diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index c5f989b5..a01003c3 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ before_install:
     - git --version
 after_success:
     - coveralls
-sudo: false
+sudo: required
+services:
+    - docker
 cache:
     directories:
         - $HOME/.cache/pip
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index a5170902..1e0b2460 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 ## Local development
 
-- The tests depend on having at least the following installed (possibly not
+- The complete test suite depends on having at least the following installed (possibly not
   a complete list)
   - git (A sufficiently newer version is required to run pre-push tests)
   - python
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
   - python3.5 (Required by a test which checks different python versions)
   - tox (or virtualenv)
   - ruby + gem
+  - docker
 
 ### Setting up an environemnt
 
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ function_call(
 ```
 
 Some notable features:
-- The intial parenthese is at the end of the line
+- The initial parenthesis is at the end of the line
 - Parameters are indented one indentation level further than the function name
 - The last parameter contains a trailing comma (This helps make `git blame`
   more accurate and reduces merge conflicts when adding / removing parameters).
diff --git a/pre_commit/languages/all.py b/pre_commit/languages/all.py
index 40c23131..a517ee85 100644
--- a/pre_commit/languages/all.py
+++ b/pre_commit/languages/all.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
+from pre_commit.languages import docker
 from pre_commit.languages import node
 from pre_commit.languages import pcre
 from pre_commit.languages import python
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ from pre_commit.languages import system
 #     """
 
 languages = {
+    'docker': docker,
     'node': node,
     'pcre': pcre,
     'python': python,
diff --git a/pre_commit/languages/docker.py b/pre_commit/languages/docker.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b2fed46d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pre_commit/languages/docker.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+import hashlib
+import os
+
+from pre_commit import five
+from pre_commit.languages import helpers
+from pre_commit.util import CalledProcessError
+from pre_commit.util import clean_path_on_failure
+from pre_commit.util import cmd_output
+from pre_commit.xargs import xargs
+
+
+ENVIRONMENT_DIR = 'docker'
+PRE_COMMIT_LABEL = 'PRE_COMMIT'
+
+
+def md5(s):
+    return hashlib.md5(five.to_bytes(s)).hexdigest()
+
+
+def docker_tag(repo_cmd_runner):
+    return 'pre-commit-{}'.format(
+        md5(os.path.basename(repo_cmd_runner.path()))
+    ).lower()
+
+
+def docker_is_running():
+    try:
+        return cmd_output('docker', 'ps')[0] == 0
+    except CalledProcessError:
+        return False
+
+
+def assert_docker_available():
+    assert docker_is_running(), (
+        'Docker is either not running or not configured in this environment'
+    )
+
+
+def build_docker_image(repo_cmd_runner):
+    cmd = (
+        'docker', 'build', '--pull',
+        '--tag', docker_tag(repo_cmd_runner),
+        '--label', PRE_COMMIT_LABEL,
+        '.'
+    )
+    helpers.run_setup_cmd(repo_cmd_runner, cmd)
+
+
+def install_environment(
+        repo_cmd_runner,
+        version='default',
+        additional_dependencies=(),
+):
+    assert repo_cmd_runner.exists('Dockerfile'), (
+        'No Dockerfile was found in the hook repository'
+    )
+    assert version == 'default', (
+        'Pre-commit does not support language_version for docker '
+    )
+    assert_docker_available()
+
+    directory = helpers.environment_dir(ENVIRONMENT_DIR, 'default')
+    os.mkdir(repo_cmd_runner.path(directory))
+
+    # Docker doesn't really have relevant disk environment, but pre-commit
+    # still needs to cleanup it's state files on failure
+    env_dir = repo_cmd_runner.path(directory)
+    with clean_path_on_failure(env_dir):
+        build_docker_image(repo_cmd_runner)
+
+
+def run_hook(repo_cmd_runner, hook, file_args):
+    assert_docker_available()
+    # Rebuild the docker image in case it has gone missing, as many people do
+    # automated cleanup of docker images.
+    build_docker_image(repo_cmd_runner)
+    cmd = (
+        'docker', 'run',
+        '--rm',
+        '-u', '{}:{}'.format(os.getuid(), os.getgid()),
+        '-v', '{}:/src:rw'.format(os.getcwd()),
+        '--workdir', '/src',
+        '--entrypoint', hook['entry'],
+        docker_tag(repo_cmd_runner)
+    )
+
+    return xargs(cmd + tuple(hook['args']), file_args)
diff --git a/testing/resources/docker_hooks_repo/Dockerfile b/testing/resources/docker_hooks_repo/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..acb5f54e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/resources/docker_hooks_repo/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+FROM cogniteev/echo
+
+CMD ["echo", "This is overwritten by the hooks.yaml 'entry'"]
diff --git a/testing/resources/docker_hooks_repo/hooks.yaml b/testing/resources/docker_hooks_repo/hooks.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2c9a115d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/resources/docker_hooks_repo/hooks.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+-   id: docker-hook
+    name: Docker test hook
+    entry: echo
+    language: docker
+    files: \.txt$
+
+-   id: docker-hook-failing
+    name: Docker test hook with nonzero exit code
+    entry: bork
+    language: docker
+    files: \.txt$
diff --git a/testing/util.py b/testing/util.py
index 10e84462..cf9dde9d 100644
--- a/testing/util.py
+++ b/testing/util.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import shutil
 import jsonschema
 import pytest
 
+from pre_commit.languages.docker import docker_is_running
 from pre_commit.util import cmd_output
 from pre_commit.util import cwd
 
@@ -57,6 +58,11 @@ def cmd_output_mocked_pre_commit_home(*args, **kwargs):
     return cmd_output(*args, env=env, **kwargs)
 
 
+skipif_cant_run_docker = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    docker_is_running() is False,
+    reason='Docker isn\'t running or can\'t  be accessed'
+)
+
 skipif_slowtests_false = pytest.mark.skipif(
     os.environ.get('slowtests') == 'false',
     reason='slowtests=false',
diff --git a/tests/languages/docker_test.py b/tests/languages/docker_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6ca2ed5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/languages/docker_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+import mock
+
+from pre_commit.languages import docker
+from pre_commit.util import CalledProcessError
+
+
+def test_docker_is_running_process_error():
+    with mock.patch(
+        'pre_commit.languages.docker.cmd_output',
+        side_effect=CalledProcessError(*(None,) * 4)
+    ):
+        assert docker.docker_is_running() is False
diff --git a/tests/repository_test.py b/tests/repository_test.py
index f61ee88d..5d8ed8ab 100644
--- a/tests/repository_test.py
+++ b/tests/repository_test.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ from testing.fixtures import git_dir
 from testing.fixtures import make_config_from_repo
 from testing.fixtures import make_repo
 from testing.fixtures import modify_manifest
+from testing.util import skipif_cant_run_docker
 from testing.util import skipif_slowtests_false
 from testing.util import xfailif_no_pcre_support
 from testing.util import xfailif_windows_no_node
@@ -129,6 +130,29 @@ def test_versioned_python_hook(tempdir_factory, store):
     )
 
 
+@skipif_slowtests_false
+@skipif_cant_run_docker
+@pytest.mark.integration
+def test_run_a_docker_hook(tempdir_factory, store):
+    _test_hook_repo(
+        tempdir_factory, store, 'docker_hooks_repo',
+        'docker-hook',
+        ['Hello World from docker'], b'Hello World from docker\n',
+    )
+
+
+@skipif_slowtests_false
+@skipif_cant_run_docker
+@pytest.mark.integration
+def test_run_a_failing_docker_hook(tempdir_factory, store):
+    _test_hook_repo(
+        tempdir_factory, store, 'docker_hooks_repo',
+        'docker-hook-failing',
+        ['Hello World from docker'], b'',
+        expected_return_code=1
+    )
+
+
 @skipif_slowtests_false
 @xfailif_windows_no_node
 @pytest.mark.integration