diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5a89bc3a..e8768011 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ The git repositories are hosted at the following sites:
 * https://bacnet.sourceforge.net/
 * https://github.com/bacnet-stack/bacnet-stack/
 
-## [Unreleased] - 2026-02-19
+## [Unreleased] - 2026-02-23
 
 ### Security
 
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ The git repositories are hosted at the following sites:
 
 ### Added
 
+* Add initialization and unpacking functions for BACnet Character
+  String buffer structure. (#1242)
 * Add Host-N-Port minimal encode and decode which utilizes the octet
   string and character string buffer encode and decode. (#1239)
 * Added API for extending the basic Device object and children with
diff --git a/src/bacnet/bacdcode.c b/src/bacnet/bacdcode.c
index ed87b4fc..39925202 100644
--- a/src/bacnet/bacdcode.c
+++ b/src/bacnet/bacdcode.c
@@ -3456,6 +3456,65 @@ int bacnet_character_string_buffer_context_decode(
     return apdu_len;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Initializes a BACnet Character String buffer value
+ *
+ * @param value - the BACnet Character String buffer value to be initialized
+ * @param encoding - pointer to the BACnet Character String encoding value
+ * @param buffer - pointer to the buffer to hold the string value
+ * @param buffer_length - pointer to hold the buffer length
+ * @param buffer_size - size of the buffer in bytes
+ */
+void bacnet_character_string_buffer_init(
+    BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING_BUFFER *value,
+    uint8_t encoding,
+    char *buffer,
+    size_t buffer_size)
+{
+    if (value) {
+        value->encoding = encoding;
+        value->buffer = buffer;
+        value->buffer_size = buffer_size;
+        value->buffer_length = 0;
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * @brief Unpacks a BACnet Character String buffer value from bytes
+ *
+ * @param value - the BACnet Character String buffer value to be unpacked
+ * @param encoding - pointer to the BACnet Character String encoding value
+ * @param buffer - pointer to the buffer to hold the string value
+ * @param buffer_length - pointer to hold the buffer length
+ *
+ * @return true if unpacked successfully, false if errors occur
+ */
+bool bacnet_character_string_buffer_unpack(
+    const BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING_BUFFER *value,
+    uint8_t *encoding,
+    char *buffer,
+    uint32_t *buffer_length)
+{
+    if (value) {
+        if (value->buffer_length > value->buffer_size) {
+            /* fail if buffer length is greater than buffer size */
+            return false;
+        }
+        if (encoding) {
+            *encoding = value->encoding;
+        }
+        if (buffer_length) {
+            *buffer_length = value->buffer_length;
+        }
+        if (buffer && value->buffer && value->buffer_length) {
+            memcpy(buffer, value->buffer, value->buffer_length);
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
 /**
  * @brief Decodes from bytes into a BACnet Unsigned value
  * from clause 20.2.4 Encoding of an Unsigned Integer Value
diff --git a/src/bacnet/bacdcode.h b/src/bacnet/bacdcode.h
index c8454844..5aa7364a 100644
--- a/src/bacnet/bacdcode.h
+++ b/src/bacnet/bacdcode.h
@@ -524,6 +524,18 @@ int bacnet_character_string_buffer_context_decode(
     uint32_t apdu_size,
     uint8_t tag_value,
     BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING_BUFFER *value);
+BACNET_STACK_EXPORT
+void bacnet_character_string_buffer_init(
+    BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING_BUFFER *value,
+    uint8_t encoding,
+    char *buffer,
+    size_t buffer_size);
+BACNET_STACK_EXPORT
+bool bacnet_character_string_buffer_unpack(
+    const BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING_BUFFER *value,
+    uint8_t *encoding,
+    char *buffer,
+    uint32_t *buffer_length);
 
 BACNET_STACK_EXPORT
 int encode_bacnet_character_string(
diff --git a/src/bacnet/hostnport.c b/src/bacnet/hostnport.c
index 0bc2681c..70922b6f 100644
--- a/src/bacnet/hostnport.c
+++ b/src/bacnet/hostnport.c
@@ -457,9 +457,11 @@ int host_n_port_minimal_address_decode(
 {
     int apdu_len = 0, len = 0;
     uint8_t *buffer = NULL;
+    uint32_t buffer_length = 0;
     size_t buffer_size = 0;
     BACNET_TAG tag = { 0 };
     BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING_BUFFER char_string = { 0 };
+    bool status = false;
 
     /* default reject code */
     if (error_code) {
@@ -507,10 +509,9 @@ int host_n_port_minimal_address_decode(
     } else if (tag.context && (tag.number == 2)) {
         if (address) {
             address->tag = BACNET_HOST_ADDRESS_TAG_NAME;
-            char_string.buffer = address->host.name.fqdn;
-            char_string.buffer_size = sizeof(address->host.name.fqdn);
-            char_string.encoding = CHARACTER_ANSI_X34;
-            char_string.buffer_length = 0;
+            bacnet_character_string_buffer_init(
+                &char_string, CHARACTER_ANSI_X34, address->host.name.fqdn,
+                sizeof(address->host.name.fqdn));
         }
         len = bacnet_character_string_buffer_decode(
             &apdu[apdu_len], apdu_size - apdu_len, tag.len_value_type,
@@ -522,13 +523,16 @@ int host_n_port_minimal_address_decode(
             return BACNET_STATUS_REJECT;
         }
         if (address) {
-            if (char_string.buffer_length > char_string.buffer_size) {
+            status = bacnet_character_string_buffer_unpack(
+                &char_string, NULL, NULL, &buffer_length);
+            if (status) {
+                address->host.name.length = buffer_length;
+            } else {
                 if (error_code) {
                     *error_code = ERROR_CODE_REJECT_BUFFER_OVERFLOW;
                 }
                 return BACNET_STATUS_REJECT;
             }
-            address->host.name.length = char_string.buffer_length;
         }
         apdu_len += len;
     } else {
diff --git a/test/bacnet/bacdcode/src/main.c b/test/bacnet/bacdcode/src/main.c
index 381a9e6c..3d7aa2bc 100644
--- a/test/bacnet/bacdcode/src/main.c
+++ b/test/bacnet/bacdcode/src/main.c
@@ -2415,17 +2415,19 @@ static void test_bacnet_character_string_buffer(void)
 {
     uint8_t apdu[50] = { 0 };
     char buffer[26] = { 0 }, test_buffer[26] = { 0 };
+    char unpack_buffer[26] = { 0 };
     BACNET_CHARACTER_STRING_BUFFER value = { 0 }, test_value = { 0 };
     int apdu_len = 0, null_len = 0, test_len = 0;
     uint8_t tag_number = 0;
+    uint8_t unpack_encoding = 0;
+    uint32_t unpack_buffer_length = 0;
     unsigned i;
     int diff = 0; /* for memcmp */
 
-    value.buffer = buffer;
-    value.buffer_size = sizeof(buffer);
-    value.encoding = CHARACTER_ANSI_X34;
-    test_value.buffer = test_buffer;
-    test_value.buffer_size = sizeof(test_buffer);
+    bacnet_character_string_buffer_init(
+        &value, CHARACTER_ANSI_X34, buffer, sizeof(buffer));
+    bacnet_character_string_buffer_init(
+        &test_value, CHARACTER_ANSI_X34, test_buffer, sizeof(test_buffer));
     apdu_len = encode_application_character_string_buffer(apdu, &value);
     null_len = encode_application_character_string_buffer(NULL, &value);
     zassert_equal(apdu_len, null_len, NULL);
@@ -2450,6 +2452,12 @@ static void test_bacnet_character_string_buffer(void)
         zassert_equal(diff, 0, NULL);
         zassert_equal(value.buffer_length, test_value.buffer_length, NULL);
         zassert_equal(value.encoding, test_value.encoding, NULL);
+        bacnet_character_string_buffer_unpack(
+            &value, &unpack_encoding, unpack_buffer, &unpack_buffer_length);
+        zassert_equal(value.buffer_length, unpack_buffer_length, NULL);
+        zassert_equal(value.encoding, unpack_encoding, NULL);
+        diff = memcmp(buffer, unpack_buffer, value.buffer_length);
+        zassert_equal(diff, 0, NULL);
         /* context tagged */
         tag_number = i;
         apdu_len = bacnet_character_string_buffer_context_encode(
@@ -2469,6 +2477,12 @@ static void test_bacnet_character_string_buffer(void)
         zassert_equal(diff, 0, NULL);
         zassert_equal(value.buffer_length, test_value.buffer_length, NULL);
         zassert_equal(value.encoding, test_value.encoding, NULL);
+        bacnet_character_string_buffer_unpack(
+            &value, &unpack_encoding, unpack_buffer, &unpack_buffer_length);
+        zassert_equal(value.buffer_length, unpack_buffer_length, NULL);
+        zassert_equal(value.encoding, unpack_encoding, NULL);
+        diff = memcmp(buffer, unpack_buffer, value.buffer_length);
+        zassert_equal(diff, 0, NULL);
     }
 }