diff --git a/include/applets.h b/include/applets.h
index 2b2c45d67..ec3a892d0 100644
--- a/include/applets.h
+++ b/include/applets.h
@@ -565,6 +565,9 @@
 #ifdef CONFIG_RUN_PARTS
 	APPLET_ODDNAME("run-parts", run_parts_main, _BB_DIR_BIN, _BB_SUID_NEVER, run_parts)
 #endif
+#if BB_APPLET_RUNLEVEL
+	APPLET(runlevel, runlevel_main, _BB_DIR_SBIN, _BB_SUID_NEVER)
+#endif
 #ifdef CONFIG_RX
 	APPLET(rx, rx_main, _BB_DIR_USR_BIN, _BB_SUID_NEVER)
 #endif
diff --git a/include/usage.h b/include/usage.h
index 79a61d20a..a82230e41 100644
--- a/include/usage.h
+++ b/include/usage.h
@@ -2450,6 +2450,18 @@
 	"\t-a ARG\tPass ARG as an argument for every program invoked\n" \
 	"\t-u MASK\tSet the umask to MASK before executing every program"
 
+#if BB_APPLET_RUNLEVEL
+#define runlevel_trivial_usage \
+	"[utmp]"
+#define runlevel_full_usage \
+	"Find the current and previous system runlevel.\n\n" \
+	"If no utmp file exists or if no runlevel record can be found,\n" \
+	"runlevel prints \"unknown\""
+#define runlevel_example_usage \
+	"$ runlevel /var/run/utmp\n" \
+	"N 2"
+#endif
+
 #define rx_trivial_usage \
 	"FILE"
 #define rx_full_usage \
diff --git a/miscutils/Config.in b/miscutils/Config.in
index f07ca36b3..4d81dde0d 100644
--- a/miscutils/Config.in
+++ b/miscutils/Config.in
@@ -255,6 +255,15 @@ config CONFIG_MT
 	  to advance or rewind a tape past a specified number of archive
 	  files on the tape.
 
+config BB_APPLET_RUNLEVEL
+        bool "runlevel"
+	default n
+	help
+ 	  find the current and previous system runlevel.
+
+	  This applet uses utmp but does not rely on busybox supporing
+	  utmp on purpose. It is used by e.g. emdebian via /etc/init.d/rc.
+
 config CONFIG_RX
         bool "rx"
 	default n
diff --git a/miscutils/Makefile.in b/miscutils/Makefile.in
index 808ce36de..5bd522c11 100644
--- a/miscutils/Makefile.in
+++ b/miscutils/Makefile.in
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ MISCUTILS-${CONFIG_LESS}        += less.o
 MISCUTILS-$(CONFIG_MAKEDEVS)    += makedevs.o
 MISCUTILS-$(CONFIG_MOUNTPOINT)  += mountpoint.o
 MISCUTILS-$(CONFIG_MT)          += mt.o
+MISCUTILS-$(BB_APPLET_RUNLEVEL) += runlevel.o
 MISCUTILS-$(CONFIG_RX)          += rx.o
 MISCUTILS-$(CONFIG_SETSID)      += setsid.o
 MISCUTILS-$(CONFIG_STRINGS)     += strings.o
diff --git a/miscutils/runlevel.c b/miscutils/runlevel.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dfa846f81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/miscutils/runlevel.c
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * runlevel	Prints out the previous and the current runlevel.
+ *
+ * Version:	@(#)runlevel  1.20  16-Apr-1997  MvS
+ *
+ *		This file is part of the sysvinit suite,
+ *		Copyright 1991-1997 Miquel van Smoorenburg.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the GPL v2 or later, see the file LICENSE in this tarball.
+ *
+ * initially busyboxified by Bernhard Fischer
+ */
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <utmp.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+#include "busybox.h"
+
+int runlevel_main(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+  struct utmp *ut;
+  char prev;
+
+  if (argc > 1) utmpname(argv[1]);
+
+  setutent();
+  while ((ut = getutent()) != NULL) {
+	if (ut->ut_type == RUN_LVL) {
+		prev = ut->ut_pid / 256;
+		if (prev == 0) prev = 'N';
+		printf("%c %c\n", prev, ut->ut_pid % 256);
+		endutent();
+		return (0);
+	}
+  }
+
+  printf("unknown\n");
+  endutent();
+  return (1);
+}
+