diff --git a/httpd/handler.go b/httpd/handler.go
index 60a490af34f..f2cf8a9066d 100644
--- a/httpd/handler.go
+++ b/httpd/handler.go
@@ -477,12 +477,12 @@ func (h *Handler) serveWrite(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, user *influ
 			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
 			return
 		}
-		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusBadRequest)
 		return
 	}
 
 	if bp.Database == "" {
-		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: fmt.Errorf("database is required")}, http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: fmt.Errorf("database is required")}, http.StatusBadRequest)
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -508,7 +508,11 @@ func (h *Handler) serveWrite(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, user *influ
 	}
 
 	if index, err := h.server.WriteSeries(bp.Database, bp.RetentionPolicy, points); err != nil {
-		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		if influxdb.IsClientError(err) {
+			writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		} else {
+			writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		}
 		return
 	} else {
 		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
diff --git a/httpd/handler_test.go b/httpd/handler_test.go
index d44473e2579..e7a9b36746f 100644
--- a/httpd/handler_test.go
+++ b/httpd/handler_test.go
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ func TestHandler_CreateDatabase_Conflict(t *testing.T) {
 	defer s.Close()
 
 	status, body := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, map[string]string{"q": "CREATE DATABASE foo"}, nil, "")
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	} else if body != `{"results":[{"error":"database exists"}]}` {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected body: %s", body)
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ func TestHandler_DropDatabase_NotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	defer s.Close()
 
 	status, body := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, map[string]string{"q": "DROP DATABASE bar"}, nil, "")
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	} else if body != `{"results":[{"error":"database not found"}]}` {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected body: %s", body)
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ func TestHandler_RetentionPolicies_DatabaseNotFound(t *testing.T) {
 
 	status, body := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, map[string]string{"q": "SHOW RETENTION POLICIES foo"}, nil, "")
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	} else if body != `{"results":[{"error":"database not found"}]}` {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected body: %s", body)
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ func TestHandler_CreateRetentionPolicy_DatabaseNotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	query := map[string]string{"q": "CREATE RETENTION POLICY bar ON foo DURATION 1h REPLICATION 1"}
 	status, _ := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, query, nil, "")
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	}
 }
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ func TestHandler_CreateRetentionPolicy_Conflict(t *testing.T) {
 
 	status, _ := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, query, nil, "")
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	}
 }
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ func TestHandler_UpdateRetentionPolicy_DatabaseNotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	status, _ := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, query, nil, "")
 
 	// Verify response.
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	}
 }
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ func TestHandler_UpdateRetentionPolicy_NotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	status, _ := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, query, nil, "")
 
 	// Verify response.
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	}
 }
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ func TestHandler_DeleteRetentionPolicy_DatabaseNotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	query := map[string]string{"q": "DROP RETENTION POLICY bar ON qux"}
 	status, body := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, query, nil, "")
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	} else if body != `{"results":[{"error":"database not found"}]}` {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected body: %s", body)
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ func TestHandler_DeleteRetentionPolicy_NotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	query := map[string]string{"q": "DROP RETENTION POLICY bar ON foo"}
 	status, body := MustHTTP("GET", s.URL+`/query`, query, nil, "")
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	} else if body != `{"results":[{"error":"retention policy not found"}]}` {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected body: %s", body)
@@ -798,7 +798,7 @@ func TestHandler_CreateDataNode_InternalServerError(t *testing.T) {
 	defer s.Close()
 
 	status, body := MustHTTP("POST", s.URL+`/data_nodes`, nil, nil, `{"url":""}`)
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d, %s", status, body)
 	} else if body != `data node url required` {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected body: %s", body)
@@ -1154,7 +1154,7 @@ func TestHandler_serveWriteSeriesWithNoFields(t *testing.T) {
 
 	expected := fmt.Sprintf(`{"error":"%s"}`, influxdb.ErrFieldsRequired.Error())
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+	if status != http.StatusBadRequest {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: %d", status)
 	} else if body != expected {
 		t.Fatalf("result mismatch:\n\texp=%s\n\tgot=%s\n", expected, body)
@@ -1298,8 +1298,8 @@ func TestHandler_serveWriteSeries_invalidJSON(t *testing.T) {
 
 	status, body := MustHTTP("POST", s.URL+`/write`, nil, nil, `{"database" : foo", "retentionPolicy" : "bar", "points": [{"name": "cpu", "tags": {"host": "server01"},"timestamp": "2009-11-10T23:00:00Z","fields": {"value": 100}}]}`)
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
-		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: expected: %d, actual: %d", http.StatusInternalServerError, status)
+	if status != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: expected: %d, actual: %d", http.StatusBadRequest, status)
 	}
 
 	response := `{"error":"invalid character 'o' in literal false (expecting 'a')"}`
@@ -1317,8 +1317,8 @@ func TestHandler_serveWriteSeries_noDatabaseSpecified(t *testing.T) {
 
 	status, body := MustHTTP("POST", s.URL+`/write`, nil, nil, `{}`)
 
-	if status != http.StatusInternalServerError {
-		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: expected: %d, actual: %d", http.StatusInternalServerError, status)
+	if status != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: expected: %d, actual: %d", http.StatusBadRequest, status)
 	}
 
 	response := `{"error":"database is required"}`
diff --git a/influxdb.go b/influxdb.go
index 21136d18aef..fb0dbbfb632 100644
--- a/influxdb.go
+++ b/influxdb.go
@@ -168,6 +168,18 @@ func isAuthorizationError(err error) bool {
 	return ok
 }
 
+// IsClientError indicates whether an error is a known client error.
+func IsClientError(err error) bool {
+	if err == ErrFieldsRequired {
+		return true
+	}
+	if err == ErrFieldTypeConflict {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
 // mustMarshal encodes a value to JSON.
 // This will panic if an error occurs. This should only be used internally when
 // an invalid marshal will cause corruption and a panic is appropriate.