diff --git a/flickr_api/__init__.py b/flickr_api/__init__.py
index 7cb7288..ebff92b 100644
--- a/flickr_api/__init__.py
+++ b/flickr_api/__init__.py
@@ -35,8 +35,11 @@
 from .auth import set_auth_handler as set_auth_handler
 from .method_call import disable_cache as disable_cache
 from .method_call import enable_cache as enable_cache
+from .method_call import get_rate_limit as get_rate_limit
+from .method_call import get_rate_limit_status as get_rate_limit_status
 from .method_call import get_retry_config as get_retry_config
 from .method_call import get_timeout as get_timeout
+from .method_call import set_rate_limit as set_rate_limit
 from .method_call import set_retry_config as set_retry_config
 from .method_call import set_timeout as set_timeout
 from .keys import set_keys as set_keys
diff --git a/flickr_api/method_call.py b/flickr_api/method_call.py
index 5f91254..ee224cb 100644
--- a/flickr_api/method_call.py
+++ b/flickr_api/method_call.py
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@
 RETRY_BASE_DELAY: float = 1.0  # Base delay in seconds for exponential backoff
 RETRY_MAX_DELAY: float = 60.0  # Maximum delay between retries
 
+# Proactive rate limiting configuration
+_RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR: float | None = None
+_RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST: float | None = None
+
 
 def enable_cache(cache_object: Any | None = None) -> None:
     """enable caching
@@ -109,6 +113,85 @@ def get_retry_config() -> dict[str, Any]:
     }
 
 
+def set_rate_limit(requests_per_hour: float | None) -> None:
+    """Enable or disable proactive rate limiting.
+
+    Parameters:
+    -----------
+    requests_per_hour: float | None
+        Maximum requests per hour. Set to None to disable rate limiting.
+        Flickr's documented limit is 3600 requests per hour.
+
+    Raises:
+    -------
+    ValueError: If requests_per_hour is not positive (zero or negative).
+    """
+    if requests_per_hour is not None and requests_per_hour <= 0:
+        raise ValueError("requests_per_hour must be positive")
+    global _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR
+    _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR = requests_per_hour
+
+
+def get_rate_limit() -> dict[str, float | None]:
+    """Get current rate limit configuration.
+
+    Returns:
+    --------
+    dict with key: requests_per_hour (float | None)
+    """
+    return {"requests_per_hour": _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR}
+
+
+def get_rate_limit_status() -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """Get detailed rate limit status.
+
+    Returns:
+    --------
+    dict with keys:
+        - enabled: bool - Whether rate limiting is active
+        - requests_per_hour: float | None - Configured limit
+        - interval_seconds: float - Minimum time between requests (0.0 if disabled)
+        - last_request_time: float | None - Timestamp of last request
+    """
+    enabled = _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR is not None
+    interval = 3600.0 / _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR if enabled else 0.0
+    return {
+        "enabled": enabled,
+        "requests_per_hour": _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR,
+        "interval_seconds": interval,
+        "last_request_time": _RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST,
+    }
+
+
+def _maybe_wait_for_rate_limit() -> None:
+    """Wait if necessary to respect rate limit.
+
+    This function should be called before making a request. It will:
+    1. Do nothing if rate limiting is disabled
+    2. Do nothing if this is the first request
+    3. Sleep for the remaining interval time if needed
+    4. Update the last request timestamp
+    """
+    global _RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST
+
+    if _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR is None:
+        return
+
+    current_time = time.time()
+
+    if _RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST is not None:
+        interval = 3600.0 / _RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR
+        elapsed = current_time - _RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST
+        remaining = interval - elapsed
+
+        if remaining > 0:
+            logger.debug("Rate limiting: sleeping for %.2f seconds", remaining)
+            time.sleep(remaining)
+            current_time = time.time()
+
+    _RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = current_time
+
+
 def _calculate_retry_delay(attempt: int, retry_after: float | None) -> float:
     """Calculate delay before next retry.
 
@@ -181,6 +264,8 @@ def _make_request_with_retry(
     -------
     FlickrRateLimitError: If rate limit exceeded and max retries exhausted
     """
+    _maybe_wait_for_rate_limit()
+
     last_error: FlickrRateLimitError | None = None
 
     for attempt in range(MAX_RETRIES + 1):
diff --git a/test/test_rate_limit_throttle.py b/test/test_rate_limit_throttle.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..06f8b7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_rate_limit_throttle.py
@@ -0,0 +1,261 @@
+"""Tests for proactive rate limiting (throttling) in method_call module."""
+
+import unittest
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+from flickr_api import method_call
+
+
+class TestRateLimitDisabledByDefault(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test that rate limiting is disabled by default."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+
+    def test_rate_limit_disabled_by_default(self):
+        """Rate limiting should be disabled by default."""
+        result = method_call.get_rate_limit()
+        self.assertIsNone(result["requests_per_hour"])
+
+
+class TestSetAndGetRateLimit(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test setting and getting rate limit configuration."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+
+    def test_set_and_get_rate_limit(self):
+        """Can set and get rate limit value."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)
+        result = method_call.get_rate_limit()
+        self.assertEqual(3600.0, result["requests_per_hour"])
+
+    def test_disable_rate_limit(self):
+        """Can disable rate limiting by setting to None."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        result = method_call.get_rate_limit()
+        self.assertIsNone(result["requests_per_hour"])
+
+    def test_reject_zero_rate_limit(self):
+        """Zero rate limit should raise ValueError."""
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as ctx:
+            method_call.set_rate_limit(0.0)
+        self.assertEqual(str(ctx.exception), "requests_per_hour must be positive")
+
+    def test_reject_negative_rate_limit(self):
+        """Negative rate limit should raise ValueError."""
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as ctx:
+            method_call.set_rate_limit(-100.0)
+        self.assertEqual(str(ctx.exception), "requests_per_hour must be positive")
+
+
+class TestIntervalCalculation(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test interval calculation for rate limiting."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+
+    def test_interval_calculation_3600_per_hour(self):
+        """3600 requests/hour = 1.0 second interval."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)
+        status = method_call.get_rate_limit_status()
+        self.assertEqual(1.0, status["interval_seconds"])
+
+    def test_interval_calculation_1800_per_hour(self):
+        """1800 requests/hour = 2.0 second interval."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(1800.0)
+        status = method_call.get_rate_limit_status()
+        self.assertEqual(2.0, status["interval_seconds"])
+
+    def test_interval_calculation_7200_per_hour(self):
+        """7200 requests/hour = 0.5 second interval."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(7200.0)
+        status = method_call.get_rate_limit_status()
+        self.assertEqual(0.5, status["interval_seconds"])
+
+
+class TestGetRateLimitStatus(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test get_rate_limit_status function."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    def test_get_rate_limit_status_disabled(self):
+        """Status shows disabled state correctly."""
+        status = method_call.get_rate_limit_status()
+        self.assertFalse(status["enabled"])
+        self.assertIsNone(status["requests_per_hour"])
+        self.assertEqual(0.0, status["interval_seconds"])
+        self.assertIsNone(status["last_request_time"])
+
+    def test_get_rate_limit_status_enabled(self):
+        """Status shows enabled state correctly."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)
+        status = method_call.get_rate_limit_status()
+        self.assertTrue(status["enabled"])
+        self.assertEqual(3600.0, status["requests_per_hour"])
+        self.assertEqual(1.0, status["interval_seconds"])
+        self.assertIsNone(status["last_request_time"])
+
+    def test_get_rate_limit_status_with_last_request(self):
+        """Status includes last request time when set."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = 1000.0
+        status = method_call.get_rate_limit_status()
+        self.assertEqual(1000.0, status["last_request_time"])
+
+
+class TestNoSleepWhenDisabled(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test that no sleep occurs when rate limiting is disabled."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "sleep")
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "time", return_value=1000.0)
+    def test_no_sleep_when_disabled(self, mock_time, mock_sleep):
+        """No sleep when rate limiting is disabled."""
+        method_call._maybe_wait_for_rate_limit()
+        mock_sleep.assert_not_called()
+
+
+class TestSleepsWhenIntervalNotElapsed(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test that sleep occurs when interval hasn't elapsed."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "sleep")
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "time", return_value=1000.5)
+    def test_sleeps_when_interval_not_elapsed(self, mock_time, mock_sleep):
+        """Sleep for remaining time when interval hasn't elapsed."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)  # 1 second interval
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = 1000.0  # 0.5 seconds ago
+
+        method_call._maybe_wait_for_rate_limit()
+
+        # Should sleep for 0.5 seconds (1.0 - 0.5)
+        mock_sleep.assert_called_once_with(0.5)
+
+
+class TestNoSleepWhenIntervalElapsed(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test that no sleep occurs when interval has elapsed."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "sleep")
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "time", return_value=1002.0)
+    def test_no_sleep_when_interval_elapsed(self, mock_time, mock_sleep):
+        """No sleep when interval has already elapsed."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)  # 1 second interval
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = 1000.0  # 2.0 seconds ago
+
+        method_call._maybe_wait_for_rate_limit()
+
+        mock_sleep.assert_not_called()
+
+
+class TestFirstRequestNoSleep(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test that first request doesn't sleep."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "sleep")
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "time", return_value=1000.0)
+    def test_first_request_no_sleep(self, mock_time, mock_sleep):
+        """First request (no last_request_time) doesn't sleep."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)  # Rate limiting enabled
+        # _RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST is None (first request)
+
+        method_call._maybe_wait_for_rate_limit()
+
+        mock_sleep.assert_not_called()
+
+
+class TestUpdatesLastRequestTime(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test that last request time is updated after waiting."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Reset rate limit state."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(None)
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = None
+
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "sleep")
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "time", return_value=1000.0)
+    def test_updates_last_request_time(self, mock_time, mock_sleep):
+        """Last request time is updated after _maybe_wait_for_rate_limit."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)
+
+        method_call._maybe_wait_for_rate_limit()
+
+        self.assertEqual(1000.0, method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST)
+
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "sleep")
+    @patch.object(method_call.time, "time", return_value=1001.0)
+    def test_updates_last_request_time_after_sleep(self, mock_time, mock_sleep):
+        """Last request time is updated to current time after sleeping."""
+        method_call.set_rate_limit(3600.0)  # 1 second interval
+        method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST = 1000.5  # Would need to wait
+
+        method_call._maybe_wait_for_rate_limit()
+
+        # Should update to the current time after potential sleep
+        self.assertEqual(1001.0, method_call._RATE_LIMIT_LAST_REQUEST)