+	if err != nil || instr != CHECKMULTISIG {
+		return false
+	}
+	instr, _, err = ctx.Next()
+	if err != nil || instr != RET || ctx.ip != len(script) {
+		return false
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+// IsSignatureContract checks whether the passed script is a signature check
+// contract.
+func IsSignatureContract(script []byte) bool {
+	ctx := NewContext(script)
+	instr, _, err := ctx.Next()
+	if err != nil || instr != PUSHBYTES33 {
+		return false
+	}
+	instr, _, err = ctx.Next()
+	if err != nil || instr != CHECKSIG {
+		return false
+	}
+	instr, _, err = ctx.Next()
+	if err != nil || instr != RET || ctx.ip != len(script) {
+		return false
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+// IsStandardContract checks whether the passed script is a signature or
+// multi-signature contract.
+func IsStandardContract(script []byte) bool {
+	return IsSignatureContract(script) || IsMultiSigContract(script)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/vm/contract_checks_test.go b/pkg/vm/contract_checks_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..791912822
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/vm/contract_checks_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,227 @@
+package vm
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestIsSignatureContractGood(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 35)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[34] = byte(CHECKSIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, true, IsSignatureContract(prog))
+	assert.Equal(t, true, IsStandardContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsSignatureContractBadNoCheckSig(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 34)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsSignatureContract(prog))
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsStandardContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsSignatureContractBadNoCheckSig2(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 35)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[34] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsSignatureContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsSignatureContractBadWrongPush(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 35)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES32)
+	prog[33] = byte(NOP)
+	prog[34] = byte(CHECKSIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsSignatureContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsSignatureContractBadWrongInstr(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 30)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsSignatureContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsSignatureContractBadExcessiveInstr(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 36)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[34] = byte(CHECKSIG)
+	prog[35] = byte(RET)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsSignatureContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractGood(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 71)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, true, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+	assert.Equal(t, true, IsStandardContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractGoodPushBytes1(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 73)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES1)
+	prog[1] = 2
+	prog[2] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[36] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[70] = byte(PUSHBYTES1)
+	prog[71] = 2
+	prog[72] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, true, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractGoodPushBytes2(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 75)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES2)
+	prog[1] = 2
+	prog[3] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[37] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[71] = byte(PUSHBYTES2)
+	prog[72] = 2
+	prog[74] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, true, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadNSigs1(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 71)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH0)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsStandardContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadNSigs2(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 73)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES2)
+	prog[1] = 0xff
+	prog[2] = 0xff
+	prog[3] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[37] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[71] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[72] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadNSigs3(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 71)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH5)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadExcessiveNOP1(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 72)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(NOP)
+	prog[2] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[36] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[70] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[71] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadExcessiveNOP2(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 72)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(NOP)
+	prog[36] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[70] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[71] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadExcessiveNOP3(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 72)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(NOP)
+	prog[70] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[71] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadExcessiveNOP4(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 72)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(NOP)
+	prog[71] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadExcessiveNOP5(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 72)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	prog[71] = byte(NOP)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadNKeys1(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 71)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH3)
+	prog[70] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadNKeys2(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 1)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH10)
+	key := make([]byte, 33)
+	var asize = uint16(MaxArraySize + 1)
+	for i := 0; i < int(asize); i++ {
+		prog = append(prog, byte(PUSHBYTES33))
+		prog = append(prog, key...)
+	}
+	prog = append(prog, byte(PUSHBYTES2), byte(asize&0xff), byte((asize<<8)&0xff), byte(CHECKMULTISIG))
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadRead1(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 71)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSHBYTES75)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadRead2(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 71)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES75)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(CHECKMULTISIG)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}
+
+func TestIsMultiSigContractBadRead3(t *testing.T) {
+	prog := make([]byte, 71)
+	prog[0] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[1] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[35] = byte(PUSHBYTES33)
+	prog[69] = byte(PUSH2)
+	prog[70] = byte(PUSHBYTES1)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, IsMultiSigContract(prog))
+}