diff --git a/pmd/regress/net/sourceforge/pmd/rules/UnusedFormalParameterRule.java b/pmd/regress/net/sourceforge/pmd/rules/UnusedFormalParameterRule.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..06e33f9c34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmd/regress/net/sourceforge/pmd/rules/UnusedFormalParameterRule.java
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package net.sourceforge.pmd.rules;
+
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.AbstractRule;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.ast.ASTMethodDeclaration;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.ast.SimpleNode;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.ast.ASTInterfaceDeclaration;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.ast.ASTName;
+import java.util.*;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.ast.ASTBlock;
+
+
+public class UnusedFormalParameterRule extends AbstractRule {
+    private List paramNames = null;
+
+    /**
+     Skip interfaces
+     */
+    public Object visit(ASTInterfaceDeclaration node, Object data) {
+        return data;
+    }
+
+    public Object visit(ASTMethodDeclaration node, Object data) {
+        if (node.isPrivate()) {
+            SimpleNode md = (SimpleNode)node.jjtGetChild(1);
+            SimpleNode formalParams = (SimpleNode)md.jjtGetChild(0);
+            int paramCount = formalParams.jjtGetNumChildren();
+            if (paramCount == 0) return data;  //bail out if now paramters
+            paramNames = new ArrayList();
+            for (int i=0; i<paramCount; i++) {
+                ASTName paramName = (ASTName)formalParams.jjtGetChild(i).jjtGetChild(0).jjtGetChild(0);
+                paramNames.add(paramName);
+            }
+
+
+        }
+        return data;
+    }
+
+    public Object visit(ASTBlock node, Object data) {
+        if (paramNames != null) {
+        }
+
+        return data;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pmd/rulesets/newrules.xml b/pmd/rulesets/newrules.xml
index bda8563da6..af53875296 100644
--- a/pmd/rulesets/newrules.xml
+++ b/pmd/rulesets/newrules.xml
@@ -5,6 +5,18 @@
 These are new ones for the next release
   </description>
 
+  <rule name="UnusedFormalParameter"
+        message="Avoid unused formal paramters such as ''{0}''"
+        class="net.sourceforge.pmd.rules.UnusedFormalParameterRule">
+    <description>
+Complete this description
+    </description>
+
+    <example>
+<![CDATA[
+]]>
+    </example>
+  </rule>
 
 </ruleset>
 
diff --git a/pmd/test-data/UnusedFormalParam1.java b/pmd/test-data/UnusedFormalParam1.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0994a40eb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmd/test-data/UnusedFormalParam1.java
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+
+
+class UnusedFormalParam1 {
+    private void testMethod(String param1) {
+
+    }
+
+    private void t2(){
+
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file