diff --git a/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml b/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml
index 6871e760a793..16c9254404a1 100644
--- a/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml
+++ b/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml
@@ -523,4 +523,12 @@
         <Class name="software.amazon.awssdk.http.urlconnection.UrlConnectionSdkHttpService"/>
         <Bug pattern="CT_CONSTRUCTOR_THROW"/>
     </Match>
+
+    <!-- Intentionally passing null to marshallField for non-PAYLOAD fields
+         (PATH, HEADER, QUERY) whose NULL marshallers handle null validation. -->
+    <Match>
+        <Class name="software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.json.internal.marshall.JsonProtocolMarshaller"/>
+        <Method name="doMarshall"/>
+        <Bug pattern="NP_LOAD_OF_KNOWN_NULL_VALUE"/>
+    </Match>
 </FindBugsFilter>
diff --git a/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java b/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java
index eaa6c2ef5cd5..427ae3779b13 100644
--- a/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java
+++ b/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.protocol.MarshallLocation;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.protocol.MarshallingType;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.PayloadTrait;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.RequiredTrait;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.TimestampFormatTrait;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.TraitType;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.http.SdkHttpFullRequest;
@@ -212,8 +213,15 @@ void doMarshall(SdkPojo pojo) {
                 }
             } else if (isExplicitPayloadMember(field)) {
                 marshallExplicitJsonPayload(field, val);
-            } else {
+            } else if (val != null) {
+                marshallField(field, val);
+            } else if (field.location() != MarshallLocation.PAYLOAD) {
                 marshallField(field, val);
+            } else if (field.containsTrait(RequiredTrait.class,
+                                           TraitType.REQUIRED_TRAIT)) {
+                throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+                    String.format("Parameter '%s' must not be null",
+                                  field.locationName()));
             }
         }
     }