diff --git a/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/KinesisClientLibConfiguration.java b/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/KinesisClientLibConfiguration.java
index a37daa42..fae780f5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/KinesisClientLibConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/KinesisClientLibConfiguration.java
@@ -234,6 +234,9 @@ public class KinesisClientLibConfiguration {
 
     @Getter
     private RecordsFetcherFactory recordsFetcherFactory;
+    
+    @Getter
+    private Optional<Long> logWarningForTaskAfterMillis = Optional.empty();
 
     /**
      * Constructor.
@@ -1355,4 +1358,15 @@ public class KinesisClientLibConfiguration {
         this.recordsFetcherFactory.setIdleMillisBetweenCalls(idleMillisBetweenCalls);
         return this;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @param logWarningForTaskAfterMillis Logs warn message if as task is held in  a task for more than the set
+     *                                          time.
+     * @return KinesisClientLibConfiguration
+     */
+    public KinesisClientLibConfiguration withLogWarningForTaskAfterMillis(long logWarningForTaskAfterMillis) {
+        checkIsValuePositive("LogProcessTaskStatusAfterInMillis", logWarningForTaskAfterMillis);
+        this.logWarningForTaskAfterMillis = Optional.of(logWarningForTaskAfterMillis);
+        return this;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumer.java b/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumer.java
index d7a5545e..14a1d08c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumer.java
@@ -283,11 +283,17 @@ class ShardConsumer {
                 }
             }
         } else {
+            final long timeElapsed = System.currentTimeMillis() - currentTaskSubmitTime;
+            final String commonMessage = String.format("Previous %s task still pending for shard %s since %d ms ago. ",
+                    currentTask.getTaskType(), shardInfo.getShardId(), timeElapsed);
             if (LOG.isDebugEnabled()) {
-                LOG.debug("Previous " + currentTask.getTaskType() + " task still pending for shard "
-                        + shardInfo.getShardId() + " since " + (System.currentTimeMillis() - currentTaskSubmitTime)
-                        + " ms ago" + ".  Not submitting new task.");
+                LOG.debug(commonMessage + "Not submitting new task.");
             }
+            config.getLogWarningForTaskAfterMillis().ifPresent(value -> {
+                if (timeElapsed > value) {
+                    LOG.warn(commonMessage);
+                }
+            });
         }
 
         return submittedNewTask;
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumerTest.java b/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumerTest.java
index efb9d43c..9a7f2234 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/services/kinesis/clientlibrary/lib/worker/ShardConsumerTest.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import static org.mockito.Matchers.argThat;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.atLeastOnce;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.doNothing;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.doThrow;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.spy;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.times;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
+import java.util.concurrent.Future;
 import java.util.concurrent.RejectedExecutionException;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
@@ -119,6 +121,7 @@ public class ShardConsumerTest {
         
         recordsFetcherFactory = spy(new SimpleRecordsFetcherFactory(maxRecords));
         when(config.getRecordsFetcherFactory()).thenReturn(recordsFetcherFactory);
+        when(config.getLogWarningForTaskAfterMillis()).thenReturn(Optional.empty());
     }
     
     /**
@@ -645,6 +648,52 @@ public class ShardConsumerTest {
         assertEquals(shardConsumer.getGetRecordsCache().getGetRecordsRetrievalStrategy().getClass(),
                 AsynchronousGetRecordsRetrievalStrategy.class);
     }
+    
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    @Test
+    public void testLongRunningTasks() throws InterruptedException {
+        final long sleepTime = 1000L;
+        ExecutorService mockExecutorService = mock(ExecutorService.class);
+        Future<TaskResult> mockFuture = mock(Future.class);
+        
+        when(mockExecutorService.submit(any(ITask.class))).thenReturn(mockFuture);
+        when(mockFuture.isDone()).thenReturn(false);
+        when(mockFuture.isCancelled()).thenReturn(false);
+        when(config.getLogWarningForTaskAfterMillis()).thenReturn(Optional.of(sleepTime));
+        
+        ShardInfo shardInfo = new ShardInfo("s-0-0", "testToken", null, ExtendedSequenceNumber.LATEST);
+        StreamConfig streamConfig = new StreamConfig(
+                streamProxy,
+                1,
+                10,
+                callProcessRecordsForEmptyRecordList,
+                skipCheckpointValidationValue,
+                INITIAL_POSITION_LATEST);
+        
+        ShardConsumer shardConsumer = new ShardConsumer(
+                shardInfo,
+                streamConfig,
+                checkpoint,
+                processor,
+                null,
+                parentShardPollIntervalMillis,
+                cleanupLeasesOfCompletedShards,
+                mockExecutorService,
+                metricsFactory,
+                taskBackoffTimeMillis,
+                KinesisClientLibConfiguration.DEFAULT_SKIP_SHARD_SYNC_AT_STARTUP_IF_LEASES_EXIST,
+                config);
+        
+        shardConsumer.consumeShard();
+
+        Thread.sleep(sleepTime);
+        
+        shardConsumer.consumeShard();
+        
+        verify(config).getLogWarningForTaskAfterMillis();
+        verify(mockFuture).isDone();
+        verify(mockFuture).isCancelled();
+    }
 
     //@formatter:off (gets the formatting wrong)
     private void verifyConsumedRecords(List<Record> expectedRecords,