diff --git a/src/plugins/validation/oas3/semantic-validators/responses.js b/src/plugins/validation/oas3/semantic-validators/responses.js
index 0ba8666cf..ad2fb9a9f 100644
--- a/src/plugins/validation/oas3/semantic-validators/responses.js
+++ b/src/plugins/validation/oas3/semantic-validators/responses.js
@@ -50,8 +50,15 @@ module.exports.validate = function({ resolvedSpec }, config) {
           config.no_response_codes
         );
       } else {
-        // default warnings for discouraged status code per IBM API Handbook
         for (const statusCode of statusCodes) {
+          if (!obj[statusCode].description) {
+            messages.addMessage(
+              path.concat([statusCode]),
+              `All responses must include a description.`,
+              'error'
+            );
+          }
+          // default warnings for discouraged status code per IBM API Handbook
           if (statusCode === '422') {
             messages.addMessage(
               path.concat(['422']),
diff --git a/test/plugins/validation/oas3/responses.test.js b/test/plugins/validation/oas3/responses.test.js
index 9860f3c96..be10c190a 100644
--- a/test/plugins/validation/oas3/responses.test.js
+++ b/test/plugins/validation/oas3/responses.test.js
@@ -83,6 +83,39 @@ describe('validation plugin - semantic - responses - oas3', function() {
     );
   });
 
+  it('should complain when a response is missing a description', function() {
+    const spec = {
+      paths: {
+        '/pets': {
+          get: {
+            summary: 'this is a summary',
+            operationId: 'operationId',
+            responses: {
+              '200': {
+                content: {
+                  'multipart/form-data': {
+                    schema: {
+                      type: 'string',
+                      format: 'binary'
+                    }
+                  }
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    };
+
+    const res = validate({ resolvedSpec: spec }, config);
+    expect(res.warnings.length).toEqual(0);
+    expect(res.errors.length).toEqual(1);
+    expect(res.errors[0].path).toEqual(['paths', '/pets', 'get', 'responses', '200']);
+    expect(res.errors[0].message).toEqual(
+      'All responses must include a description.'
+    );
+  });
+
   it('should complain when 422 response code used', function() {
     const spec = {
       paths: {