diff --git a/modules/core/context.js b/modules/core/context.js
index 984c6ce0a..58ed89731 100644
--- a/modules/core/context.js
+++ b/modules/core/context.js
@@ -41,9 +41,11 @@ import { utilDetect } from '../util/detect';
 import {
     utilCallWhenIdle,
     utilRebind,
-    utilExternalPresets
+    utilExternalPresets,
+    utilExternalValidationRules
 } from '../util';
 
+import { validationCollection  } from '../validations';
 
 export var areaKeys = {};
 
@@ -494,11 +496,21 @@ export function coreContext() {
 
     background.init();
     features.init();
+    
+    // get external data if directed by query parameters 
     if (utilExternalPresets()) {
         presets.fromExternal();
     } else { 
         presets.init();
-	}
+    }
+    
+    if (utilExternalValidationRules()) {
+        var validations = validationCollection();
+        validations.init(function(rules) {
+            context.validationRules = function() { return rules; };
+        });
+    }
+  
     areaKeys = presets.areaKeys();
 
 
diff --git a/modules/presets/index.js b/modules/presets/index.js
index 75553e7c5..a21a0dee3 100644
--- a/modules/presets/index.js
+++ b/modules/presets/index.js
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ export function presetIndex() {
 
     };
 
-    all.fromExternal = function(callback) {
+    all.fromExternal = function() {
         var presetsUrl = utilStringQs(window.location.hash)['presets'];
         d3_json(presetsUrl, function(err, presets) {
             if (err) all.init();
diff --git a/modules/ui/entity_editor.js b/modules/ui/entity_editor.js
index 7d6c8c1c7..465892a28 100644
--- a/modules/ui/entity_editor.js
+++ b/modules/ui/entity_editor.js
@@ -38,11 +38,11 @@ export function uiEntityEditor(context) {
     var rawTagEditor = uiRawTagEditor(context)
         .on('change', changeTags);
 
-
     function entityEditor(selection) {
         var entity = context.entity(_entityID);
         var tags = _clone(entity.tags);
 
+        console.log(context.validationRules());
         // Header
         var header = selection.selectAll('.header')
             .data([0]);
diff --git a/modules/util/index.js b/modules/util/index.js
index 9725ab41f..efd132175 100644
--- a/modules/util/index.js
+++ b/modules/util/index.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export { utilEditDistance } from './util';
 export { utilEntitySelector } from './util';
 export { utilEntityOrMemberSelector } from './util';
 export { utilExternalPresets } from './util';
+export { utilExternalValidationRules } from './util';
 export { utilFastMouse } from './util';
 export { utilFunctor } from './util';
 export { utilGetAllNodes } from './util';
diff --git a/modules/util/util.js b/modules/util/util.js
index b86f2be39..60e1436df 100644
--- a/modules/util/util.js
+++ b/modules/util/util.js
@@ -270,3 +270,7 @@ export function utilNoAuto(selection) {
 export function utilExternalPresets() {
     return utilStringQs(window.location.hash).hasOwnProperty('presets');
 }
+
+export function utilExternalValidationRules() {
+    return utilStringQs(window.location.hash).hasOwnProperty('validations');
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/validations/index.js b/modules/validations/index.js
index 4f99fa485..402bbffe0 100644
--- a/modules/validations/index.js
+++ b/modules/validations/index.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+export { validationCollection } from './validation_collection';
 export { validationDeprecatedTag } from './deprecated_tag';
 export { validationDisconnectedHighway } from './disconnected_highway';
 export { validationManyDeletions } from './many_deletions';
diff --git a/modules/validations/validation_collection.js b/modules/validations/validation_collection.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f7dadab31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/validations/validation_collection.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import { utilStringQs } from '../util';
+import { text as d3_text } from 'd3-request';
+import mapcssParse from 'mapcss-parse/source/index';
+
+export function validationCollection() {
+    var validations = {};
+    validations.init = function (callback) { 
+        var validationsUrl = utilStringQs(window.location.hash)['validations'];
+        d3_text(validationsUrl, function(err, mapcss) {
+            if (err) return;
+            callback(mapcssParse(mapcss));            
+        });
+    };
+
+    return validations; 
+}
\ No newline at end of file