diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java
index dc95860ad..767b78933 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java
@@ -217,18 +217,7 @@ public class DeclarationOrderCheck extends Check {
     private void processModifiers(DetailAST ast) {
 
         final ScopeState state = scopeStates.peek();
-        if (ast.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.LITERAL_STATIC) != null) {
-            if (state.currentScopeState > STATE_STATIC_VARIABLE_DEF) {
-                if (!ignoreModifiers
-                    || state.currentScopeState > STATE_INSTANCE_VARIABLE_DEF) {
-                    log(ast, MSG_STATIC);
-                }
-            }
-            else {
-                state.currentScopeState = STATE_STATIC_VARIABLE_DEF;
-            }
-        }
-        else {
+        if (ast.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.LITERAL_STATIC) == null) {
             if (state.currentScopeState > STATE_INSTANCE_VARIABLE_DEF) {
                 log(ast, MSG_INSTANCE);
             }
@@ -237,6 +226,17 @@ public class DeclarationOrderCheck extends Check {
                 state.currentScopeState = STATE_INSTANCE_VARIABLE_DEF;
             }
         }
+        else {
+            if (state.currentScopeState > STATE_STATIC_VARIABLE_DEF) {
+                if (!ignoreModifiers
+                        || state.currentScopeState > STATE_INSTANCE_VARIABLE_DEF) {
+                    log(ast, MSG_STATIC);
+                }
+            }
+            else {
+                state.currentScopeState = STATE_STATIC_VARIABLE_DEF;
+            }
+        }
 
         final Scope access = ScopeUtils.getScopeFromMods(ast);
         if (state.declarationAccess.compareTo(access) > 0) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/EqualsAvoidNullCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/EqualsAvoidNullCheck.java
index 910ffe740..bd40a012f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/EqualsAvoidNullCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/EqualsAvoidNullCheck.java
@@ -379,7 +379,20 @@ public class EqualsAvoidNullCheck extends Check {
         boolean result = false;
         final DetailAST previousSiblingAst = objCalledOn.getPreviousSibling();
         final String name = objCalledOn.getText();
-        if (previousSiblingAst != null) {
+        if (previousSiblingAst == null) {
+            FieldFrame frame = currentFrame;
+            while (frame != null) {
+                final DetailAST field = frame.findField(name);
+                if (field != null
+                        && (frame.isClassOrEnumOrEnumConstDef()
+                                || checkLineNo(field, objCalledOn))) {
+                    result = STRING.equals(getFieldType(field));
+                    break;
+                }
+                frame = frame.getParent();
+            }
+        }
+        else {
             if (previousSiblingAst.getType() == TokenTypes.LITERAL_THIS) {
                 final DetailAST field = getObjectFrame(currentFrame).findField(name);
                 result = STRING.equals(getFieldType(field));
@@ -397,19 +410,6 @@ public class EqualsAvoidNullCheck extends Check {
                 }
             }
         }
-        else {
-            FieldFrame frame = currentFrame;
-            while (frame != null) {
-                final DetailAST field = frame.findField(name);
-                if (field != null
-                        && (frame.isClassOrEnumOrEnumConstDef()
-                                || checkLineNo(field, objCalledOn))) {
-                    result = STRING.equals(getFieldType(field));
-                    break;
-                }
-                frame = frame.getParent();
-            }
-        }
         return result;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java
index 5a3de9e9a..014ce4cd1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java
@@ -322,14 +322,14 @@ public final class ModifiedControlVariableCheck extends Check {
      */
     private void leaveForDef(DetailAST ast) {
         final DetailAST forInitAST = ast.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.FOR_INIT);
-        if (forInitAST != null) {
-            final Set<String> variablesManagedByForLoop = getVariablesManagedByForLoop(ast);
-            popCurrentVariables(variablesManagedByForLoop.size());
-        }
-        else {
+        if (forInitAST == null) {
             // this is for-each loop, just pop variables
             getCurrentVariables().pop();
         }
+        else {
+            final Set<String> variablesManagedByForLoop = getVariablesManagedByForLoop(ast);
+            popCurrentVariables(variablesManagedByForLoop.size());
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/MultipleStringLiteralsCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/MultipleStringLiteralsCheck.java
index 619c6ef7f..97afbd37f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/MultipleStringLiteralsCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/MultipleStringLiteralsCheck.java
@@ -93,12 +93,11 @@ public class MultipleStringLiteralsCheck extends Check {
      *         if unable to create Pattern object
      */
     public final void setIgnoreStringsRegexp(String ignoreStringsRegexp) {
-        if (ignoreStringsRegexp != null
-            && !ignoreStringsRegexp.isEmpty()) {
-            pattern = CommonUtils.createPattern(ignoreStringsRegexp);
+        if (ignoreStringsRegexp == null || ignoreStringsRegexp.isEmpty()) {
+            pattern = null;
         }
         else {
-            pattern = null;
+            pattern = CommonUtils.createPattern(ignoreStringsRegexp);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/OneStatementPerLineCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/OneStatementPerLineCheck.java
index db81daedf..7ee458aa8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/OneStatementPerLineCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/OneStatementPerLineCheck.java
@@ -169,13 +169,13 @@ public final class OneStatementPerLineCheck extends Check {
      */
     private static boolean isMultilineStatement(DetailAST ast) {
         final boolean multiline;
-        if (ast.getPreviousSibling() != null) {
-            final DetailAST prevSibling = ast.getPreviousSibling();
-            multiline = prevSibling.getLineNo() != ast.getLineNo()
-                && ast.getParent() != null;
+        if (ast.getPreviousSibling() == null) {
+            multiline = false;
         }
         else {
-            multiline = false;
+            final DetailAST prevSibling = ast.getPreviousSibling();
+            multiline = prevSibling.getLineNo() != ast.getLineNo()
+                    && ast.getParent() != null;
         }
         return multiline;
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/VariableDeclarationUsageDistanceCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/VariableDeclarationUsageDistanceCheck.java
index d55d6320b..32dffcdf1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/VariableDeclarationUsageDistanceCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/VariableDeclarationUsageDistanceCheck.java
@@ -505,11 +505,11 @@ public class VariableDeclarationUsageDistanceCheck extends Check {
                         exprWithVariableUsage = blockWithVariableUsage.getFirstChild();
                 }
                 currentScopeAst = exprWithVariableUsage;
-                if (exprWithVariableUsage != null) {
-                    variableUsageAst = exprWithVariableUsage;
+                if (exprWithVariableUsage == null) {
+                    variableUsageAst = blockWithVariableUsage;
                 }
                 else {
-                    variableUsageAst = blockWithVariableUsage;
+                    variableUsageAst = exprWithVariableUsage;
                 }
             }
             // If variable usage exists in different scopes, then distance =
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/ThrowsCountCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/ThrowsCountCheck.java
index 6691dafcf..06e6e2816 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/ThrowsCountCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/ThrowsCountCheck.java
@@ -164,11 +164,11 @@ public final class ThrowsCountCheck extends Check {
     private static String getAnnotationName(DetailAST annotation) {
         final DetailAST dotAst = annotation.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.DOT);
         String name;
-        if (dotAst != null) {
-            name = dotAst.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.IDENT).getText();
+        if (dotAst == null) {
+            name = annotation.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.IDENT).getText();
         }
         else {
-            name = annotation.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.IDENT).getText();
+            name = dotAst.findFirstToken(TokenTypes.IDENT).getText();
         }
         return name;
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java
index faf538433..01e9f2aef 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java
@@ -110,17 +110,17 @@ final class ImportControlLoader extends AbstractLoader {
             final String pkg = attributes.getValue(PKG_ATTRIBUTE_NAME);
             final boolean regex = attributes.getValue("regex") != null;
             final Guard guard;
-            if (pkg != null) {
-                final boolean exactMatch =
-                        attributes.getValue("exact-match") != null;
-                guard = new Guard(isAllow, isLocalOnly, pkg, exactMatch, regex);
-            }
-            else {
+            if (pkg == null) {
                 // handle class names which can be normal class names or regular
                 // expressions
                 final String clazz = safeGet(attributes, "class");
                 guard = new Guard(isAllow, isLocalOnly, clazz, regex);
             }
+            else {
+                final boolean exactMatch =
+                        attributes.getValue("exact-match") != null;
+                guard = new Guard(isAllow, isLocalOnly, pkg, exactMatch, regex);
+            }
 
             final PkgControl pkgControl = stack.peek();
             pkgControl.addGuard(guard);