diff --git a/js/grunt/Gruntfile.js b/js/grunt/Gruntfile.js
index 3b26ed7e6..1e19e5faf 100644
--- a/js/grunt/Gruntfile.js
+++ b/js/grunt/Gruntfile.js
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ const assert = require( 'assert' );
 const buildRunnable = require( './buildRunnable' );
 const buildStandalone = require( './buildStandalone' );
 const buildWrapper = require( './phet-io/buildWrapper' );
+require( './checkNodeVersion' );
 const child_process = require( 'child_process' );
 const ChipperConstants = require( '../common/ChipperConstants' );
 const chipperGlobals = require( './chipperGlobals' );
diff --git a/js/grunt/checkNodeVersion.js b/js/grunt/checkNodeVersion.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..71415d57e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/grunt/checkNodeVersion.js
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// Copyright 2019, University of Colorado Boulder
+
+/**
+ * Error out if Node version is out of date. Uses process.version
+ *
+ * @author Michael Kauzmann (PhET Interactive Simulations)
+ */
+
+'use strict';
+
+// constants
+const NODE_VERSION_STRING_PARTS = process.version.replace( 'v', '' ).split( '.' );
+const NODE_MAJOR_VERSION = parseInt( NODE_VERSION_STRING_PARTS[ 0 ], 10 );
+const NODE_MINOR_VERSION = parseInt( NODE_VERSION_STRING_PARTS[ 1 ], 10 );
+if ( NODE_MAJOR_VERSION < 8 || ( NODE_MAJOR_VERSION === 8 && NODE_MINOR_VERSION < 10 ) ) {
+  throw new Error( 'Node 8.10 or greater is needed to run PhET build tools' );
+}
diff --git a/js/grunt/lint.js b/js/grunt/lint.js
index efdf66be0..409fc6044 100644
--- a/js/grunt/lint.js
+++ b/js/grunt/lint.js
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ const path = require( 'path' );
 const child_process = require( 'child_process' );
 
 // constants
-// don't lint these repos
-const NO_LINT_REPOS = [
+const NO_LINT_REPOS = [ // don't lint these repos
+
   'babel',
   'eliot',
   'phet-android-app',