diff --git a/hatchet/__init__.py b/hatchet/__init__.py
index 9f0a9eb2..510d35f9 100644
--- a/hatchet/__init__.py
+++ b/hatchet/__init__.py
@@ -8,3 +8,4 @@
 
 from .graphframe import GraphFrame
 from .query import QueryMatcher
+from .util.rcmanager import RcParams
diff --git a/hatchet/tests/rctest.py b/hatchet/tests/rctest.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..01f92b78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hatchet/tests/rctest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+from hatchet.util.rcmanager import (
+    RcManager,
+    ConfigValidator,
+    _resolve_conf_file,
+    _read_config_from_file,
+)
+
+
+def test_creation():
+    file = _resolve_conf_file()
+    config = _read_config_from_file(file)
+    RC = RcManager(config)
+
+    assert RC is not None
+
+
+def test_global_binding():
+    import hatchet as ht
+
+    assert hasattr(ht, "RcParams")
+
+
+def test_change_value():
+    import hatchet as ht
+    from hatchet.util.rcmanager import RcParams
+
+    assert "logging" in ht.RcParams
+
+    ht.RcParams["logging"] = True
+    assert ht.RcParams["logging"] is True
+    assert RcParams["logging"] is True
+
+    ht.RcParams["logging"] = False
+    assert ht.RcParams["logging"] is False
+    assert RcParams["logging"] is False
+
+
+def test_validator():
+    V = ConfigValidator()
+
+    # Add validators for keys where we can input
+    # bad values
+    V._validations["bad_bool"] = V.bool_validator
+    V._validations["bad_string"] = V.str_validator
+    V._validations["bad_int"] = V.int_validator
+    V._validations["bad_float"] = V.float_validator
+    V._validations["bad_list"] = V.list_validator
+    V._validations["bad_dict"] = V.dict_validator
+
+    # Test passes if exception is thrown
+    # Else: test fails
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_bool", "True")
+        assert False
+    except TypeError:
+        assert True
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_string", True)
+        assert False
+    except TypeError:
+        assert True
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_int", "123")
+        assert False
+    except TypeError:
+        assert True
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_float", "1.2387")
+        assert False
+    except TypeError:
+        assert True
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_list", {})
+        assert False
+    except TypeError:
+        assert True
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_dict", [])
+        assert False
+    except TypeError:
+        assert True
+
+    # Testing valid inputs
+    # Goes through to true assertion if
+    # validation works
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_bool", True)
+        assert True
+    except TypeError:
+        assert False
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_string", "string")
+        assert True
+    except TypeError:
+        assert False
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_int", 1)
+        assert True
+    except TypeError:
+        assert False
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_float", 1.2387)
+        assert True
+    except TypeError:
+        assert False
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_list", [])
+        assert True
+    except TypeError:
+        assert False
+
+    try:
+        V.validate("bad_dict", {})
+        assert True
+    except TypeError:
+        assert False
diff --git a/hatchet/util/rcmanager.py b/hatchet/util/rcmanager.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6f0bf547
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hatchet/util/rcmanager.py
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+# Copyright 2021 The University of Arizona and other Hatchet Project
+# Developers. See the top-level LICENSE file for details.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+try:
+    from collections.abc import MutableMapping
+except ImportError:
+    from collections import MutableMapping
+import os.path as path
+import yaml
+
+
+class ConfigValidator:
+    def __init__(self):
+        self._validations = {}
+        self._set_validators_to_configs()
+
+    def bool_validator(self, key, value):
+        if not isinstance(value, bool):
+            raise TypeError(
+                'Error loading configuration: Configuration "{}" must be of type bool'.format(
+                    key
+                )
+            )
+        else:
+            return value
+
+    def str_validator(self, key, value):
+        if not isinstance(value, str):
+            raise TypeError(
+                'Error loading configuration: Configuration "{}" must be of type string'.format(
+                    key
+                )
+            )
+        else:
+            return value
+
+    def int_validator(self, key, value):
+        if not isinstance(value, int):
+            raise TypeError(
+                'Error loading configuration: Configuration "{}" must be of type int'.format(
+                    key
+                )
+            )
+        else:
+            return value
+
+    def float_validator(self, key, value):
+        if not isinstance(value, float):
+            raise TypeError(
+                'Error loading configuration: Configuration "{}" must be of type float'.format(
+                    key
+                )
+            )
+        else:
+            return value
+
+    def list_validator(self, key, value):
+        if not isinstance(value, list):
+            raise TypeError(
+                'Error loading configuration: Configuration "{}" must be of type list'.format(
+                    key
+                )
+            )
+        else:
+            return value
+
+    def dict_validator(self, key, value):
+        if not isinstance(value, dict):
+            raise TypeError(
+                'Error loading configuration: Configuration "{}" must be of type dict'.format(
+                    key
+                )
+            )
+        else:
+            return value
+
+    def validate(self, key, value):
+        return self._validations[key](key, value)
+
+    def _set_validators_to_configs(self):
+        self._validations["logging"] = self.bool_validator
+        self._validations["log_directory"] = self.str_validator
+        self._validations["highlight_name"] = self.bool_validator
+        self._validations["invert_colormap"] = self.bool_validator
+
+
+class RcManager(MutableMapping):
+    """
+    A runtime configurations class; modeled after the RcParams class in matplotlib.
+    The benifit of this class over a dictonary is validation of set item and formatting
+    of output.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        self._data = {}
+        self._validator = ConfigValidator()
+        self._data.update(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def __setitem__(self, key, val):
+        """
+        Function loads valid configurations and prints errors for invalid configs.
+        """
+        try:
+            self._validator.validate(key, val)
+            return self._data.__setitem__(key, val)
+        except TypeError as e:
+            raise e
+
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        return self._data[key]
+
+    def __iter__(self):
+        for kv in sorted(self._data.__iter__(self)):
+            yield kv
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return "\n".join(map("{0[0]}: {0[1]}".format, sorted(self.items())))
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        return len(self._data)
+
+    def __delitem__(self, item):
+        del self._data[item]
+
+
+def _resolve_conf_file():
+    """
+    Determines which configuration file to load.
+    Uses the precendence order:
+        1. $HOME/.hatchet/hatchetrc.yaml
+        2. $HATCHET_BASE_DIR/hatchetrc.yaml
+    """
+    home = path.expanduser("~")
+    conf_dir = path.join(home, ".hatchet", "hatchetrc.yaml")
+    if path.exists(conf_dir):
+        return conf_dir
+    else:
+        hatchet_path = path.abspath(path.dirname(path.abspath(__file__)))
+        rel_path = path.join(hatchet_path, "..", "..", "hatchetrc.yaml")
+        return rel_path
+
+
+def _read_config_from_file(filepath):
+    configs = {}
+    with open(filepath, "r") as f:
+        configs = yaml.load(f, yaml.FullLoader)
+    return configs
+
+
+filepath = _resolve_conf_file()
+configs = _read_config_from_file(filepath)
+
+# Global instance of configurations
+RcParams = RcManager(configs)
diff --git a/hatchetrc.yaml b/hatchetrc.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4676edd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hatchetrc.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+##############################################
+##                                          ##
+##  Global configuration file for hatchet.  ##
+##                                          ##
+##############################################
+
+## If you would like to customize these global configurations
+## please copy it to the following directory and edit there:
+## $HOME/.hatchet/
+##
+## This configurations file is considered in the following order of precedence:
+##      1. $HOME/.hatchet/hatchetrc.yaml (optional)
+##      2. $HATCHET_BASE_DIR/hatchetrc.yaml
+##
+## If no file can be found at $HOME/.hatchet then configurations are drawn from
+## the hatchetrc.yaml file at the root of hatchet's installation location
+
+##
+## Logging configuration
+## 
+
+logging: False
+log_directory: "~"
+
+##
+## Tree Output Configuration
+##
+
+highlight_name: False
+invert_colormap: False
\ No newline at end of file