diff --git a/java.hints/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheck.java b/java.hints/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheck.java
--- a/java.hints/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheck.java
+++ b/java.hints/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheck.java
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.EnumSet;
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.IdentityHashMap;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
@@ -364,36 +365,65 @@
         return result;
     }
     
-    private static State getStateFromAnnotations(CompilationInfo info, Element e) {
-        return getStateFromAnnotations(info, e, State.POSSIBLE_NULL);
-    }
-
     private static final AnnotationMirrorGetter OVERRIDE_ANNOTATIONS = Lookup.getDefault().lookup(AnnotationMirrorGetter.class);
     
-    private static State getStateFromAnnotations(CompilationInfo info, Element e, State def) {
-        if (e == null) return def;
+    private static State getStateFromAnnotations(CompilationInfo info, Element e) {
+        if (e == null) {
+            return State.POSSIBLE_NULL;
+        }
         
         Iterable<? extends AnnotationMirror> mirrors = OVERRIDE_ANNOTATIONS != null ? OVERRIDE_ANNOTATIONS.getAnnotationMirrors(info, e) : null;
         
-        if (mirrors == null) mirrors = e.getAnnotationMirrors();
+        if (mirrors == null) {
+            mirrors = e.getAnnotationMirrors();
+        }
         
-        for (AnnotationMirror am : mirrors) {
-            String simpleName = ((TypeElement) am.getAnnotationType().asElement()).getSimpleName().toString();
+        Set<String> names = getSimpleNames(mirrors);
 
-            if ("Nullable".equals(simpleName) || "NullAllowed".equals(simpleName)) {
+        if (containsAny(names, "Nullable", "NullAllowed", "CheckForNull")) {
                 return State.POSSIBLE_NULL_REPORT;
             }
 
-            if ("CheckForNull".equals(simpleName)) {
+        if (containsAny(names, "NotNull", "NonNull", "Nonnull")) {
+            return State.NOT_NULL;
+        }
+
+        names = getSimpleNames(info.getElements().getPackageOf(e).getAnnotationMirrors());
+
+        if (e.getKind() == ElementKind.PARAMETER) {
+            if (names.contains("ParametersAreNonnullByDefault")) {
+                return State.NOT_NULL;
+            } else if (names.contains("ParametersAreNullableByDefault")) {
                 return State.POSSIBLE_NULL_REPORT;
             }
-
-            if ("NotNull".equals(simpleName) || "NonNull".equals(simpleName) || "Nonnull".equals(simpleName)) {
+        } else if (e.getKind() == ElementKind.METHOD && containsAny(names, "ReturnValuesAreNonnullByDefault", "ReturnTypesAreNonnullByDefault")) {
                 return State.NOT_NULL;
             }
+        return State.POSSIBLE_NULL;
         }
 
-        return def;
+    private static Set<String> getSimpleNames(Iterable<? extends AnnotationMirror> mirrors) {
+        Iterator<? extends AnnotationMirror> it = mirrors.iterator();
+        if (!it.hasNext()) {
+            return Collections.emptySet();
+        }
+        Set<String> names = new HashSet<String>();
+        while (it.hasNext()) {
+            names.add(((TypeElement) it.next().getAnnotationType().asElement()).getSimpleName().toString());
+        }
+        return names;
+    }
+
+    private static boolean containsAny(Set<String> set, String... values) {
+        if (set.isEmpty()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        for (String v : values) {
+            if (set.contains(v)) {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
     }
     
     public interface AnnotationMirrorGetter {
diff --git a/java.hints/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheckTest.java b/java.hints/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheckTest.java
--- a/java.hints/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheckTest.java
+++ b/java.hints/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/hints/bugs/NPECheckTest.java
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
 
 package org.netbeans.modules.java.hints.bugs;
 
-import junit.framework.TestSuite;
 import org.netbeans.junit.NbTestCase;
 import org.netbeans.modules.java.hints.test.api.HintTest;
 import org.openide.filesystems.FileUtil;
@@ -1476,6 +1475,72 @@
                 .assertWarnings();
     }
 
+    public void testParametersAreNonnullByDefault() throws Exception {
+        createWithAnnotatedTestPackage("ParametersAreNonnullByDefault",
+                ""
+                + "package test;\n"
+                + "class Test {\n"
+                + "    public int getLength(String s) {\n"
+                + "        return s.length();\n"
+                + "    }\n"
+                + "}")
+                .run(NPECheck.class)
+                .assertWarnings();
+    }
+
+    public void testParametersAreNonnullByDefaultUnnecessaryCheck() throws Exception {
+        createWithAnnotatedTestPackage("ParametersAreNonnullByDefault",
+                ""
+                + "package test;\n"
+                + "class Test {\n"
+                + "    public int getLength(String s) {\n"
+                + "        if (s == null) {\n"
+                + "            return 0;\n"
+                + "        }\n"
+                + "        return s.length();\n"
+                + "    }\n"
+                + "}")
+                .run(NPECheck.class)
+                .assertWarnings("3:12-3:21:verifier:ERR_NotNull");
+    }
+
+    public void testParametersAreNullableByDefault() throws Exception {
+        createWithAnnotatedTestPackage("ParametersAreNullableByDefault",
+                ""
+                + "package test;\n"
+                + "class Test {\n"
+                + "    public int getLength(String s) {\n"
+                + "        return s.length();\n"
+                + "    }\n"
+                + "}")
+                .run(NPECheck.class)
+                .assertWarnings("3:17-3:23:verifier:Possibly Dereferencing null");
+    }
+
+    public void testReturnValuesAreNonnullByDefault() throws Exception {
+        createWithAnnotatedTestPackage("ReturnValuesAreNonnullByDefault",
+                ""
+                + "package test;\n"
+                + "class Test {\n"
+                + "    public String returnNull() {\n"
+                + "        return null;\n"
+                + "    }\n"
+                + "}")
+                .run(NPECheck.class)
+                .assertWarnings("3:15-3:19:verifier:ERR_ReturningNullFromNonNull");
+    }
+
+    private static HintTest createWithAnnotatedTestPackage(String annotation, String code) throws Exception {
+        return HintTest.create()
+                .input(code)
+                .input("test/package-info.java",
+                        "@" + annotation
+                        + "\n"
+                        + "package test;"
+                        + "\n"
+                        + "@interface " + annotation + " {}\n");
+    }
+
     private void performAnalysisTest(String fileName, String code, String... golden) throws Exception {
         HintTest.create()
                 .input(fileName, code)