diff --git a/doc/api/index.rst b/doc/api/index.rst
index 1e74629c5af..40ab49ac430 100644
--- a/doc/api/index.rst
+++ b/doc/api/index.rst
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ Operations on grids:
     grdcut
     grdfill
     grdfilter
+    grdlandmask
     grdgradient
     grdtrack
 
diff --git a/pygmt/__init__.py b/pygmt/__init__.py
index 57e223d5c14..972f6474286 100644
--- a/pygmt/__init__.py
+++ b/pygmt/__init__.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
     grdfilter,
     grdgradient,
     grdinfo,
+    grdlandmask,
     grdtrack,
     info,
     makecpt,
diff --git a/pygmt/src/__init__.py b/pygmt/src/__init__.py
index 4e79d0d96f7..f8bae667f02 100644
--- a/pygmt/src/__init__.py
+++ b/pygmt/src/__init__.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 from pygmt.src.grdgradient import grdgradient
 from pygmt.src.grdimage import grdimage
 from pygmt.src.grdinfo import grdinfo
+from pygmt.src.grdlandmask import grdlandmask
 from pygmt.src.grdtrack import grdtrack
 from pygmt.src.grdview import grdview
 from pygmt.src.histogram import histogram
diff --git a/pygmt/src/grdlandmask.py b/pygmt/src/grdlandmask.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ad6fb693fdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pygmt/src/grdlandmask.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+"""
+grdlandmask - Create a "wet-dry" mask grid from shoreline data base
+"""
+
+import xarray as xr
+from pygmt.clib import Session
+from pygmt.exceptions import GMTInvalidInput
+from pygmt.helpers import (
+    GMTTempFile,
+    build_arg_string,
+    fmt_docstring,
+    kwargs_to_strings,
+    use_alias,
+)
+
+
+@fmt_docstring
+@use_alias(
+    G="outgrid",
+    I="spacing",
+    R="region",
+    r="registration",
+)
+@kwargs_to_strings(R="sequence")
+def grdlandmask(**kwargs):
+    r"""
+    Create a grid file with set values for land and water.
+
+    Read the selected shoreline database and create a grid to specify which
+    nodes in the specified grid are over land or over water. The nodes defined
+    by the selected region and lattice spacing
+    will be set according to one of two criteria: (1) land vs water, or
+    (2) the more detailed (hierarchical) ocean vs land vs lake
+    vs island vs pond.
+
+    Full option list at :gmt-docs:`grdlandmask.html`
+
+    {aliases}
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    outgrid : str or None
+        The name of the output netCDF file with extension .nc to store the grid
+        in.
+    {I}
+    {R}
+    {r}
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    ret: xarray.DataArray or None
+        Return type depends on whether the ``outgrid`` parameter is set:
+
+        - :class:`xarray.DataArray` if ``outgrid`` is not set
+        - None if ``outgrid`` is set (grid output will be stored in file set by
+          ``outgrid``)
+    """
+    if "I" not in kwargs.keys() or "R" not in kwargs.keys():
+        raise GMTInvalidInput("Both 'region' and 'spacing' must be specified.")
+
+    with GMTTempFile(suffix=".nc") as tmpfile:
+        with Session() as lib:
+            if "G" not in kwargs.keys():  # if outgrid is unset, output to tempfile
+                kwargs.update({"G": tmpfile.name})
+            outgrid = kwargs["G"]
+            arg_str = build_arg_string(kwargs)
+            lib.call_module("grdlandmask", arg_str)
+
+        if outgrid == tmpfile.name:  # if user did not set outgrid, return DataArray
+            with xr.open_dataarray(outgrid) as dataarray:
+                result = dataarray.load()
+                _ = result.gmt  # load GMTDataArray accessor information
+        else:
+            result = None  # if user sets an outgrid, return None
+
+        return result
diff --git a/pygmt/tests/test_grdlandmask.py b/pygmt/tests/test_grdlandmask.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4b019525ea3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pygmt/tests/test_grdlandmask.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+"""
+Tests for grdlandmask.
+"""
+import os
+
+import pytest
+from pygmt import grdinfo, grdlandmask
+from pygmt.exceptions import GMTInvalidInput
+from pygmt.helpers import GMTTempFile
+
+
+def test_grdlandmask_outgrid():
+    """
+    Creates a grid land mask with an outgrid argument.
+    """
+    with GMTTempFile(suffix=".nc") as tmpfile:
+        result = grdlandmask(outgrid=tmpfile.name, spacing=1, region=[-5, 5, -5, 5])
+        assert result is None  # return value is None
+        assert os.path.exists(path=tmpfile.name)  # check that outgrid exists
+        result = (
+            grdinfo(grid=tmpfile.name, force_scan=0, per_column="n").strip().split()
+        )
+    assert result == ["-5", "5", "-5", "5", "0", "1", "1", "1", "11", "11", "0", "1"]
+
+
+def test_grdlandmask_no_outgrid():
+    """
+    Test grdlandmask with no set outgrid.
+    """
+    temp_grid = grdlandmask(spacing=1, region=[-5, 5, -5, 5])
+    assert temp_grid.dims == ("lat", "lon")
+    assert temp_grid.gmt.gtype == 1  # Geographic grid
+    assert temp_grid.gmt.registration == 0  # Pixel registration
+    assert temp_grid.min() == 0
+    assert temp_grid.max() == 1
+
+
+def test_grdlandmask_fails():
+    """
+    Check that grdlandmask fails correctly when region and spacing are not
+    given.
+    """
+    with pytest.raises(GMTInvalidInput):
+        grdlandmask()