diff --git a/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Reader/ParsingContext.cs b/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Reader/ParsingContext.cs
index aae60da9d..7a8b07244 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Reader/ParsingContext.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Reader/ParsingContext.cs
@@ -271,9 +271,9 @@ public void PopLoop(string loopid)
 
         private void ValidateRequiredFields(OpenApiDocument doc, string version)
         {
-            if ((version.is2_0() || version.is3_0()) && (doc.Paths == null || !doc.Paths.Any()))
+            if ((version.is2_0() || version.is3_0()) && (doc.Paths == null))
             {
-                // paths is a required field in OpenAPI 3.0 but optional in 3.1
+                // paths is a required field in OpenAPI 2.0 and 3.0 but optional in 3.1
                 RootNode.Context.Diagnostic.Errors.Add(new OpenApiError("", $"Paths is a REQUIRED field at {RootNode.Context.GetLocation()}"));
             }
         }
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/OpenApiReaderTests/OpenApiDiagnosticTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/OpenApiReaderTests/OpenApiDiagnosticTests.cs
index 5ecd58071..c99cc6fa9 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/OpenApiReaderTests/OpenApiDiagnosticTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/OpenApiReaderTests/OpenApiDiagnosticTests.cs
@@ -56,10 +56,7 @@ public async Task DiagnosticReportMergedForExternalReferenceAsync()
 
             Assert.NotNull(result);
             Assert.NotNull(result.OpenApiDocument.Workspace);
-            result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Errors.Should().BeEquivalentTo(new List<OpenApiError>
-            {
-                new OpenApiError("", "[File: ./TodoReference.yaml] Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
-            });
+            result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Errors.Should().BeEmpty();
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/ParseNodeTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/ParseNodeTests.cs
index 3f7c669b0..7c43ed124 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/ParseNodeTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/ParseNodeTests.cs
@@ -34,8 +34,7 @@ public void BrokenSimpleList()
             var result = OpenApiDocument.Parse(input, "yaml");
 
             result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Errors.Should().BeEquivalentTo(new List<OpenApiError>() {
-                new OpenApiError(new OpenApiReaderException("Expected a value.")),
-                new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
+                new OpenApiError(new OpenApiReaderException("Expected a value."))
             });
         }
 
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs
index 596269644..c97fd1aee 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs
@@ -96,16 +96,7 @@ public void ParseDocumentWithDifferentCultureShouldSucceed(string culture)
                 .Excluding((IMemberInfo memberInfo) =>
                                         memberInfo.Path.EndsWith("Parent"))
                 .Excluding((IMemberInfo memberInfo) =>
-                                        memberInfo.Path.EndsWith("Root")));
-
-            result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
-                new OpenApiDiagnostic { 
-                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi2_0,
-                    Errors = new List<OpenApiError>()
-                    {
-                        new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
-                    }
-                });
+                                        memberInfo.Path.EndsWith("Root")));;
         }
 
         [Fact]
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiServerTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiServerTests.cs
index 2e5779adb..775145794 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiServerTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V2Tests/OpenApiServerTests.cs
@@ -310,8 +310,7 @@ public void InvalidHostShouldYieldError()
                 {
                     Errors =
                     {
-                        new OpenApiError("#/", "Invalid host"),
-                        new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
+                        new OpenApiError("#/", "Invalid host")
                     },
                     SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi2_0
                 });
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs
index 1382d0248..2d3b02820 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiDocumentTests.cs
@@ -101,11 +101,7 @@ public void ParseDocumentFromInlineStringShouldSucceed()
             result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
                 new OpenApiDiagnostic()
                 {
-                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0,
-                    Errors = new List<OpenApiError>()
-                        {
-                            new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
-                        }
+                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0
                 });
         }
 
@@ -115,16 +111,7 @@ public void ParseBasicDocumentWithMultipleServersShouldSucceed()
             var path = System.IO.Path.Combine(SampleFolderPath, "basicDocumentWithMultipleServers.yaml");
             var result = OpenApiDocument.Load(path);
 
-            result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
-                new OpenApiDiagnostic()
-                {
-                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0,
-                    Errors = new List<OpenApiError>()
-                    {
-                        new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
-                    }
-                });
-
+            result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Errors.Should().BeEmpty();
             result.OpenApiDocument.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
                 new OpenApiDocument
                 {
@@ -170,7 +157,6 @@ public void ParseBrokenMinimalDocumentShouldYieldExpectedDiagnostic()
                 {
                     Errors =
                     {
-                            new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/"),
                             new OpenApiValidatorError(nameof(OpenApiInfoRules.InfoRequiredFields),"#/info/title", "The field 'title' in 'info' object is REQUIRED.")
                     },
                     SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0
@@ -196,11 +182,7 @@ public void ParseMinimalDocumentShouldSucceed()
             result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
                 new OpenApiDiagnostic()
                 {
-                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0,
-                    Errors = new List<OpenApiError>()
-                    {
-                            new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
-                    }
+                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0
                 });
         }
 
@@ -1388,11 +1370,7 @@ public void ParseBasicDocumentWithServerVariableShouldSucceed()
             result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
                 new OpenApiDiagnostic 
                 { 
-                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0,
-                    Errors = new List<OpenApiError>()
-                    {
-                            new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
-                    }
+                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0
                 });
 
             result.OpenApiDocument.Should().BeEquivalentTo(expected, options => options.Excluding(x => x.BaseUri));
@@ -1417,5 +1395,12 @@ public void ParseBasicDocumentWithServerVariableAndNoDefaultShouldFail()
 
             result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Errors.Should().NotBeEmpty();
         }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void ParseDocumentWithEmptyPathsSucceeds()
+        {
+            var result = OpenApiDocument.Load(System.IO.Path.Combine(SampleFolderPath, "docWithEmptyPaths.yaml"));
+            result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Errors.Should().BeEmpty();
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiSchemaTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiSchemaTests.cs
index 81cb4376b..6c1370626 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiSchemaTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/OpenApiSchemaTests.cs
@@ -241,11 +241,7 @@ public void ParseBasicSchemaWithReferenceShouldSucceed()
             result.OpenApiDiagnostic.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
                 new OpenApiDiagnostic()
                 {
-                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0,
-                    Errors = new List<OpenApiError>()
-                    {
-                            new OpenApiError("", "Paths is a REQUIRED field at #/")
-                    }
+                    SpecificationVersion = OpenApiSpecVersion.OpenApi3_0
                 });
 
             var expectedComponents = new OpenApiComponents
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/Samples/OpenApiDocument/docWithEmptyPaths.yaml b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/Samples/OpenApiDocument/docWithEmptyPaths.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a325ad743
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Readers.Tests/V3Tests/Samples/OpenApiDocument/docWithEmptyPaths.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+openapi: 3.0.0
+info:
+  title: Sample API
+  version: 1.0.0
+paths: {}
\ No newline at end of file