diff --git a/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.spec.ts b/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.spec.ts
index 24fb996698..92632ed74a 100644
--- a/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.spec.ts
+++ b/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.spec.ts
@@ -263,5 +263,72 @@ describe('validate-commit-message.js', () => {
                VALID);
          });
     });
+
+    describe('breaking change', () => {
+      it('should allow valid breaking change commit descriptions', () => {
+        const msgWithSummary = 'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is a normal commit message body which does not exceed the max length\n' +
+            'limit. For more details see the following super long URL:\n\n' +
+            'BREAKING CHANGE: This is a summary of a breaking change.';
+        expectValidationResult(validateCommitMessage(msgWithSummary), VALID);
+
+        const msgWithDescription = 'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is a normal commit message body which does not exceed the max length\n' +
+            'limit. For more details see the following super long URL:\n\n' +
+            'BREAKING CHANGE:\n\n' +
+            'This is a full description of the breaking change.';
+        expectValidationResult(validateCommitMessage(msgWithDescription), VALID);
+
+        const msgWithSummaryAndDescription =
+            'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is a normal commit message body which does not exceed the max length\n' +
+            'limit. For more details see the following super long URL:\n\n' +
+            'BREAKING CHANGE: This is a summary of a breaking change.\n\n' +
+            'This is a full description of the breaking change.';
+        expectValidationResult(validateCommitMessage(msgWithSummaryAndDescription), VALID);
+
+        const msgWithNonBreaking = 'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is not a\n' +
+            'breaking change commit.';
+        expectValidationResult(validateCommitMessage(msgWithNonBreaking), VALID);
+      });
+
+      it('should fail for non-valid breaking change commit descriptions', () => {
+        const msgWithSummary = 'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is a normal commit message body which does not exceed the max length\n' +
+            'limit. For more details see the following super long URL:\n\n' +
+            'BREAKING CHANGE This is a summary of a breaking change.';
+        expectValidationResult(
+            validateCommitMessage(msgWithSummary), INVALID,
+            [`The commit message body contains an invalid breaking change description.`]);
+
+        const msgWithPlural = 'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is a normal commit message body which does not exceed the max length\n' +
+            'limit. For more details see the following super long URL:\n\n' +
+            'BREAKING CHANGES: This is a summary of a breaking change.';
+        expectValidationResult(
+            validateCommitMessage(msgWithPlural), INVALID,
+            [`The commit message body contains an invalid breaking change description.`]);
+
+        const msgWithDescription = 'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is a normal commit message body which does not exceed the max length\n' +
+            'limit. For more details see the following super long URL:\n\n' +
+            'BREAKING CHANGE:\n' +
+            'This is a full description of the breaking change.';
+        expectValidationResult(
+            validateCommitMessage(msgWithDescription), INVALID,
+            [`The commit message body contains an invalid breaking change description.`]);
+
+        const msgWithSummaryAndDescription =
+            'feat(compiler): this is just an usual commit message tile\n\n' +
+            'This is a normal commit message body which does not exceed the max length\n' +
+            'limit. For more details see the following super long URL:\n\n' +
+            'BREAKING CHANGE\n\n' +
+            'This is a full description of the breaking change.';
+        expectValidationResult(
+            validateCommitMessage(msgWithSummaryAndDescription), INVALID,
+            [`The commit message body contains an invalid breaking change description.`]);
+      });
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.ts b/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.ts
index 578f599973..3fa93c23fb 100644
--- a/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.ts
+++ b/dev-infra/commit-message/validate.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,16 @@ export interface ValidateCommitMessageResult {
 
 /** Regex matching a URL for an entire commit body line. */
 const COMMIT_BODY_URL_LINE_RE = /^https?:\/\/.*$/;
+/**
+ * Regex matching a breaking change.
+ *
+ * - Starts with BREAKING CHANGE
+ * - Followed by a colon
+ * - Followed by a single space or two consecutive new lines
+ *
+ * NB: Anything after `BREAKING CHANGE` is optional to facilitate the validation.
+ */
+const COMMIT_BODY_BREAKING_CHANGE_RE = /^BREAKING CHANGE(:( |\n{2}))?/m;
 
 /** Validate a commit message against using the local repo's config. */
 export function validateCommitMessage(
@@ -137,11 +147,24 @@ export function validateCommitMessage(
     });
 
     if (lineExceedsMaxLength) {
-      errors.push(
-          `The commit message body contains lines greater than ${config.maxLineLength} characters`);
+      errors.push(`The commit message body contains lines greater than ${
+          config.maxLineLength} characters.`);
       return false;
     }
 
+    // Breaking change
+    // Check if the commit message contains a valid break change description.
+    // https://github.com/angular/angular/blob/88fbc066775ab1a2f6a8c75f933375b46d8fa9a4/CONTRIBUTING.md#commit-message-footer
+    const hasBreakingChange = COMMIT_BODY_BREAKING_CHANGE_RE.exec(commit.body);
+    if (hasBreakingChange !== null) {
+      const [, breakingChangeDescription] = hasBreakingChange;
+      if (!breakingChangeDescription) {
+        // Not followed by :, space or two consecutive new lines,
+        errors.push(`The commit message body contains an invalid breaking change description.`);
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
+
     return true;
   }
 
@@ -160,4 +183,9 @@ export function printValidationErrors(errors: string[], print = error) {
   print();
   print('<body>');
   print();
+  print(`BREAKING CHANGE: <breaking change summary>`);
+  print();
+  print(`<breaking change description>`);
+  print();
+  print();
 }
diff --git a/dev-infra/ng-dev.js b/dev-infra/ng-dev.js
index 2c9464ced2..d3be1df187 100755
--- a/dev-infra/ng-dev.js
+++ b/dev-infra/ng-dev.js
@@ -1817,6 +1817,16 @@ function parseCommitMessagesForRange(range) {
  */
 /** Regex matching a URL for an entire commit body line. */
 const COMMIT_BODY_URL_LINE_RE = /^https?:\/\/.*$/;
+/**
+ * Regex matching a breaking change.
+ *
+ * - Starts with BREAKING CHANGE
+ * - Followed by a colon
+ * - Followed by a single space or two consecutive new lines
+ *
+ * NB: Anything after `BREAKING CHANGE` is optional to facilitate the validation.
+ */
+const COMMIT_BODY_BREAKING_CHANGE_RE = /^BREAKING CHANGE(:( |\n{2}))?/m;
 /** Validate a commit message against using the local repo's config. */
 function validateCommitMessage(commitMsg, options = {}) {
     const config = getCommitMessageConfig().commitMessage;
@@ -1903,9 +1913,21 @@ function validateCommitMessage(commitMsg, options = {}) {
             return line.length > config.maxLineLength && !COMMIT_BODY_URL_LINE_RE.test(line);
         });
         if (lineExceedsMaxLength) {
-            errors.push(`The commit message body contains lines greater than ${config.maxLineLength} characters`);
+            errors.push(`The commit message body contains lines greater than ${config.maxLineLength} characters.`);
             return false;
         }
+        // Breaking change
+        // Check if the commit message contains a valid break change description.
+        // https://github.com/angular/angular/blob/88fbc066775ab1a2f6a8c75f933375b46d8fa9a4/CONTRIBUTING.md#commit-message-footer
+        const hasBreakingChange = COMMIT_BODY_BREAKING_CHANGE_RE.exec(commit.body);
+        if (hasBreakingChange !== null) {
+            const [, breakingChangeDescription] = hasBreakingChange;
+            if (!breakingChangeDescription) {
+                // Not followed by :, space or two consecutive new lines,
+                errors.push(`The commit message body contains an invalid breaking change description.`);
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
         return true;
     }
     return { valid: validateCommitAndCollectErrors(), errors, commit };
@@ -1921,6 +1943,11 @@ function printValidationErrors(errors, print = error) {
     print();
     print('<body>');
     print();
+    print(`BREAKING CHANGE: <breaking change summary>`);
+    print();
+    print(`<breaking change description>`);
+    print();
+    print();
 }
 
 /**