diff --git a/api/businesslogic/category/CategoryRetriever.php b/api/businesslogic/category/CategoryRetriever.php
index 0a40bfda..fecdf8ec 100644
--- a/api/businesslogic/category/CategoryRetriever.php
+++ b/api/businesslogic/category/CategoryRetriever.php
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use DataAccess\CategoryGateway;
 
 class CategoryRetriever {
     static function get_all_categories($hesk_settings) {
-        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../dao/CategoryGateway.php');
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../dao/category/CategoryGateway.php');
 
         return CategoryGateway::getAllCategories($hesk_settings);
     }
diff --git a/api/businesslogic/security/BanRetriever.php b/api/businesslogic/security/BanRetriever.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a79aa7ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/businesslogic/security/BanRetriever.php
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace BusinessLogic\Security;
+
+
+use DataAccess\Security\BanGateway;
+
+class BanRetriever {
+    /**
+     * @param $email
+     * @param $heskSettings
+     * @return bool
+     */
+    static function isEmailBanned($email, $heskSettings) {
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../dao/security/BanGateway.php');
+
+        $bannedEmails = BanGateway::getEmailBans($heskSettings);
+
+        foreach ($bannedEmails as $bannedEmail) {
+            if ($bannedEmail->email === $email) {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param $ip int the IP address, converted beforehand using ip2long()
+     * @param $heskSettings
+     * @return bool
+     */
+    static function isIpAddressBanned($ip, $heskSettings) {
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../dao/security/BanGateway.php');
+
+        $bannedIps = BanGateway::getIpBans($heskSettings);
+
+        foreach ($bannedIps as $bannedIp) {
+            if ($bannedIp->ipFrom <= $ip && $bannedIp->ipTo >= $ip) {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/businesslogic/security/BannedEmail.php b/api/businesslogic/security/BannedEmail.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b612ed9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/businesslogic/security/BannedEmail.php
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Created by PhpStorm.
+ * User: mkoch
+ * Date: 1/27/2017
+ * Time: 9:25 PM
+ */
+
+namespace BusinessLogic\Security;
+
+
+class BannedEmail {
+    /**
+     * @var int
+     */
+    public $id;
+
+    /**
+     * @var string
+     */
+    public $email;
+
+    /**
+     * @var int|null The user who banned the email, or null if the user was deleted
+     */
+    public $bannedById;
+
+    /**
+     * @var string
+     */
+    public $dateBanned;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/businesslogic/security/BannedIp.php b/api/businesslogic/security/BannedIp.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c6ddf46e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/businesslogic/security/BannedIp.php
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Created by PhpStorm.
+ * User: mkoch
+ * Date: 1/27/2017
+ * Time: 9:51 PM
+ */
+
+namespace BusinessLogic\Security;
+
+
+class BannedIp {
+    /**
+     * @var int
+     */
+    public $id;
+
+    /**
+     * @var int the lower bound of the IP address range
+     */
+    public $ipFrom;
+
+    /**
+     * @var int the upper bound of the IP address range
+     */
+    public $ipTo;
+
+    /**
+     * @var string the display of the IP ban to be shown to the user
+     */
+    public $ipDisplay;
+
+    /**
+     * @var int|null The user who banned the IP, or null if the user was deleted
+     */
+    public $bannedById;
+
+    /**
+     * @var string
+     */
+    public $dateBanned;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/businesslogic/security/UserContextBuilder.php b/api/businesslogic/security/UserContextBuilder.php
index a6d22645..668fd540 100644
--- a/api/businesslogic/security/UserContextBuilder.php
+++ b/api/businesslogic/security/UserContextBuilder.php
@@ -3,12 +3,14 @@
 namespace BusinessLogic\Security;
 
 
-use DataAccess\Security\UserDao;
+use DataAccess\Security\UserGateway;
 
 class UserContextBuilder {
     static function buildUserContext($authToken, $hesk_settings) {
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../dao/security/UserGateway.php');
+
         $hashedToken = hash('sha512', $authToken);
-        return UserDao::getUserForAuthToken($hashedToken, $hesk_settings);
+        return UserGateway::getUserForAuthToken($hashedToken, $hesk_settings);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/api/businesslogic/ticket/TicketCreator.php b/api/businesslogic/ticket/TicketCreator.php
index 7f1b5d4f..ce4e3d0c 100644
--- a/api/businesslogic/ticket/TicketCreator.php
+++ b/api/businesslogic/ticket/TicketCreator.php
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ class TicketCreator {
      */
     function validate($ticketRequest, $staff, $heskSettings, $modsForHeskSettings) {
         require_once(__DIR__ . '/../email_validators.php');
-        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../dao/category_dao.php');
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../category/CategoryRetriever.php');
         //require_once('../category/retriever.php');
         //require_once('../bans/retriever.php');
 
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ class TicketCreator {
         }
 
         foreach ($heskSettings['custom_fields'] as $key => $value) {
-            // TODO Only check categories that apply to this custom field
             if ($value['use'] == 1 && hesk_is_custom_field_in_category($key, intval($ticketRequest->category))) {
                 $custom_field_value = $ticketRequest->customFields[$key];
                 if (empty($custom_field_value)) {
diff --git a/api/dao/CategoryGateway.php b/api/dao/category/CategoryGateway.php
similarity index 93%
rename from api/dao/CategoryGateway.php
rename to api/dao/category/CategoryGateway.php
index 2ae16bee..b9e222d0 100644
--- a/api/dao/CategoryGateway.php
+++ b/api/dao/category/CategoryGateway.php
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use Exception;
 
 class CategoryGateway {
     static function getAllCategories($hesk_settings) {
-        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../businesslogic/category/Category.php');
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../businesslogic/category/Category.php');
 
         if (!function_exists('hesk_dbConnect')) {
             throw new Exception('Database not loaded!');
diff --git a/api/dao/security/BanGateway.php b/api/dao/security/BanGateway.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d1d9a829
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/dao/security/BanGateway.php
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Created by PhpStorm.
+ * User: mkoch
+ * Date: 1/27/2017
+ * Time: 9:05 PM
+ */
+
+namespace DataAccess\Security;
+
+
+use BusinessLogic\Security\BannedEmail;
+use BusinessLogic\Security\BannedIp;
+
+class BanGateway {
+
+    /**
+     * @param $heskSettings
+     * @return BannedEmail[]
+     */
+    static function getEmailBans($heskSettings) {
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../businesslogic/security/BannedEmail.php');
+
+        $rs = hesk_dbQuery("SELECT `bans`.`id` AS `id`, `bans`.`email` AS `email`,
+              `users`.`id` AS `banned_by`, `bans`.`dt` AS `dt`
+            FROM `" . hesk_dbEscape($heskSettings['db_pfix']) . "_banned_emails` AS `bans`
+            LEFT JOIN `" . hesk_dbEscape($heskSettings['db_pfix']) . "_users` AS `users`
+                ON `bans`.`banned_by` = `users`.`id`
+                AND `users`.`active` = '1'");
+
+        $bannedEmails = array();
+
+        while ($row = hesk_dbFetchAssoc($rs)) {
+            $bannedEmail = new BannedEmail();
+            $bannedEmail->id = intval($row['id']);
+            $bannedEmail->email = $row['email'];
+            $bannedEmail->bannedById = $row['banned_by'] === null ? null : intval($row['banned_by']);
+            $bannedEmail->dateBanned = $row['dt'];
+
+            $bannedEmails[$bannedEmail->id] = $bannedEmail;
+        }
+
+        return $bannedEmails;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param $heskSettings
+     * @return BannedIp[]
+     */
+    static function getIpBans($heskSettings) {
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../businesslogic/security/BannedIp.php');
+
+        $rs = hesk_dbQuery("SELECT `bans`.`id` AS `id`, `bans`.`ip_from` AS `ip_from`,
+              `bans`.`ip_to` AS `ip_to`, `bans`.`ip_display` AS `ip_display`,
+              `users`.`id` AS `banned_by`, `bans`.`dt` AS `dt`
+            FROM `" . hesk_dbEscape($heskSettings['db_pfix']) . "_banned_ips` AS `bans`
+            LEFT JOIN `" . hesk_dbEscape($heskSettings['db_pfix']) . "_users` AS `users`
+                ON `bans`.`banned_by` = `users`.`id`
+                AND `users`.`active` = '1'");
+
+        $bannedIps = array();
+
+        while ($row = hesk_dbFetchAssoc($rs)) {
+            $bannedIp = new BannedIp();
+            $bannedIp->id = intval($row['id']);
+            $bannedIp->ipFrom = intval($row['ip_from']);
+            $bannedIp->ipTo = intval($row['ip_to']);
+            $bannedIp->ipDisplay = $row['ip_display'];
+            $bannedIp->bannedById = $row['banned_by'] === null ? null : intval($row['banned_by']);
+            $bannedIp->dateBanned = $row['dt'];
+
+            $bannedIps[$bannedIp->id] = $bannedIp;
+        }
+
+        return $bannedIps;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/dao/UserDao.php b/api/dao/security/UserGateway.php
similarity index 88%
rename from api/dao/UserDao.php
rename to api/dao/security/UserGateway.php
index a2e14c77..c533095a 100644
--- a/api/dao/UserDao.php
+++ b/api/dao/security/UserGateway.php
@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ namespace DataAccess\Security;
 use BusinessLogic\Security\UserContextBuilder;
 use Exception;
 
-class UserDao {
+class UserGateway {
     static function getUserForAuthToken($hashedToken, $hesk_settings) {
-        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../businesslogic/security/UserContextBuilder.php');
+        require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../businesslogic/security/UserContextBuilder.php');
 
         if (!function_exists('hesk_dbConnect')) {
             throw new Exception('Database not loaded!');