diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/context_discovery.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/context_discovery.ts
index 8b300f8245..492b9470be 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/context_discovery.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/context_discovery.ts
@@ -28,23 +28,41 @@ export const MONKEY_PATCH_KEY_NAME = '__ngContext__';
  * of the context.
  */
 export interface LContext {
-  /** The component's parent view data */
+  /**
+   * The component's parent view data.
+   */
   lViewData: LViewData;
 
-  /** The index instance of the LNode */
+  /**
+   * The index instance of the LNode.
+   */
   lNodeIndex: number;
 
-  /** The instance of the DOM node that is attached to the lNode */
+  /**
+   * The instance of the DOM node that is attached to the lNode.
+   */
   native: RElement;
 
-  /** The instance of the Component node */
+  /**
+   * The instance of the Component node.
+   */
   component: {}|null|undefined;
 
-  /** The list of indices for the active directives that exist on this element */
+  /**
+   * The list of indices for the active directives that exist on this element.
+   */
   directiveIndices: number[]|null|undefined;
 
-  /** The list of active directives that exist on this element */
-  directives: Array<{}>|null|undefined;
+  /**
+   * The list of active directives that exist on this element.
+   */
+  directives: any[]|null|undefined;
+
+  /**
+   * The map of local references (local reference name => element or directive instance) that exist
+   * on this element.
+   */
+  localRefs: {[key: string]: any}|null|undefined;
 }
 
 /** Returns the matching `LContext` data for a given DOM node, directive or component instance.
@@ -172,6 +190,7 @@ function createLContext(lViewData: LViewData, lNodeIndex: number, native: REleme
     component: undefined,
     directiveIndices: undefined,
     directives: undefined,
+    localRefs: undefined,
   };
 }
 
@@ -395,6 +414,28 @@ export function discoverDirectives(lViewData: LViewData, indices: number[]): num
   return directives;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Returns a map of local references (local reference name => element or directive instance) that
+ * exist on a given element.
+ */
+export function discoverLocalRefs(lViewData: LViewData, lNodeIndex: number): {[key: string]: any}|
+    null {
+  const tNode = lViewData[TVIEW].data[lNodeIndex] as TNode;
+  if (tNode && tNode.localNames) {
+    const result: {[key: string]: any} = {};
+    for (let i = 0; i < tNode.localNames.length; i += 2) {
+      const localRefName = tNode.localNames[i];
+      const directiveIndex = tNode.localNames[i + 1] as number;
+      result[localRefName] = directiveIndex === -1 ?
+          getLNodeFromViewData(lViewData, lNodeIndex) !.native :
+          lViewData[DIRECTIVES] ![directiveIndex];
+    }
+    return result;
+  }
+
+  return null;
+}
+
 function getDirectiveStartIndex(tNode: TNode): number {
   // the tNode instances store a flag value which then has a
   // pointer which tells the starting index of where all the
diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/discovery_utils.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/discovery_utils.ts
index 31d18edcfc..38f57d1381 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/discovery_utils.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/discovery_utils.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import {Injector} from '../di/injector';
 
 import {assertDefined} from './assert';
-import {LContext, discoverDirectiveIndices, discoverDirectives, getContext, isComponentInstance, readPatchedLViewData} from './context_discovery';
+import {LContext, discoverDirectiveIndices, discoverDirectives, discoverLocalRefs, getContext, isComponentInstance, readPatchedLViewData} from './context_discovery';
 import {LElementNode, TNode, TNodeFlags} from './interfaces/node';
 import {CONTEXT, FLAGS, INJECTOR, LViewData, LViewFlags, PARENT, RootContext, TVIEW} from './interfaces/view';
 
@@ -141,3 +141,16 @@ export function getRootView(componentOrView: LViewData | {}): LViewData {
   }
   return lViewData;
 }
+
+/**
+ *  Retrieve map of local references (local reference name => element or directive instance).
+ */
+export function getLocalRefs(target: {}): {[key: string]: any} {
+  const context = loadContext(target) !;
+
+  if (context.localRefs === undefined) {
+    context.localRefs = discoverLocalRefs(context.lViewData, context.lNodeIndex);
+  }
+
+  return context.localRefs || {};
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/core/test/render3/discovery_utils_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/render3/discovery_utils_spec.ts
index eec9ca2a59..d8203603bb 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/render3/discovery_utils_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/render3/discovery_utils_spec.ts
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
  * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
  */
 import {StaticInjector} from '../../src/di/injector';
-import {getComponent, getDirectives, getHostComponent, getInjector, getRootComponents} from '../../src/render3/discovery_utils';
+import {getComponent, getDirectives, getHostComponent, getInjector, getLocalRefs, getRootComponents} from '../../src/render3/discovery_utils';
 import {RenderFlags, defineComponent, defineDirective} from '../../src/render3/index';
-import {element} from '../../src/render3/instructions';
+import {element, elementEnd, elementStart, elementStyling, elementStylingApply} from '../../src/render3/instructions';
 
 import {ComponentFixture} from './render_util';
 
@@ -266,4 +266,76 @@ describe('discovery utils', () => {
       expect(getInjector(fixture.hostElement)).toEqual(null);
     });
   });
+
+  describe('getLocalRefs', () => {
+    it('should return a map of local refs for an element', () => {
+
+      class MyDir {
+        static ngDirectiveDef = defineDirective({
+          type: MyDir,
+          selectors: [['', 'myDir', '']],
+          exportAs: 'myDir',
+          factory: () => new MyDir()
+        });
+      }
+
+      class Comp {
+        static ngComponentDef = defineComponent({
+          type: Comp,
+          selectors: [['comp']],
+          factory: () => new Comp(),
+          consts: 3,
+          vars: 0,
+          template: (rf: RenderFlags, ctx: Comp) => {
+            if (rf & RenderFlags.Create) {
+              // <div myDir #elRef #dirRef="myDir">
+              element(0, 'div', ['myDir'], ['elRef', '', 'dirRef', 'myDir']);
+            }
+          },
+          directives: [MyDir]
+        });
+      }
+
+      const fixture = new ComponentFixture(Comp);
+      fixture.update();
+
+      const divEl = fixture.hostElement.querySelector('div') !;
+      const localRefs = getLocalRefs(divEl);
+
+      expect(localRefs.elRef.tagName.toLowerCase()).toBe('div');
+      expect(localRefs.dirRef.constructor).toBe(MyDir);
+    });
+
+    it('should return a map of local refs for an element with styling context', () => {
+
+      class Comp {
+        static ngComponentDef = defineComponent({
+          type: Comp,
+          selectors: [['comp']],
+          factory: () => new Comp(),
+          consts: 2,
+          vars: 0,
+          template: (rf: RenderFlags, ctx: Comp) => {
+            if (rf & RenderFlags.Create) {
+              // <div #elRef class="fooClass">
+              elementStart(0, 'div', null, ['elRef', '']);
+              elementStyling(['fooClass']);
+              elementEnd();
+            }
+            if (rf & RenderFlags.Update) {
+              elementStylingApply(0);
+            }
+          }
+        });
+      }
+
+      const fixture = new ComponentFixture(Comp);
+      fixture.update();
+
+      const divEl = fixture.hostElement.querySelector('div') !;
+      const localRefs = getLocalRefs(divEl);
+
+      expect(localRefs.elRef.tagName.toLowerCase()).toBe('div');
+    });
+  });
 });