diff --git a/flang/docs/Extensions.md b/flang/docs/Extensions.md
index fb57744c21570..a29493545135c 100644
--- a/flang/docs/Extensions.md
+++ b/flang/docs/Extensions.md
@@ -386,6 +386,9 @@ end
   probably by a C or C++ external definition.
 * An automatic data object may be declared in the specification part
   of the main program.
+* A local data object may appear in a specification expression, even
+  when it is not a dummy argument or in COMMON, so long as it is
+  has the SAVE attribute and was initialized.
 
 ### Extensions supported when enabled by options
 
diff --git a/flang/include/flang/Common/Fortran-features.h b/flang/include/flang/Common/Fortran-features.h
index 0c8a3d2bd5281..86c6e02b0f2ff 100644
--- a/flang/include/flang/Common/Fortran-features.h
+++ b/flang/include/flang/Common/Fortran-features.h
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ ENUM_CLASS(LanguageFeature, BackslashEscapes, OldDebugLines,
     BadBranchTarget, ConvertedArgument, HollerithPolymorphic, ListDirectedSize,
     NonBindCInteroperability, CudaManaged, CudaUnified,
     PolymorphicActualAllocatableOrPointerToMonomorphicDummy, RelaxedPureDummy,
-    UndefinableAsynchronousOrVolatileActual, AutomaticInMainProgram, PrintCptr)
+    UndefinableAsynchronousOrVolatileActual, AutomaticInMainProgram, PrintCptr,
+    SavedLocalInSpecExpr)
 
 // Portability and suspicious usage warnings
 ENUM_CLASS(UsageWarning, Portability, PointerToUndefinable,
@@ -146,6 +147,8 @@ class LanguageFeatureControl {
     warnUsage_.set(UsageWarning::VectorSubscriptFinalization);
     warnUsage_.set(UsageWarning::UndefinedFunctionResult);
     warnUsage_.set(UsageWarning::UselessIomsg);
+    // New warnings, on by default
+    warnLanguage_.set(LanguageFeature::SavedLocalInSpecExpr);
   }
   LanguageFeatureControl(const LanguageFeatureControl &) = default;
 
diff --git a/flang/lib/Evaluate/check-expression.cpp b/flang/lib/Evaluate/check-expression.cpp
index fef4620857a08..8a90404db0456 100644
--- a/flang/lib/Evaluate/check-expression.cpp
+++ b/flang/lib/Evaluate/check-expression.cpp
@@ -554,6 +554,18 @@ class CheckSpecificationExprHelper
       }
     } else if (&symbol.owner() != &scope_ || &ultimate.owner() != &scope_) {
       return std::nullopt; // host association is in play
+    } else if (semantics::IsSaved(ultimate) &&
+        semantics::IsInitialized(ultimate) &&
+        context_.languageFeatures().IsEnabled(
+            common::LanguageFeature::SavedLocalInSpecExpr)) {
+      if (!scope_.IsModuleFile() &&
+          context_.languageFeatures().ShouldWarn(
+              common::LanguageFeature::SavedLocalInSpecExpr)) {
+        context_.messages().Say(
+            "specification expression refers to local object '%s' (initialized and saved)"_port_en_US,
+            ultimate.name().ToString());
+      }
+      return std::nullopt;
     } else if (const auto *object{
                    ultimate.detailsIf<semantics::ObjectEntityDetails>()}) {
       if (object->commonBlock()) {
@@ -781,8 +793,9 @@ bool CheckSpecificationExprHelper::IsPermissibleInquiry(
 template <typename A>
 void CheckSpecificationExpr(const A &x, const semantics::Scope &scope,
     FoldingContext &context, bool forElementalFunctionResult) {
-  if (auto why{CheckSpecificationExprHelper{
-          scope, context, forElementalFunctionResult}(x)}) {
+  CheckSpecificationExprHelper helper{
+      scope, context, forElementalFunctionResult};
+  if (auto why{helper(x)}) {
     context.messages().Say("Invalid specification expression%s: %s"_err_en_US,
         forElementalFunctionResult ? " for elemental function result" : "",
         *why);
diff --git a/flang/test/Semantics/resolve69.f90 b/flang/test/Semantics/resolve69.f90
index e1f7773eee9da..5acfd30604fe3 100644
--- a/flang/test/Semantics/resolve69.f90
+++ b/flang/test/Semantics/resolve69.f90
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ subroutine s1()
   !
   integer, parameter :: constVal = 1
   integer :: nonConstVal = 1
-!ERROR: Invalid specification expression: reference to local entity 'nonconstval'
+!PORTABILITY: specification expression refers to local object 'nonconstval' (initialized and saved)
   character(nonConstVal) :: colonString1
   character(len=20, kind=constVal + 1) :: constKindString
   character(len=:, kind=constVal + 1), pointer :: constKindString1
@@ -53,13 +53,13 @@ function foo3()
 
   type (derived(constVal, 3)) :: constDerivedKind
 !ERROR: Value of KIND type parameter 'typekind' must be constant
-!ERROR: Invalid specification expression: reference to local entity 'nonconstval'
+!PORTABILITY: specification expression refers to local object 'nonconstval' (initialized and saved)
   type (derived(nonConstVal, 3)) :: nonConstDerivedKind
 
   !OK because all type-params are constants
   type (derived(3, constVal)) :: constDerivedLen
 
-!ERROR: Invalid specification expression: reference to local entity 'nonconstval'
+!PORTABILITY: specification expression refers to local object 'nonconstval' (initialized and saved)
   type (derived(3, nonConstVal)) :: nonConstDerivedLen
 !ERROR: 'colonderivedlen' has a type derived(typekind=3_4,typelen=:) with a deferred type parameter but is neither an allocatable nor an object pointer
   type (derived(3, :)) :: colonDerivedLen
diff --git a/flang/test/Semantics/resolve77.f90 b/flang/test/Semantics/resolve77.f90
index 943993ee74d76..0133fac3bfbc5 100644
--- a/flang/test/Semantics/resolve77.f90
+++ b/flang/test/Semantics/resolve77.f90
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ pure integer function if2(n)
 block data
   common /blk2/ n
   data n/100/
+  !PORTABILITY: specification expression refers to local object 'n' (initialized and saved)
   !ERROR: Automatic data object 'a' may not appear in a BLOCK DATA subprogram
   real a(n)
 end
diff --git a/flang/test/Semantics/spec-expr.f90 b/flang/test/Semantics/spec-expr.f90
index aa010ed0bf7ed..9d209c3583b43 100644
--- a/flang/test/Semantics/spec-expr.f90
+++ b/flang/test/Semantics/spec-expr.f90
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ subroutine s7biii(x, y)
   integer :: local = 5
   ! OK, since "localConst" is a constant
   real, dimension(localConst) :: realArray1
-  !ERROR: Invalid specification expression: reference to local entity 'local'
+  !PORTABILITY: specification expression refers to local object 'local' (initialized and saved)
   real, dimension(local) :: realArray2
   real, dimension(size(realArray1)) :: realArray3 ! ok
   real, dimension(size(x)) :: realArray4 ! ok