diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 0c04a91d..df24ab9d 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ Release date to be announced, codename to be decided.
   as `config`.
 - context processors will no longer override values passed directly
   to the render function.
+- added the ability to limit the incoming request data with the
+  new ``MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH`` configuration value.
 
 Version 0.5.1
 -------------
diff --git a/docs/config.rst b/docs/config.rst
index 7d5bd6fc..ab1923ba 100644
--- a/docs/config.rst
+++ b/docs/config.rst
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ The following configuration values are used internally by Flask:
 ``LOGGER_NAME``                 the name of the logger
 ``SERVER_NAME``                 the name of the server.  Required for
                                 subdomain support (eg: ``'localhost'``)
+``MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH``          If set to a value in bytes, Flask will
+                                reject incoming requests with a
+                                content length greater than this by
+                                returning a 413 status code.
 =============================== =========================================
 
 .. admonition:: More on ``SERVER_NAME``
@@ -89,6 +93,8 @@ The following configuration values are used internally by Flask:
 .. versionadded:: 0.5
    ``SERVER_NAME``
 
+.. versionadded:: ``MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH``
+
 Configuring from Files
 ----------------------
 
diff --git a/flask/app.py b/flask/app.py
index fd97bab4..415bf753 100644
--- a/flask/app.py
+++ b/flask/app.py
@@ -193,7 +193,8 @@ class Flask(_PackageBoundObject):
         'PERMANENT_SESSION_LIFETIME':           timedelta(days=31),
         'USE_X_SENDFILE':                       False,
         'LOGGER_NAME':                          None,
-        'SERVER_NAME':                          None
+        'SERVER_NAME':                          None,
+        'MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH':                   None
     })
 
     def __init__(self, import_name, static_path=None):
diff --git a/flask/wrappers.py b/flask/wrappers.py
index b0747564..c578170c 100644
--- a/flask/wrappers.py
+++ b/flask/wrappers.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from werkzeug import Request as RequestBase, Response as ResponseBase, \
     cached_property
 
 from .helpers import json, _assert_have_json
+from .globals import _request_ctx_stack
 
 
 class Request(RequestBase):
@@ -41,6 +42,13 @@ class Request(RequestBase):
     #: something similar.
     routing_exception = None
 
+    @property
+    def max_content_length(self):
+        """Read-only view of the `MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH` config key."""
+        ctx = _request_ctx_stack.top
+        if ctx is not None:
+            return ctx.app.config['MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH']
+
     @property
     def endpoint(self):
         """The endpoint that matched the request.  This in combination with