diff --git a/scripts/tests/test_validate_docstrings.py b/scripts/tests/test_validate_docstrings.py
index bb58449843096..6f78b91653a3f 100644
--- a/scripts/tests/test_validate_docstrings.py
+++ b/scripts/tests/test_validate_docstrings.py
@@ -229,6 +229,27 @@ def good_imports(self):
         """
         pass
 
+    def no_returns(self):
+        """
+        Say hello and have no returns.
+        """
+        pass
+
+    def empty_returns(self):
+        """
+        Say hello and always return None.
+
+        Since this function never returns a value, this
+        docstring doesn't need a return section.
+        """
+        def say_hello():
+            return "Hello World!"
+        say_hello()
+        if True:
+            return
+        else:
+            return None
+
 
 class BadGenericDocStrings(object):
     """Everything here has a bad docstring
@@ -783,7 +804,7 @@ def test_good_class(self, capsys):
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("func", [
         'plot', 'sample', 'random_letters', 'sample_values', 'head', 'head1',
-        'contains', 'mode', 'good_imports'])
+        'contains', 'mode', 'good_imports', 'no_returns', 'empty_returns'])
     def test_good_functions(self, capsys, func):
         errors = validate_one(self._import_path(
             klass='GoodDocStrings', func=func))['errors']
diff --git a/scripts/validate_docstrings.py b/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
index bce33f7e78daa..446cd60968312 100755
--- a/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
+++ b/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@
 import importlib
 import doctest
 import tempfile
+import ast
+import textwrap
 
 import flake8.main.application
 
@@ -490,9 +492,45 @@ def yields(self):
     @property
     def method_source(self):
         try:
-            return inspect.getsource(self.obj)
+            source = inspect.getsource(self.obj)
         except TypeError:
             return ''
+        return textwrap.dedent(source)
+
+    @property
+    def method_returns_something(self):
+        '''
+        Check if the docstrings method can return something.
+
+        Bare returns, returns valued None and returns from nested functions are
+        disconsidered.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        bool
+            Whether the docstrings method can return something.
+        '''
+
+        def get_returns_not_on_nested_functions(node):
+            returns = [node] if isinstance(node, ast.Return) else []
+            for child in ast.iter_child_nodes(node):
+                # Ignore nested functions and its subtrees.
+                if not isinstance(child, ast.FunctionDef):
+                    child_returns = get_returns_not_on_nested_functions(child)
+                    returns.extend(child_returns)
+            return returns
+
+        tree = ast.parse(self.method_source).body
+        if tree:
+            returns = get_returns_not_on_nested_functions(tree[0])
+            return_values = [r.value for r in returns]
+            # Replace NameConstant nodes valued None for None.
+            for i, v in enumerate(return_values):
+                if isinstance(v, ast.NameConstant) and v.value is None:
+                    return_values[i] = None
+            return any(return_values)
+        else:
+            return False
 
     @property
     def first_line_ends_in_dot(self):
@@ -691,7 +729,7 @@ def get_validation_data(doc):
 
     if doc.is_function_or_method:
         if not doc.returns:
-            if 'return' in doc.method_source:
+            if doc.method_returns_something:
                 errs.append(error('RT01'))
         else:
             if len(doc.returns) == 1 and doc.returns[0][1]: