diff --git a/zerver/lib/exceptions.py b/zerver/lib/exceptions.py
index 6997c82154..0f042de5af 100644
--- a/zerver/lib/exceptions.py
+++ b/zerver/lib/exceptions.py
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@ from django.core.exceptions import PermissionDenied
 
 class JsonableError(Exception):
     msg = None  # type: Text
-    status_code = None  # type: int
+    http_status_code = 400  # type: int
 
-    def __init__(self, msg, status_code=400):
-        # type: (Text) -> None
+    def __init__(self, msg, http_status_code=400):
+        # type: (Text, int) -> None
         self.msg = msg
-        self.status_code = status_code
+        self.http_status_code = http_status_code
 
     def __str__(self):
         # type: () -> str
diff --git a/zerver/lib/request.py b/zerver/lib/request.py
index d236f06d40..62964715f3 100644
--- a/zerver/lib/request.py
+++ b/zerver/lib/request.py
@@ -11,18 +11,16 @@ from django.utils.translation import ugettext as _
 from zerver.lib.exceptions import JsonableError
 
 class RequestVariableMissingError(JsonableError):
-    def __init__(self, var_name, status_code=400):
+    def __init__(self, var_name):
         self.var_name = var_name
-        self.status_code = status_code
 
     def to_json_error_msg(self):
         return _("Missing '%s' argument") % (self.var_name,)
 
 class RequestVariableConversionError(JsonableError):
-    def __init__(self, var_name, bad_value, status_code=400):
+    def __init__(self, var_name, bad_value):
         self.var_name = var_name
         self.bad_value = bad_value
-        self.status_code = status_code
 
     def to_json_error_msg(self):
         return (_("Bad value for '%(var_name)s': %(value)s") %
diff --git a/zerver/middleware.py b/zerver/middleware.py
index 440c3fa8a8..510bce8ddc 100644
--- a/zerver/middleware.py
+++ b/zerver/middleware.py
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ class JsonErrorHandler(MiddlewareMixin):
     def process_exception(self, request, exception):
         # type: (HttpRequest, Exception) -> Optional[HttpResponse]
         if isinstance(exception, JsonableError):
-            return json_error(exception.to_json_error_msg(), status=exception.status_code)
+            return json_error(exception.to_json_error_msg(), status=exception.http_status_code)
         if request.error_format == "JSON":
             logging.error(traceback.format_exc())
             return json_error(_("Internal server error"), status=500)
diff --git a/zerver/views/messages.py b/zerver/views/messages.py
index 618e10a3a1..58919fbb08 100644
--- a/zerver/views/messages.py
+++ b/zerver/views/messages.py
@@ -56,10 +56,9 @@ import six
 LARGER_THAN_MAX_MESSAGE_ID = 10000000000000000
 
 class BadNarrowOperator(JsonableError):
-    def __init__(self, desc, status_code=400):
-        # type: (str, int) -> None
+    def __init__(self, desc):
+        # type: (str) -> None
         self.desc = desc
-        self.status_code = status_code
 
     def to_json_error_msg(self):
         # type: () -> str
diff --git a/zerver/views/streams.py b/zerver/views/streams.py
index 54a0c9837b..154518cf02 100644
--- a/zerver/views/streams.py
+++ b/zerver/views/streams.py
@@ -35,10 +35,10 @@ from six.moves import urllib
 import six
 
 class PrincipalError(JsonableError):
-    def __init__(self, principal, status_code=403):
-        # type: (Text, int) -> None
+    def __init__(self, principal):
+        # type: (Text) -> None
         self.principal = principal  # type: Text
-        self.status_code = status_code  # type: int
+        self.http_status_code = 403  # type: int
 
     def to_json_error_msg(self):
         # type: () -> Text