@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ def _set_alternates(self, alts):
                           doc="Retrieve a list of alternates paths or set a list paths to be used as alternates")
 
     def is_dirty(self, index=True, working_tree=True, untracked_files=False,
-                 submodules=True):
+                 submodules=True, path=None):
         """
         :return:
             ``True``, the repository is considered dirty. By default it will react
@@ -600,6 +600,8 @@ def is_dirty(self, index=True, working_tree=True, untracked_files=False,
         default_args = ['--abbrev=40', '--full-index', '--raw']
         if not submodules:
             default_args.append('--ignore-submodules')
+        if path:
+            default_args.append(path)
         if index:
             # diff index against HEAD
             if isfile(self.index.path) and \
@@ -612,7 +614,7 @@ def is_dirty(self, index=True, working_tree=True, untracked_files=False,
                 return True
         # END working tree handling
         if untracked_files:
-            if len(self._get_untracked_files(ignore_submodules=not submodules)):
+            if len(self._get_untracked_files(path, ignore_submodules=not submodules)):
                 return True
         # END untracked files
         return False
@@ -633,9 +635,10 @@ def untracked_files(self):
             consider caching it yourself."""
         return self._get_untracked_files()
 
-    def _get_untracked_files(self, **kwargs):
+    def _get_untracked_files(self, *args, **kwargs):
         # make sure we get all files, no only untracked directores
-        proc = self.git.status(porcelain=True,
+        proc = self.git.status(*args,
+                               porcelain=True,
                                untracked_files=True,
                                as_process=True,
                                **kwargs)
 
@@ -271,6 +271,24 @@ def test_is_dirty(self):
         assert self.rorepo.is_dirty() is False
         self.rorepo._bare = orig_val
 
+    @with_rw_repo('HEAD')
+    def test_is_dirty_with_path(self, rwrepo):
+        assert rwrepo.is_dirty(path="git") is False
+
+        with open(os.path.join(rwrepo.working_dir, "git", "util.py"), "at") as f:
+            f.write("junk")
+        assert rwrepo.is_dirty(path="git") is True
+        assert rwrepo.is_dirty(path="doc") is False
+
+        rwrepo.git.add(os.path.join("git", "util.py"))
+        assert rwrepo.is_dirty(index=False, path="git") is False
+        assert rwrepo.is_dirty(path="git") is True
+
+        with open(os.path.join(rwrepo.working_dir, "doc", "no-such-file.txt"), "wt") as f:
+            f.write("junk")
+        assert rwrepo.is_dirty(path="doc") is False
+        assert rwrepo.is_dirty(untracked_files=True, path="doc") is True
+
     def test_head(self):
         assert self.rorepo.head.reference.object == self.rorepo.active_branch.object