diff --git a/analyzers/src/SonarAnalyzer.CSharp/Rules/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs b/analyzers/src/SonarAnalyzer.CSharp/Rules/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs
index f233702e5c1..9f97417edd2 100644
--- a/analyzers/src/SonarAnalyzer.CSharp/Rules/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs
+++ b/analyzers/src/SonarAnalyzer.CSharp/Rules/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs
@@ -18,9 +18,6 @@
  * Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
  */
 
-using Microsoft.CodeAnalysis;
-using Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp;
-
 namespace SonarAnalyzer.Rules.CSharp;
 
 [DiagnosticAnalyzer(LanguageNames.CSharp)]
@@ -54,7 +51,7 @@ protected override void Initialize(SonarAnalysisContext context) =>
                 {
                     var type = (INamedTypeSymbol)symbolStart.Symbol;
                     if (type.DerivesFrom(KnownType.Microsoft_AspNetCore_Mvc_ControllerBase)
-                        && !type.HasAttribute(KnownType.Microsoft_AspNetCore_Mvc_ApiControllerAttribute)
+                        && !HasApiControllerAttribute(type)
                         && !HasActionFilterAttribute(type))
                     {
                         symbolStart.RegisterCodeBlockStartAction<SyntaxKind>(ProcessCodeBlock);
@@ -90,6 +87,11 @@ private static void ProcessCodeBlock(SonarCodeBlockStartAnalysisContext<SyntaxKi
         }
     }
 
+    private static bool HasApiControllerAttribute(ITypeSymbol type) =>
+        type is not null
+        && (type.HasAttribute(KnownType.Microsoft_AspNetCore_Mvc_ApiControllerAttribute)
+            || HasApiControllerAttribute(type.BaseType));
+
     private static bool HasActionFilterAttribute(ISymbol symbol) =>
         symbol.GetAttributes().Any(x => x.AttributeClass.DerivesFrom(KnownType.Microsoft_AspNetCore_Mvc_Filters_ActionFilterAttribute));
 
diff --git a/analyzers/tests/SonarAnalyzer.Test/TestCases/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs b/analyzers/tests/SonarAnalyzer.Test/TestCases/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs
index 3b993e833cf..8002d829f2c 100644
--- a/analyzers/tests/SonarAnalyzer.Test/TestCases/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs
+++ b/analyzers/tests/SonarAnalyzer.Test/TestCases/AspNet/CallModelStateIsValid.cs
@@ -102,6 +102,15 @@ public string Add(Movie movie)                                              // C
     }
 }
 
+public class BaseClassHasApiControllerAttribute : ControllerWithApiAttributeAtTheClassLevel
+{
+    [HttpDelete("/[controller]")]
+    public string Remove(Movie movie)                                           // Compliant, base class is decorated with the ApiController attribute
+    {
+        return "Hello!";
+    }
+}
+
 [Controller]
 public class ControllerThatDoesNotInheritFromControllerBase
 {