diff --git a/mlflow/exceptions.py b/mlflow/exceptions.py
index 6cf1696a59886..f51ae186ce685 100644
--- a/mlflow/exceptions.py
+++ b/mlflow/exceptions.py
@@ -1,5 +1,31 @@
+import json
+
+from mlflow.protos.databricks_pb2 import INTERNAL_ERROR, ErrorCode
+
+
 class MlflowException(Exception):
     """Base exception in MLflow."""
+    def __init__(self, message, error_code=INTERNAL_ERROR):
+        try:
+            self.error_code = ErrorCode.Name(error_code)
+        except (ValueError, TypeError):
+            self.error_code = ErrorCode.Name(INTERNAL_ERROR)
+        self.message = message
+        super(MlflowException, self).__init__(message)
+
+    def serialize_as_json(self):
+        return json.dumps({'error_code': self.error_code, 'message': self.message})
+
+
+class RestException(MlflowException):
+    """Exception thrown on non 200-level responses from the REST API"""
+    def __init__(self, json):
+        error_code = json['error_code']
+        message = error_code
+        if 'message' in json:
+            message = "%s: %s" % (error_code, json['message'])
+        super(RestException, self).__init__(message, error_code=error_code)
+        self.json = json
 
 
 class IllegalArtifactPathError(MlflowException):
diff --git a/mlflow/server/handlers.py b/mlflow/server/handlers.py
index f127defbaea46..807466057e60b 100644
--- a/mlflow/server/handlers.py
+++ b/mlflow/server/handlers.py
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@
 import re
 import six
 
+from functools import wraps
 from flask import Response, request, send_file
 from querystring_parser import parser
 
 from mlflow.entities import Metric, Param, RunTag, ViewType
+from mlflow.exceptions import MlflowException
 from mlflow.protos import databricks_pb2
 from mlflow.protos.service_pb2 import CreateExperiment, MlflowService, GetExperiment, \
     GetRun, SearchRuns, ListArtifacts, GetMetricHistory, CreateRun, \
@@ -59,6 +61,19 @@ def _get_request_message(request_message, flask_request=request):
     return request_message
 
 
+def catch_mlflow_exception(func):
+    @wraps(func)
+    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
+        try:
+            return func(*args, **kwargs)
+        except MlflowException as e:
+            response = Response(mimetype='application/json')
+            response.set_data(e.serialize_as_json())
+            response.status_code = 500
+            return response
+    return wrapper
+
+
 def get_handler(request_class):
     """
     :param request_class: The type of protobuf message
@@ -71,6 +86,7 @@ def get_handler(request_class):
                     'csv', 'tsv', 'md', 'rst', 'MLmodel', 'MLproject']
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def get_artifact_handler():
     query_string = request.query_string.decode('utf-8')
     request_dict = parser.parse(query_string, normalized=True)
@@ -89,6 +105,7 @@ def _not_implemented():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _create_experiment():
     request_message = _get_request_message(CreateExperiment())
     experiment_id = _get_store().create_experiment(request_message.name,
@@ -100,6 +117,7 @@ def _create_experiment():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _get_experiment():
     request_message = _get_request_message(GetExperiment())
     response_message = GetExperiment.Response()
@@ -113,6 +131,7 @@ def _get_experiment():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _delete_experiment():
     request_message = _get_request_message(DeleteExperiment())
     _get_store().delete_experiment(request_message.experiment_id)
@@ -122,6 +141,7 @@ def _delete_experiment():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _restore_experiment():
     request_message = _get_request_message(RestoreExperiment())
     _get_store().restore_experiment(request_message.experiment_id)
@@ -131,6 +151,7 @@ def _restore_experiment():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _create_run():
     request_message = _get_request_message(CreateRun())
 
@@ -154,6 +175,7 @@ def _create_run():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _update_run():
     request_message = _get_request_message(UpdateRun())
     updated_info = _get_store().update_run_info(request_message.run_uuid, request_message.status,
@@ -164,6 +186,7 @@ def _update_run():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _delete_run():
     request_message = _get_request_message(DeleteRun())
     _get_store().delete_run(request_message.run_id)
@@ -173,6 +196,7 @@ def _delete_run():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _restore_run():
     request_message = _get_request_message(RestoreRun())
     _get_store().restore_run(request_message.run_id)
@@ -182,6 +206,7 @@ def _restore_run():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _log_metric():
     request_message = _get_request_message(LogMetric())
     metric = Metric(request_message.key, request_message.value, request_message.timestamp)
@@ -192,6 +217,7 @@ def _log_metric():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _log_param():
     request_message = _get_request_message(LogParam())
     param = Param(request_message.key, request_message.value)
@@ -202,6 +228,7 @@ def _log_param():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _set_tag():
     request_message = _get_request_message(SetTag())
     tag = RunTag(request_message.key, request_message.value)
@@ -212,6 +239,7 @@ def _set_tag():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _get_run():
     request_message = _get_request_message(GetRun())
     response_message = GetRun.Response()
@@ -221,6 +249,7 @@ def _get_run():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _search_runs():
     request_message = _get_request_message(SearchRuns())
     response_message = SearchRuns.Response()
@@ -236,6 +265,7 @@ def _search_runs():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _list_artifacts():
     request_message = _get_request_message(ListArtifacts())
     response_message = ListArtifacts.Response()
@@ -252,6 +282,7 @@ def _list_artifacts():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _get_metric_history():
     request_message = _get_request_message(GetMetricHistory())
     response_message = GetMetricHistory.Response()
@@ -263,6 +294,7 @@ def _get_metric_history():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _get_metric():
     request_message = _get_request_message(GetMetric())
     response_message = GetMetric.Response()
@@ -273,6 +305,7 @@ def _get_metric():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _get_param():
     request_message = _get_request_message(GetParam())
     response_message = GetParam.Response()
@@ -283,6 +316,7 @@ def _get_param():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _list_experiments():
     request_message = _get_request_message(ListExperiments())
     experiment_entities = _get_store().list_experiments(request_message.view_type)
@@ -293,6 +327,7 @@ def _list_experiments():
     return response
 
 
+@catch_mlflow_exception
 def _get_artifact_repo(run):
     store = _get_store()
     if run.info.artifact_uri:
diff --git a/mlflow/store/rest_store.py b/mlflow/store/rest_store.py
index 56be6116444dc..4b789c06e4e59 100644
--- a/mlflow/store/rest_store.py
+++ b/mlflow/store/rest_store.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import json
 
+from mlflow.exceptions import RestException
 from mlflow.store.abstract_store import AbstractStore
 
 from mlflow.entities import Experiment, Run, RunInfo, RunTag, Param, Metric, ViewType
@@ -35,16 +36,6 @@ def _api_method_to_info():
 _METHOD_TO_INFO = _api_method_to_info()
 
 
-class RestException(Exception):
-    """Exception thrown on 400-level errors from the REST API"""
-    def __init__(self, json):
-        message = json['error_code']
-        if 'message' in json:
-            message = "%s: %s" % (message, json['message'])
-        super(RestException, self).__init__(message)
-        self.json = json
-
-
 class RestStore(AbstractStore):
     """
     Client for a remote tracking server accessed via REST API calls
diff --git a/mlflow/utils/validation.py b/mlflow/utils/validation.py
index 5e4a249150df8..0869a9f967848 100644
--- a/mlflow/utils/validation.py
+++ b/mlflow/utils/validation.py
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 import os.path
 import re
 
+from mlflow.exceptions import MlflowException
+from mlflow.protos.databricks_pb2 import INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE
+
 _VALID_PARAM_AND_METRIC_NAMES = re.compile(r"^[/\w.\- ]*$")
 
 # Regex for valid run IDs: must be a 32-character hex string.
@@ -55,4 +58,4 @@ def _validate_tag_name(name):
 def _validate_run_id(run_id):
     """Check that `run_id` is a valid run ID and raise an exception if it isn't."""
     if _RUN_ID_REGEX.match(run_id) is None:
-        raise Exception("Invalid run ID: '%s'" % run_id)
+        raise MlflowException("Invalid run ID: '%s'" % run_id, error_code=INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE)
diff --git a/tests/server/test_handlers.py b/tests/server/test_handlers.py
index 5949d5df83ec2..370b189e99b3b 100644
--- a/tests/server/test_handlers.py
+++ b/tests/server/test_handlers.py
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
+import json
+
 import mock
 import pytest
 
 from mlflow.entities import ViewType
+from mlflow.exceptions import MlflowException
+from mlflow.protos.databricks_pb2 import INTERNAL_ERROR, ErrorCode
 from mlflow.server.handlers import get_endpoints, _create_experiment, _get_request_message, \
-    _search_runs
+    _search_runs, catch_mlflow_exception
 from mlflow.protos.service_pb2 import CreateExperiment, SearchRuns
 
 
@@ -72,3 +76,16 @@ def test_search_runs_default_view_type(mock_get_request_message, mock_store):
     _search_runs()
     args, _ = mock_store.search_runs.call_args
     assert args[2] == ViewType.ACTIVE_ONLY
+
+
+def test_catch_mlflow_exception():
+    @catch_mlflow_exception
+    def test_handler():
+        raise MlflowException('test error', error_code=INTERNAL_ERROR)
+
+    # pylint: disable=assignment-from-no-return
+    response = test_handler()
+    json_response = json.loads(response.get_data())
+    assert response.status_code == 500
+    assert json_response['error_code'] == ErrorCode.Name(INTERNAL_ERROR)
+    assert json_response['message'] == 'test error'
diff --git a/tests/test_exceptions.py b/tests/test_exceptions.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..75bdb1d6d9106
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_exceptions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import json
+
+from mlflow.exceptions import MlflowException
+from mlflow.protos.databricks_pb2 import INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE
+
+
+class TestMlflowException(object):
+    def test_error_code_constructor(self):
+        assert MlflowException('test', error_code=INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE).error_code == \
+               'INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE'
+
+    def test_default_error_code(self):
+        assert MlflowException('test').error_code == 'INTERNAL_ERROR'
+
+    def test_serialize_to_json(self):
+        mlflow_exception = MlflowException('test')
+        deserialized = json.loads(mlflow_exception.serialize_as_json())
+        assert deserialized['message'] == 'test'
+        assert deserialized['error_code'] == 'INTERNAL_ERROR'