diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/UnnecessaryModifierRule.java b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/UnnecessaryModifierRule.java
index 79a85447cb..1f894e5052 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/UnnecessaryModifierRule.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/UnnecessaryModifierRule.java
@@ -167,9 +167,14 @@ public class UnnecessaryModifierRule extends AbstractJavaRule {
             reportUnnecessaryModifiers(data, node, Modifier.PUBLIC, "members of " + getPrintableNodeKind(node.getEnclosingTypeDeclaration()) + " types are implicitly public");
         }
 
-        if ((node.isInterface() || isParentInterfaceOrAnnotation) && node.isStatic()) {
-            // a static interface or class nested within an interface
-            reportUnnecessaryModifiers(data, node, Modifier.STATIC, "types nested within an interface type are implicitly static");
+        if (node.isStatic()) {
+            if (node.isInterface()) {
+                // a static interface
+                reportUnnecessaryModifiers(data, node, Modifier.STATIC, "member interfaces are implicitly static");
+            } else if (isParentInterfaceOrAnnotation) {
+                // a type nested within an interface
+                reportUnnecessaryModifiers(data, node, Modifier.STATIC, "types nested within an interface type are implicitly static");
+            }
         }
 
         return data;
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UnnecessaryModifier.xml b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UnnecessaryModifier.xml
index 936436a89e..ab2dd7cb33 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UnnecessaryModifier.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UnnecessaryModifier.xml
@@ -680,7 +680,7 @@ enum Foo {
         <description>Static Modifier on interface</description>
         <expected-problems>1</expected-problems>
         <expected-messages>
-            <message>Unnecessary modifier 'static' on interface 'Bar': types nested within an interface type are implicitly static</message>
+            <message>Unnecessary modifier 'static' on interface 'Bar': member interfaces are implicitly static</message>
         </expected-messages>
         <code><![CDATA[
 class Foo{
@@ -690,4 +690,19 @@ class Foo{
 }
         ]]></code>
     </test-code>
+    <test-code>
+        <description>Static Modifier on interface</description>
+        <expected-problems>1</expected-problems>
+        <expected-messages>
+            <message>Unnecessary modifier 'static' on class 'Foo': types nested within an interface type are implicitly static</message>
+        </expected-messages>
+        <code><![CDATA[
+public interface Bar {
+    void method() {
+    }
+    static class Foo {}
+
+}
+            ]]></code>
+    </test-code>
 </test-data>