diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES.md b/RELEASE_NOTES.md
index e69de29bb..eba247421 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES.md
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+* fix bug in profile validation
diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/i18n/I18nConstants.java b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/i18n/I18nConstants.java
index ed86cdee4..3eb7c0bd4 100644
--- a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/i18n/I18nConstants.java
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/i18n/I18nConstants.java
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ public class I18nConstants {
   public static final String SD_ED_BIND_NOT_VS = "SD_ED_BIND_NOT_VS";
   public static final String SD_ED_BIND_NO_BINDABLE = "SD_ED_BIND_NO_BINDABLE";
   public static final String SD_VALUE_TYPE_IILEGAL = "SD_VALUE_TYPE_IILEGAL";
-  public static final String SD_NO_TYPES = "SD_NO_TYPES";
+  public static final String SD_NO_TYPES_OR_CONTENTREF = "SD_NO_TYPES_OR_CONTENTREF";
   public static final String SEARCHPARAMETER_BASE_WRONG = "SEARCHPARAMETER_BASE_WRONG";
   public static final String SEARCHPARAMETER_EXP_WRONG = "SEARCHPARAMETER_EXP_WRONG";
   public static final String SEARCHPARAMETER_NOTFOUND = "SEARCHPARAMETER_NOTFOUND";
diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/resources/Messages.properties b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/resources/Messages.properties
index a5b49377c..50b380871 100644
--- a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/resources/Messages.properties
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/resources/Messages.properties
@@ -640,4 +640,4 @@ CODESYSTEM_CS_NO_SUPPLEMENT = CodeSystem {0} is a supplement, so can't be used a
 CODESYSTEM_CS_SUPP_CANT_CHECK = CodeSystem {0} cannot be found, so can't check if concepts are valid 
 CODESYSTEM_CS_SUPP_INVALID_CODE = The code ''{1}'' is not declared in the base CodeSystem {0} so is not valid in the supplement
 SD_VALUE_TYPE_IILEGAL = The element {0} has a {1} of type {2}, which is not in the list of allowed types ({3})
-SD_NO_TYPES = The element {0} has no assigned types
+SD_NO_TYPES_OR_CONTENTREF = The element {0} has no assigned types, and no content reference
diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/instance/type/StructureDefinitionValidator.java b/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/instance/type/StructureDefinitionValidator.java
index 9873985b7..9ddadefa6 100644
--- a/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/instance/type/StructureDefinitionValidator.java
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/instance/type/StructureDefinitionValidator.java
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ public class StructureDefinitionValidator extends BaseValidator {
     }
     // in a snapshot, we validate that fixedValue, pattern, and defaultValue, if present, are all of the right type
     if (snapshot && element.getIdBase().contains(".")) {
-      if (rule(errors, IssueType.EXCEPTION, stack.getLiteralPath(), !typeCodes.isEmpty(), I18nConstants.SD_NO_TYPES, element.getIdBase())) {
+      if (rule(errors, IssueType.EXCEPTION, stack.getLiteralPath(), !typeCodes.isEmpty() || element.hasChild("contentReference"), I18nConstants.SD_NO_TYPES_OR_CONTENTREF, element.getIdBase())) {
         Element v = element.getNamedChild("defaultValue");
         if (v != null) {
           rule(errors, IssueType.EXCEPTION, stack.push(v, -1, null, null).getLiteralPath(), typeCodes.contains(v.fhirType()), I18nConstants.SD_VALUE_TYPE_IILEGAL, element.getIdBase(), "defaultValue", v.fhirType(), typeCodes);