diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index abbb6e0c2..132e17793 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -28,3 +28,13 @@ jobs:
         env:
           # see https://lychee.cli.rs/troubleshooting/rate-limits/#github-rate-limiting
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+
+  license-check:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-slim
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Run license-check
+        run: make license-check
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index fee1d51b9..47bd351ec 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -28,3 +28,13 @@ markdown-link-check:
 		--root-dir /home/repo \
 		--verbose \
 		home/repo
+
+.PHONY: license-check
+license-check:
+	@licRes=$$(for f in $$(find . -type f \( -iname '*.py' -o -iname '*.sh' \) ! -path '**/third_party/*' ! -path './.git/*' ) ; do \
+	           awk '/Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors|generated|GENERATED/ && NR<=4 { found=1; next } END { if (!found) print FILENAME }' $$f; \
+	   done); \
+	   if [ -n "$${licRes}" ]; then \
+	           echo "license header checking failed:"; echo "$${licRes}"; \
+	           exit 1; \
+	   fi
diff --git a/scripts/baremetal-runner-report.py b/scripts/baremetal-runner-report.py
index 481f452ed..945da5d72 100644
--- a/scripts/baremetal-runner-report.py
+++ b/scripts/baremetal-runner-report.py
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 """
 Bare-metal benchmark runner usage report.
 
diff --git a/scripts/gc-elections/convert-voter-roll-to-helios.py b/scripts/gc-elections/convert-voter-roll-to-helios.py
index a031c510c..7df210dee 100644
--- a/scripts/gc-elections/convert-voter-roll-to-helios.py
+++ b/scripts/gc-elections/convert-voter-roll-to-helios.py
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#
 import csv
 import os
 
diff --git a/scripts/gc-elections/create-github-comments.py b/scripts/gc-elections/create-github-comments.py
index 1461059fd..b1435b0d8 100644
--- a/scripts/gc-elections/create-github-comments.py
+++ b/scripts/gc-elections/create-github-comments.py
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#
 """Tag eligible voters on a GitHub issue for the OpenTelemetry GC election.
 
 Behaviour:
diff --git a/scripts/gc-elections/generate-voters-roll.py b/scripts/gc-elections/generate-voters-roll.py
index 145e79bb5..0832753b4 100644
--- a/scripts/gc-elections/generate-voters-roll.py
+++ b/scripts/gc-elections/generate-voters-roll.py
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#
 import csv
 import datetime
 import os
diff --git a/scripts/move-to-emeritus.py b/scripts/move-to-emeritus.py
index c14b995fc..b7c5402b3 100644
--- a/scripts/move-to-emeritus.py
+++ b/scripts/move-to-emeritus.py
@@ -1,20 +1,25 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
-# Usage:
-#     # Check all repos and print report
-#     python move-to-emeritus.py
 #
-#     # Check all repos with debug output (shows why each member was marked active/inactive)
-#     python move-to-emeritus.py --debug
-#
-#     # Check only specific repo(s)
-#     python move-to-emeritus.py --repo opentelemetry-collector
-#     python move-to-emeritus.py --repo opentelemetry-collector opentelemetry-python
-#
-#     # Create PRs to move inactive members to emeritus (after verifying the report)
-#     python move-to-emeritus.py --create-prs
-#
-# Note: the script can be safely re-run multiple times. If a PR already exists for a repo, its body will be updated with the latest info.
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 #
+"""
+Usage:
+    # Check all repos and print report
+    python move-to-emeritus.py
+
+    # Check all repos with debug output (shows why each member was marked active/inactive)
+    python move-to-emeritus.py --debug
+
+    # Check only specific repo(s)
+    python move-to-emeritus.py --repo opentelemetry-collector
+    python move-to-emeritus.py --repo opentelemetry-collector opentelemetry-python
+
+    # Create PRs to move inactive members to emeritus (after verifying the report)
+    python move-to-emeritus.py --create-prs
+
+Note: the script can be safely re-run multiple times. If a PR already exists for a repo, its body will be updated with the latest info.
+"""
 import argparse
 import base64
 import json
diff --git a/scripts/update-community-members.py b/scripts/update-community-members.py
index 07e65a5d4..ac3c6d4f7 100755
--- a/scripts/update-community-members.py
+++ b/scripts/update-community-members.py
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#
 import subprocess
 import sys
 
diff --git a/scripts/update-sig-tables.py b/scripts/update-sig-tables.py
index 6a5dcb5c3..29949eb1f 100755
--- a/scripts/update-sig-tables.py
+++ b/scripts/update-sig-tables.py
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 import re
 import subprocess
 import sys
diff --git a/scripts/validate-workstreams.py b/scripts/validate-workstreams.py
index d8d6bea7d..437cb20b3 100644
--- a/scripts/validate-workstreams.py
+++ b/scripts/validate-workstreams.py
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#
 """
 Validates workstreams.yml.