diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml
index 07836e718f..7dc170ee89 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml
@@ -205,7 +205,8 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
    <option>status</option> mode checks whether a server is running in
    the specified data directory. If it is, the <acronym>PID</acronym>
    and the command line options that were used to invoke it are
-   displayed.
+   displayed.  If the server is not running, the process returns an
+   exit status of 3.
   </para>
 
   <para>
diff --git a/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c b/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
index c9007eded9..8e9d2cec3d 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
+++ b/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
@@ -1155,9 +1155,11 @@ do_status(void)
 	pgpid_t		pid;
 
 	pid = get_pgpid();
-	if (pid != 0)				/* 0 means no pid file */
+	/* Is there a pid file? */
+	if (pid != 0)
 	{
-		if (pid < 0)			/* standalone backend */
+		/* standalone backend? */
+		if (pid < 0)
 		{
 			pid = -pid;
 			if (postmaster_is_alive((pid_t) pid))
@@ -1168,7 +1170,7 @@ do_status(void)
 			}
 		}
 		else
-			/* postmaster */
+		/* must be a postmaster */
 		{
 			if (postmaster_is_alive((pid_t) pid))
 			{
@@ -1186,7 +1188,11 @@ do_status(void)
 		}
 	}
 	printf(_("%s: no server running\n"), progname);
-	exit(1);
+	/*
+	 * The Linux Standard Base Core Specification 3.1 says this should return '3'
+	 * http://refspecs.freestandards.org/LSB_3.1.1/LSB-Core-generic/LSB-Core-generic/iniscrptact.html
+	 */
+	exit(3);
 }