diff --git a/errors.go b/errors.go
index 63cb9ab74d..d81206e432 100644
--- a/errors.go
+++ b/errors.go
@@ -53,4 +53,6 @@ var (
 	ErrDigestUnknown = errors.New("could not compute digest of item")
 	// ErrLayerNotMounted is returned when the requested information can only be computed for a mounted layer, and the layer is not mounted.
 	ErrLayerNotMounted = errors.New("layer is not mounted")
+	// ErrTargetNotVolatile is returned when a path must be on volatile storage.
+	ErrTargetNotVolatile = errors.New("the target is not on tmpfs")
 )
diff --git a/store.go b/store.go
index 27b00f6fe7..2a640f853a 100644
--- a/store.go
+++ b/store.go
@@ -148,6 +148,9 @@ type StoreOptions struct {
 	// for use inside of a user namespace where UID mapping is being used.
 	UIDMap []idtools.IDMap `json:"uidmap,omitempty"`
 	GIDMap []idtools.IDMap `json:"gidmap,omitempty"`
+	// SkipRunRootCheck disables the check for the RunRoot to be on a volatile
+	// storage.
+	SkipRunRootCheck bool
 }
 
 // Store wraps up the various types of file-based stores that we use into a
@@ -600,6 +603,12 @@ func GetStore(options StoreOptions) (Store, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if !options.SkipRunRootCheck {
+		if err := validateRunRoot(options.RunRoot); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
 	graphLock, err := GetLockfile(filepath.Join(options.GraphRoot, "storage.lock"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -3282,6 +3291,12 @@ func ReloadConfigurationFile(configFile string, storeOptions *StoreOptions) {
 		storeOptions.GraphDriverName = config.Storage.Driver
 	}
 	if config.Storage.RunRoot != "" {
+		if !storeOptions.SkipRunRootCheck {
+			if err := validateRunRoot(config.Storage.RunRoot); err != nil {
+				fmt.Printf("Failed to set runroot to %s %v\n", config.Storage.RunRoot, err.Error())
+				return
+			}
+		}
 		storeOptions.RunRoot = config.Storage.RunRoot
 	}
 	if config.Storage.GraphRoot != "" {
diff --git a/store_linux.go b/store_linux.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c4f7d37f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/store_linux.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package storage
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/containers/storage/drivers"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+)
+
+func isOnVolatileStorage(target string) (bool, error) {
+	magic, err := graphdriver.GetFSMagic(target)
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+		return false, err
+	}
+	return magic == graphdriver.FsMagicTmpFs, nil
+}
+
+func validateRunRoot(runRoot string) error {
+	if onTmpfs, err := isOnVolatileStorage(runRoot); err != nil || !onTmpfs {
+		if err != nil {
+			return errors.Wrapf(err, "cannot check if %s is on tmpfs", runRoot)
+		}
+		return errors.Wrapf(ErrTargetNotVolatile, "%s must be on tmpfs", runRoot)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/store_unsupported.go b/store_unsupported.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..774ff1dba5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/store_unsupported.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// +build !linux
+
+package storage
+
+func validateRunRoot(runRoot string) error {
+	return nil
+}