diff --git a/include/Makefile.am b/include/Makefile.am
index c0e7a1ef29d56d1e3a1d5562e54f59bb2efb99e9..ab67dcfe81af1ca8f4f3fe11ab9bbae0b34895e4 100644
--- a/include/Makefile.am
+++ b/include/Makefile.am
@@ -15,5 +15,6 @@ include_amlutilsdir=$(includedir)/aml/utils
 include_amlutils_HEADERS = \
 			   aml/utils/vector.h \
 			   aml/utils/bitmap.h \
-			   aml/utils/version.h
+			   aml/utils/version.h \
+			   aml/utils/error.h
 
diff --git a/include/aml/utils/error.h b/include/aml/utils/error.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..df1d390c860d5b5674b416d24d1746993e064f53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/aml/utils/error.h
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#ifndef AML_ERROR_H
+#define AML_ERROR_H
+
+/**
+ * Variable set by aml function calls. aml_errno should be checked after an aml function call
+ * returning an error prior to any other aml call that may overwrite it.
+ **/
+extern int aml_errno;
+
+/**
+ * Get a string description of an aml error.
+ * "errno": the aml error number.
+ * Returns a on stack string with error description.
+ **/
+const char* aml_strerror(const int errno);
+
+/**
+ * Print error on standard error output.
+ * "msg": A message to prepend to error message.
+ **/
+void aml_perror(const char * msg);
+
+#define AML_SUCCESS       0 /* Generic value for success */
+#define AML_FAILURE      -1 /* Generic value for failure */
+
+/************************************ 
+ * Area error codes  -2 .. -32 
+ ************************************/
+
+#define AML_AREA_EINVAL  -2 /* Invalid argument provided */
+#define AML_AREA_ENOTSUP -3 /* Function not implemented for this type of area */
+#define AML_AREA_ENOMEM  -4 /* Allocation failed */
+#define AML_AREA_EDOM    -5 /* One arguent is out of allowed bounds */
+
+/************************************ 
+ * error bound
+ ************************************/
+
+#define AML_ERROR_MAX    -6 /* Last error */
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/aml.c b/src/aml.c
index 00ff7fb2226f2f30c49663c13f532cbd454f4575..caae56863fe112584cb1de05b9691b5765f88e93 100644
--- a/src/aml.c
+++ b/src/aml.c
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ const int aml_version_minor = AML_VERSION_MINOR;
 const int aml_version_patch = AML_VERSION_PATCH;
 const char* aml_version_string = AML_VERSION_STRING;
 
+int aml_errno;
+
 int aml_init(int *argc, char **argv[])
 {
 	return 0;
diff --git a/src/utils/Makefile.am b/src/utils/Makefile.am
index 8f2a0ba6cdfdf4ebf6ecfb17852e1c11b221a641..e27a9f63f67727615709492940a2ba2934ffb964 100644
--- a/src/utils/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/utils/Makefile.am
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS=$(AM_CFLAGS)
 noinst_LTLIBRARIES=libamlutils.la
 
 libamlutils_la_SOURCES=\
-		       vector.c \
-		       bitmap.c
+	vector.c \
+	bitmap.c \
+	error.c
 
 libamlutils_la_CFLAGS=$(AM_CFLAGS)
 libamlutils_la_LDFLAGS=
diff --git a/src/utils/error.c b/src/utils/error.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..02024821d93fa9a89ae5c05e7bb93ef53b745925
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/error.c
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include "aml/utils/error.h"
+
+static const char* aml_error_strings[-AML_ERROR_MAX] = {
+	[AML_SUCCESS]       = "aml success! If this is unexpected, check that this is called right after aml function returning an error.",
+	[-AML_FAILURE]      = "aml function call failed (generic error).",
+	[-AML_AREA_EINVAL]  = "aml_area function called with invalid argument(s).",
+	[-AML_AREA_ENOTSUP] = "aml_area function is not implemented.",
+	[-AML_AREA_ENOMEM]  = "Not enough memory to fulfill aml_area function call.",
+	[-AML_AREA_EDOM]    = "An argument is out possible bounds for this function call.",
+};		
+
+const char*
+aml_strerror(const int errno)
+{
+	if( errno < AML_ERROR_MAX || errno > 0 || aml_error_strings[errno] == NULL )
+		return "Invalid aml error code.";
+	return aml_error_strings[errno];
+}
+
+void
+aml_perror(const char * msg)
+{
+	fprintf(stderr, "%s:%s\n", msg, aml_strerror(aml_errno));
+}
+