/**
   * Returns true if $string is valid UTF-8 and false otherwise.
   *
   * @param mixed $str String to be tested
   * @return boolean
   */
  protected static function is_utf8($str) {
    $c=0; $b=0;
    $bits=0;
    $len=strlen($str);
    for($i=0; $i<$len; $i++){
        $c=ord($str[$i]);
        if($c > 128){
            if(($c >= 254)) return false;
            elseif($c >= 252) $bits=6;
            elseif($c >= 248) $bits=5;
            elseif($c >= 240) $bits=4;
            elseif($c >= 224) $bits=3;
            elseif($c >= 192) $bits=2;
            else return false;
            if(($i+$bits) > $len) return false;
            while($bits > 1){
                $i++;
                $b=ord($str[$i]);
                if($b < 128 || $b > 191) return false;
                $bits--;
            }
        }
    }
    return true;
  }

  /**
   * Returns true if $string is valid UTF-8 and false otherwise.
   *
   * @param mixed $str String to be tested
   * @return boolean
   */
  protected static function is_utf8($str) {
    $c=0; $b=0;
    $bits=0;
    $len=strlen($str);
    for($i=0; $i<$len; $i++){
        $c=ord($str[$i]);
        if($c > 128){
            if(($c >= 254)) return false;
            elseif($c >= 252) $bits=6;
            elseif($c >= 248) $bits=5;
            elseif($c >= 240) $bits=4;
            elseif($c >= 224) $bits=3;
            elseif($c >= 192) $bits=2;
            else return false;
            if(($i+$bits) > $len) return false;
            while($bits > 1){
                $i++;
                $b=ord($str[$i]);
                if($b < 128 || $b > 191) return false;
                $bits--;
            }
        }
    }
    return true;
  } 

www.firephp.org

I found this snippet in the FirePHP.class.php from www.firephp.org

detect utf8 string

PHP