diff --git a/sdf/1.12/CMakeLists.txt b/sdf/1.12/CMakeLists.txt
index 08b4bf240..82d9ebf71 100644
--- a/sdf/1.12/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/sdf/1.12/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ set (sdfs
   imu.sdf
   inertial.sdf
   joint.sdf
+  joint_state.sdf
   lidar.sdf
   light.sdf
   light_state.sdf
diff --git a/sdf/1.12/joint_state.sdf b/sdf/1.12/joint_state.sdf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..60273b27f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sdf/1.12/joint_state.sdf
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<!-- State information for a joint -->
+<element name="joint_state" required="*">
+  <description>Joint angle</description>
+
+  <attribute name="name" type="string" default="__default__" required="1">
+    <description>Name of the joint</description>
+  </attribute>
+
+  <element name="angle" type="double" default="0" required="+">
+    <attribute name="axis" type="unsigned int" default="0" required="1">
+      <description>Index of the axis.</description>
+    </attribute>
+
+    <description>Angle of an axis</description>
+  </element>
+</element> <!-- End Joint -->
diff --git a/sdf/1.12/model_state.sdf b/sdf/1.12/model_state.sdf
index 9a021040d..e9905621b 100644
--- a/sdf/1.12/model_state.sdf
+++ b/sdf/1.12/model_state.sdf
@@ -6,21 +6,7 @@
     <description>Name of the model</description>
   </attribute>
 
-  <element name="joint_state" required="*">
-    <description>Joint angle</description>
-
-    <attribute name="name" type="string" default="__default__" required="1">
-      <description>Name of the joint</description>
-    </attribute>
-
-    <element name="angle" type="double" default="0" required="+">
-      <attribute name="axis" type="unsigned int" default="0" required="1">
-        <description>Index of the axis.</description>
-      </attribute>
-
-      <description>Angle of an axis</description>
-    </element>
-  </element>
+  <include filename="joint_state.sdf" required="*"/>
 
   <element name="model_state" ref="model_state" required="*">
     <description>A nested model state element</description>
diff --git a/sdf/1.12/state.sdf b/sdf/1.12/state.sdf
index 6a13e28bf..412c83301 100644
--- a/sdf/1.12/state.sdf
+++ b/sdf/1.12/state.sdf
@@ -38,4 +38,6 @@
 
   <include filename="light_state.sdf" required="*"/>
 
+  <include filename="joint_state.sdf" required="*"/>
+
 </element> <!-- End State -->