diff --git a/src/chainstate/stacks/transaction.rs b/src/chainstate/stacks/transaction.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..674cb01c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/chainstate/stacks/transaction.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+/*
+ copyright: (c) 2013-2019 by Blockstack PBC, a public benefit corporation.
+
+ This file is part of Blockstack.
+
+ Blockstack is free software. You may redistribute or modify
+ it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License or
+ (at your option) any later version.
+
+ Blockstack is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, including without the implied warranty of
+ MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+ GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+ You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ along with Blockstack. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+
+use net::StacksMessageCodec;
+use net::Error as net_error;
+use net::codec::{read_next, write_next};
+
+use burnchains::Txid;
+
+use chainstate::stacks::StacksAddress;
+use chainstate::stacks::TransactionAuth;
+use chainstate::stacks::TransactionAnchorMode;
+use chainstate::stacks::TransactionPayloadID;
+use chainstate::stacks::TransactionPayload;
+use chainstate::stacks::TransactionPayment;
+use chainstate::stacks::TransactionSmartContract;
+use chainstate::stacks::TransactionSmartContractCall;
+use chainstate::stacks::StacksTransaction;
+
+use util::hash::DoubleSha256;
+
+impl StacksMessageCodec for TransactionPayment {
+    fn serialize(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        let mut res = vec![];
+        write_next(&mut res, &self.paid);
+        write_next(&mut res, &self.recipient);
+        res
+    }
+
+    fn deserialize(buf: &Vec<u8>, index: &mut u32, max_size: u32) -> Result<TransactionPayment, net_error> {
+        let paid : u64                  = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        let recipient : StacksAddress   = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+
+        Ok(TransactionPayment {
+            paid,
+            recipient
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+impl StacksMessageCodec for TransactionSmartContract {
+    fn serialize(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        let mut res = vec![];
+        write_next(&mut res, &self.code_body);
+        res
+    }
+
+    fn deserialize(buf: &Vec<u8>, index: &mut u32, max_size: u32) -> Result<TransactionSmartContract, net_error> {
+        let code_body : Vec<u8> = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        Ok(TransactionSmartContract {
+            code_body
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+impl StacksMessageCodec for TransactionSmartContractCall {
+    fn serialize(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        let mut res = vec![];
+        write_next(&mut res, &self.code_body);
+        res
+    }
+
+    fn deserialize(buf: &Vec<u8>, index: &mut u32, max_size: u32) -> Result<TransactionSmartContractCall, net_error> {
+        let code_body : Vec<u8> = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        Ok(TransactionSmartContractCall {
+            code_body
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+impl StacksMessageCodec for StacksTransaction {
+    fn serialize(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        let mut ret = vec![];
+        let anchor_mode = self.anchor_mode;
+
+        write_next(&mut ret, &self.version);
+        write_next(&mut ret, &self.principal);
+        write_next(&mut ret, &self.auth);
+        write_next(&mut ret, &self.fee);
+        write_next(&mut ret, &(self.anchor_mode as u8));
+
+        // payload will be formatted as "type (u8) payload (vec<u8>)"
+        let transaction_type_id : u8 = 
+            match self.payload {
+                TransactionPayload::Payment(ref _t) => TransactionPayloadID::Payment as u8,
+                TransactionPayload::SmartContract(ref _t) => TransactionPayloadID::SmartContract as u8,
+                TransactionPayload::SmartContractCall(ref _t) => TransactionPayloadID::SmartContractCall as u8,
+            };
+        
+        write_next(&mut ret, &transaction_type_id);
+
+        match self.payload {
+            TransactionPayload::Payment(ref t) => write_next(&mut ret, t),
+            TransactionPayload::SmartContract(ref t) => write_next(&mut ret, t),
+            TransactionPayload::SmartContractCall(ref t) => write_next(&mut ret, t)
+        };
+        ret
+    }
+
+    fn deserialize(buf: &Vec<u8>, index: &mut u32, max_size: u32) -> Result<StacksTransaction, net_error> {
+        let version : u8                = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        let principal : StacksAddress   = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        let auth : TransactionAuth      = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        let fee : u64                   = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        let transaction_anchor_id : u8  = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+        let transaction_type_id : u8    = read_next(buf, index, max_size)?;
+
+        let anchor_mode = 
+            if transaction_anchor_id == (TransactionAnchorMode::OffChainOnly as u8) {
+                TransactionAnchorMode::OffChainOnly
+            }
+            else if transaction_anchor_id == (TransactionAnchorMode::OnChainOnly as u8) {
+                TransactionAnchorMode::OnChainOnly
+            }
+            else if transaction_anchor_id == (TransactionAnchorMode::Any as u8) {
+                TransactionAnchorMode::Any
+            }
+            else {
+                return Err(net_error::DeserializeError);
+            };
+
+        let payload = 
+            if transaction_type_id == (TransactionPayloadID::Payment as u8) {
+                let payload_data = TransactionPayment::deserialize(buf, index, max_size)?;
+                TransactionPayload::Payment(payload_data)
+            }
+            else if transaction_type_id == (TransactionPayloadID::SmartContract as u8) {
+                let payload_data = TransactionSmartContract::deserialize(buf, index, max_size)?;
+                TransactionPayload::SmartContract(payload_data)
+            }
+            else if transaction_type_id == (TransactionPayloadID::SmartContractCall as u8) {
+                let payload_data = TransactionSmartContractCall::deserialize(buf, index, max_size)?;
+                TransactionPayload::SmartContractCall(payload_data)
+            }
+            else {
+                return Err(net_error::DeserializeError);
+            };
+
+        Ok(StacksTransaction {
+            version,
+            principal,
+            auth,
+            fee,
+            anchor_mode,
+            payload
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+impl StacksTransaction {
+    /// a txid of a stacks transaction is its double-sha256 hash
+    pub fn txid(&self) -> Txid {
+        let bytes_vec = self.serialize();
+        let h = DoubleSha256::from_data(&bytes_vec[..]);
+        
+        // NOTE: safe to unwrap here since a double-sha256 and a txid are both 32 bytes
+        Txid::from_bytes(h.as_bytes()).unwrap()
+    }
+}