diff --git a/ironic/common/exception.py b/ironic/common/exception.py
index f33cac85f9..8ab107d9fe 100644
--- a/ironic/common/exception.py
+++ b/ironic/common/exception.py
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ class IronicException(Exception):
                 self.kwargs['code'] = self.code
             except AttributeError:
                 pass
+        else:
+            self.code = int(kwargs['code'])
 
         if not message:
             try:
diff --git a/ironic/conductor/manager.py b/ironic/conductor/manager.py
index 6e3182358c..801f7808c7 100644
--- a/ironic/conductor/manager.py
+++ b/ironic/conductor/manager.py
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ class ConductorManager(base_manager.BaseConductorManager):
                 raise exception.InstanceDeployFailure(
                     _("Failed to validate deploy or power info for node "
                       "%(node_uuid)s. Error: %(msg)s") %
-                    {'node_uuid': node.uuid, 'msg': e})
+                    {'node_uuid': node.uuid, 'msg': e}, code=e.code)
 
             LOG.debug("do_node_deploy Calling event: %(event)s for node: "
                       "%(node)s", {'event': event, 'node': node.uuid})
diff --git a/ironic/tests/unit/conductor/test_manager.py b/ironic/tests/unit/conductor/test_manager.py
index eb6cd3eeda..7efbdc6816 100644
--- a/ironic/tests/unit/conductor/test_manager.py
+++ b/ironic/tests/unit/conductor/test_manager.py
@@ -1218,6 +1218,7 @@ class ServiceDoNodeDeployTestCase(mgr_utils.ServiceSetUpMixin,
                                 self.context, node.uuid)
         # Compare true exception hidden by @messaging.expected_exceptions
         self.assertEqual(exception.InstanceDeployFailure, exc.exc_info[0])
+        self.assertEqual(exc.exc_info[1].code, 400)
         # Check the message of InstanceDeployFailure. In a
         # messaging.rpc.ExpectedException sys.exc_info() is stored in exc_info
         # in the exception object. So InstanceDeployFailure will be in
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/fix_deploy_validation_resp_code-ed93627d1b0dfa94.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/fix_deploy_validation_resp_code-ed93627d1b0dfa94.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e2bee8bf43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/fix_deploy_validation_resp_code-ed93627d1b0dfa94.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+fixes:
+  - |
+    Fixes the HTTP response code for a validation failure when attempting to
+    move an ironic node to the active state. Validation failure in this
+    scenario now responses with a 400 status code correctly indicating a user
+    input error.