diff --git a/bacnet-stack/include/bacstr.h b/bacnet-stack/include/bacstr.h
index ae077df7..6dd5d326 100644
--- a/bacnet-stack/include/bacstr.h
+++ b/bacnet-stack/include/bacstr.h
@@ -145,6 +145,9 @@ extern "C" {
         BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING * char_string);
     bool characterstring_valid(
         BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING * char_string);
+    bool utf8_isvalid(
+        const char *str,
+        size_t length);
 
     /* returns false if the string exceeds capacity
        initialize by using length=0 */
diff --git a/bacnet-stack/ports/bdk-atxx4-mstp/bname.c b/bacnet-stack/ports/bdk-atxx4-mstp/bname.c
index 3108e851..7867cb25 100644
--- a/bacnet-stack/ports/bdk-atxx4-mstp/bname.c
+++ b/bacnet-stack/ports/bdk-atxx4-mstp/bname.c
@@ -35,107 +35,6 @@
 #include "device.h"
 #include "bname.h"
 
-/* Basic UTF-8 manipulation routines
-  by Jeff Bezanson
-  placed in the public domain Fall 2005 */
-static const char trailingBytesForUTF8[256] = {
-    0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-        0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-    0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-        0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-    0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-        0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-    0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-        0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-    0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-        0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-    0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-        0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-    1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
-        1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
-    2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4,
-        4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5
-};
-
-/* based on the valid_utf8 routine from the PCRE library by Philip Hazel
-   length is in bytes, since without knowing whether the string is valid
-   it's hard to know how many characters there are! */
-static int utf8_isvalid(
-    const char *str,
-    int length)
-{
-    const unsigned char *p, *pend = (unsigned char *) str + length;
-    unsigned char c;
-    int ab;
-
-    for (p = (unsigned char *) str; p < pend; p++) {
-        c = *p;
-        /* null in middle of string */
-        if (c == 0) {
-            return 0;
-        }
-        /* ASCII character */
-        if (c < 128) {
-            continue;
-        }
-        if ((c & 0xc0) != 0xc0) {
-            return 0;
-        }
-        ab = trailingBytesForUTF8[c];
-        if (length < ab) {
-            return 0;
-        }
-        length -= ab;
-
-        p++;
-        /* Check top bits in the second byte */
-        if ((*p & 0xc0) != 0x80) {
-            return 0;
-        }
-        /* Check for overlong sequences for each different length */
-        switch (ab) {
-                /* Check for xx00 000x */
-            case 1:
-                if ((c & 0x3e) == 0)
-                    return 0;
-                continue;       /* We know there aren't any more bytes to check */
-
-                /* Check for 1110 0000, xx0x xxxx */
-            case 2:
-                if (c == 0xe0 && (*p & 0x20) == 0)
-                    return 0;
-                break;
-
-                /* Check for 1111 0000, xx00 xxxx */
-            case 3:
-                if (c == 0xf0 && (*p & 0x30) == 0)
-                    return 0;
-                break;
-
-                /* Check for 1111 1000, xx00 0xxx */
-            case 4:
-                if (c == 0xf8 && (*p & 0x38) == 0)
-                    return 0;
-                break;
-
-                /* Check for leading 0xfe or 0xff,
-                   and then for 1111 1100, xx00 00xx */
-            case 5:
-                if (c == 0xfe || c == 0xff || (c == 0xfc && (*p & 0x3c) == 0))
-                    return 0;
-                break;
-        }
-
-        /* Check for valid bytes after the 2nd, if any; all must start 10 */
-        while (--ab > 0) {
-            if ((*(++p) & 0xc0) != 0x80)
-                return 0;
-        }
-    }
-
-    return 1;
-}
-
 static bool bacnet_name_isvalid(
     uint8_t encoding,
     uint8_t length,
@@ -145,10 +44,8 @@ static bool bacnet_name_isvalid(
 
     if ((encoding < MAX_CHARACTER_STRING_ENCODING) &&
         (length <= NV_EEPROM_NAME_SIZE)) {
-        if (encoding == CHARACTER_ANSI_X34) {
-            if (utf8_isvalid(str, length)) {
-                valid = true;
-            }
+        if (encoding == CHARACTER_UTF8) {
+            valid = utf8_isvalid(str, length);
         } else {
             valid = true;
         }
diff --git a/bacnet-stack/src/bacstr.c b/bacnet-stack/src/bacstr.c
index acae817b..3d2f7775 100644
--- a/bacnet-stack/src/bacstr.c
+++ b/bacnet-stack/src/bacstr.c
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@ static const char trailingBytesForUTF8[256] = {
 /* based on the valid_utf8 routine from the PCRE library by Philip Hazel
    length is in bytes, since without knowing whether the string is valid
    it's hard to know how many characters there are! */
-static int utf8_isvalid(
+bool utf8_isvalid(
     const char *str,
     size_t length)
 {
@@ -529,72 +529,76 @@ static int utf8_isvalid(
     unsigned char c;
     size_t ab;
 
+    /* empty string is valid */
+    if (length == 0) {
+        return true;
+    }
     for (p = (unsigned char *) str; p < pend; p++) {
         c = *p;
         /* null in middle of string */
         if (c == 0) {
-            return 0;
+            return false;
         }
         /* ASCII character */
         if (c < 128) {
             continue;
         }
         if ((c & 0xc0) != 0xc0) {
-            return 0;
+            return false;
         }
         ab = (size_t)trailingBytesForUTF8[c];
         if (length < ab) {
-            return 0;
+            return false;
         }
         length -= ab;
 
         p++;
         /* Check top bits in the second byte */
         if ((*p & 0xc0) != 0x80) {
-            return 0;
+            return false;
         }
         /* Check for overlong sequences for each different length */
         switch (ab) {
                 /* Check for xx00 000x */
             case 1:
                 if ((c & 0x3e) == 0)
-                    return 0;
+                    return false;
                 continue;       /* We know there aren't any more bytes to check */
 
                 /* Check for 1110 0000, xx0x xxxx */
             case 2:
                 if (c == 0xe0 && (*p & 0x20) == 0)
-                    return 0;
+                    return false;
                 break;
 
                 /* Check for 1111 0000, xx00 xxxx */
             case 3:
                 if (c == 0xf0 && (*p & 0x30) == 0)
-                    return 0;
+                    return false;
                 break;
 
                 /* Check for 1111 1000, xx00 0xxx */
             case 4:
                 if (c == 0xf8 && (*p & 0x38) == 0)
-                    return 0;
+                    return false;
                 break;
 
                 /* Check for leading 0xfe or 0xff,
                    and then for 1111 1100, xx00 00xx */
             case 5:
                 if (c == 0xfe || c == 0xff || (c == 0xfc && (*p & 0x3c) == 0))
-                    return 0;
+                    return false;
                 break;
         }
 
         /* Check for valid bytes after the 2nd, if any; all must start 10 */
         while (--ab > 0) {
             if ((*(++p) & 0xc0) != 0x80)
-                return 0;
+                return false;
         }
     }
 
-    return 1;
+    return true;
 }
 
 bool characterstring_valid(