diff --git a/base_layer/common_types/src/chain_metadata.rs b/base_layer/common_types/src/chain_metadata.rs
index 0ab3d7285b..c9aa217d02 100644
--- a/base_layer/common_types/src/chain_metadata.rs
+++ b/base_layer/common_types/src/chain_metadata.rs
@@ -47,6 +47,13 @@ pub struct ChainMetadata {
     /// Timestamp of the tip block in the longest valid chain
     timestamp: u64,
 }
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+pub enum ChainMetaDataError {
+    #[error("Pruning Height is higher than the Best Block height")]
+    PruningHeightAboveBestBlock,
+    #[error("The total accumulated difficulty is zero")]
+    AccumulatedDifficultyZero,
+}
 
 impl ChainMetadata {
     pub fn new(
@@ -56,15 +63,22 @@ impl ChainMetadata {
         pruned_height: u64,
         accumulated_difficulty: U256,
         timestamp: u64,
-    ) -> ChainMetadata {
-        ChainMetadata {
+    ) -> Result<ChainMetadata, ChainMetaDataError> {
+        let chain_meta_data = ChainMetadata {
             best_block_height,
             best_block_hash,
             pruning_horizon,
             pruned_height,
             accumulated_difficulty,
             timestamp,
-        }
+        };
+        if chain_meta_data.accumulated_difficulty == 0.into() {
+            return Err(ChainMetaDataError::AccumulatedDifficultyZero);
+        };
+        if chain_meta_data.pruned_height > chain_meta_data.best_block_height {
+            return Err(ChainMetaDataError::PruningHeightAboveBestBlock);
+        };
+        Ok(chain_meta_data)
     }
 
     /// The block height at the pruning horizon, given the chain height of the network. Typically database backends
diff --git a/base_layer/core/src/base_node/proto/chain_metadata.rs b/base_layer/core/src/base_node/proto/chain_metadata.rs
index 333f80aceb..2a876fbe63 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/src/base_node/proto/chain_metadata.rs
+++ b/base_layer/core/src/base_node/proto/chain_metadata.rs
@@ -56,14 +56,15 @@ impl TryFrom<proto::ChainMetadata> for ChainMetadata {
             .best_block_hash
             .try_into()
             .map_err(|e| format!("Malformed best block: {}", e))?;
-        Ok(ChainMetadata::new(
+        ChainMetadata::new(
             best_block_height,
             hash,
             pruning_horizon,
             metadata.pruned_height,
             accumulated_difficulty,
             metadata.timestamp,
-        ))
+        )
+        .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/base_layer/core/src/base_node/state_machine_service/states/listening.rs b/base_layer/core/src/base_node/state_machine_service/states/listening.rs
index 20d307fc08..9e097d8d9b 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/src/base_node/state_machine_service/states/listening.rs
+++ b/base_layer/core/src/base_node/state_machine_service/states/listening.rs
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ mod test {
 
         let archival_node = PeerChainMetadata::new(
             random_node_id(),
-            ChainMetadata::new(NETWORK_TIP_HEIGHT, block_hash, 0, 0, accumulated_difficulty, 0),
+            ChainMetadata::new(NETWORK_TIP_HEIGHT, block_hash, 0, 0, accumulated_difficulty, 0).unwrap(),
             None,
         );
 
@@ -469,7 +469,8 @@ mod test {
                 0,
                 accumulated_difficulty - U256::from(1000),
                 0,
-            ),
+            )
+            .unwrap(),
             None,
         );
 
diff --git a/base_layer/core/src/base_node/sync/sync_peer.rs b/base_layer/core/src/base_node/sync/sync_peer.rs
index 52877c627c..4594f78aa5 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/src/base_node/sync/sync_peer.rs
+++ b/base_layer/core/src/base_node/sync/sync_peer.rs
@@ -135,7 +135,6 @@ mod test {
     use super::*;
 
     mod sort_by_latency {
-        use primitive_types::U256;
         use tari_common_types::types::FixedHash;
         use tari_comms::types::{CommsPublicKey, CommsSecretKey};
         use tari_crypto::keys::{PublicKey, SecretKey};
@@ -151,7 +150,7 @@ mod test {
             let latency_option = latency.map(|latency| Duration::from_millis(latency as u64));
             PeerChainMetadata::new(
                 node_id,
-                ChainMetadata::new(0, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, U256::zero(), 0),
+                ChainMetadata::new(0, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, 1.into(), 0).unwrap(),
                 latency_option,
             )
             .into()
diff --git a/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/error.rs b/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/error.rs
index 47f5217697..f9551e336c 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/error.rs
+++ b/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/error.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 // USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 
 use lmdb_zero::error;
-use tari_common_types::types::FixedHashSizeError;
+use tari_common_types::{chain_metadata::ChainMetaDataError, types::FixedHashSizeError};
 use tari_mmr::{error::MerkleMountainRangeError, sparse_merkle_tree::SMTError, MerkleProofError};
 use tari_storage::lmdb_store::LMDBError;
 use thiserror::Error;
@@ -139,6 +139,8 @@ pub enum ChainStorageError {
     FromKeyBytesFailed(String),
     #[error("Sparse Merkle Tree error: {0}")]
     SMTError(#[from] SMTError),
+    #[error("Invalid ChainMetaData: {0}")]
+    InvalidChainMetaData(#[from] ChainMetaDataError),
 }
 
 impl ChainStorageError {
@@ -190,6 +192,7 @@ impl ChainStorageError {
             _err @ ChainStorageError::FixedHashSizeError(_) |
             _err @ ChainStorageError::CompositeKeyLengthExceeded |
             _err @ ChainStorageError::FromKeyBytesFailed(_) |
+            _err @ ChainStorageError::InvalidChainMetaData(_) |
             _err @ ChainStorageError::OutOfRange => None,
         }
     }
diff --git a/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/lmdb_db/lmdb_db.rs b/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/lmdb_db/lmdb_db.rs
index 35c8a3a532..2b4faffe2a 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/lmdb_db/lmdb_db.rs
+++ b/base_layer/core/src/chain_storage/lmdb_db/lmdb_db.rs
@@ -2449,7 +2449,7 @@ fn fetch_metadata(txn: &ConstTransaction<'_>, db: &Database) -> Result<ChainMeta
         fetch_pruned_height(txn, db)?,
         fetch_accumulated_work(txn, db)?,
         fetch_best_block_timestamp(txn, db)?,
-    ))
+    )?)
 }
 
 // Fetches the chain height from the provided metadata db.
diff --git a/base_layer/core/tests/tests/node_state_machine.rs b/base_layer/core/tests/tests/node_state_machine.rs
index 01761fba4f..aef35ca56c 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/tests/tests/node_state_machine.rs
+++ b/base_layer/core/tests/tests/node_state_machine.rs
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ async fn test_event_channel() {
 
     let node_identity = random_node_identity();
     let block_hash = Blake2b::<U32>::digest(node_identity.node_id().as_bytes()).into();
-    let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(10, block_hash, 2800, 0, 5000.into(), 0);
+    let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(10, block_hash, 2800, 0, 5000.into(), 0).unwrap();
 
     node.comms
         .peer_manager()
diff --git a/base_layer/wallet/tests/support/base_node_service_mock.rs b/base_layer/wallet/tests/support/base_node_service_mock.rs
index 46f755d12d..ebfb37f9ef 100644
--- a/base_layer/wallet/tests/support/base_node_service_mock.rs
+++ b/base_layer/wallet/tests/support/base_node_service_mock.rs
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ impl MockBaseNodeService {
     pub fn set_base_node_state(&mut self, height: Option<u64>) {
         let (chain_metadata, is_synced) = match height {
             Some(height) => {
-                let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(height, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, 0.into(), 0);
+                let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(height, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, 1.into(), 0).unwrap();
                 (Some(metadata), Some(true))
             },
             None => (None, None),
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ impl MockBaseNodeService {
     }
 
     pub fn set_default_base_node_state(&mut self) {
-        let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(i64::MAX as u64, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, 0.into(), 0);
+        let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(i64::MAX as u64, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, 1.into(), 0).unwrap();
         self.state = BaseNodeState {
             node_id: None,
             chain_metadata: Some(metadata),
diff --git a/base_layer/wallet/tests/transaction_service_tests/service.rs b/base_layer/wallet/tests/transaction_service_tests/service.rs
index f12b8d67be..efba77a934 100644
--- a/base_layer/wallet/tests/transaction_service_tests/service.rs
+++ b/base_layer/wallet/tests/transaction_service_tests/service.rs
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ async fn setup_transaction_service<P: AsRef<Path>>(
 
     let passphrase = SafePassword::from("My lovely secret passphrase");
     let db = WalletDatabase::new(WalletSqliteDatabase::new(db_connection.clone(), passphrase).unwrap());
-    let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(std::i64::MAX as u64, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, 0.into(), 0);
+    let metadata = ChainMetadata::new(std::i64::MAX as u64, FixedHash::zero(), 0, 0, 1.into(), 0).unwrap();
 
     db.set_chain_metadata(metadata).unwrap();
 
diff --git a/base_layer/wallet_ffi/src/callback_handler_tests.rs b/base_layer/wallet_ffi/src/callback_handler_tests.rs
index 184fe38b08..377f1ecf75 100644
--- a/base_layer/wallet_ffi/src/callback_handler_tests.rs
+++ b/base_layer/wallet_ffi/src/callback_handler_tests.rs
@@ -507,7 +507,8 @@ mod test {
             0,
             123.into(),
             ts_now.timestamp_millis() as u64,
-        );
+        )
+        .unwrap();
 
         base_node_event_sender
             .send(Arc::new(BaseNodeEvent::BaseNodeStateChanged(BaseNodeState {