diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7ac5494b..5b38281c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+# 2.9 (unreleased)
+* Use exit code 3 when dead code is found (whosayn, #319).
+
 # 2.8 (2023-08-10)
 
 * Add `UnicodeEncodeError` exception handling to `core.py` (milanbalazs, #299).
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f096b2f9..4c892e72 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -316,9 +316,9 @@ codes.
 | Exit code |                          Description                          |
 | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
 |     0     | No dead code found                                            |
-|     1     | Dead code found                                               |
 |     1     | Invalid input (file missing, syntax error, wrong encoding)    |
 |     2     | Invalid command line arguments                                |
+|     3     | Dead code found                                               |
 
 ## Similar programs
 
diff --git a/tests/test_encoding.py b/tests/test_encoding.py
index 2fad5349..560a6e5a 100644
--- a/tests/test_encoding.py
+++ b/tests/test_encoding.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import codecs
 
 from . import v
+from vulture.utils import ExitCode
 
 assert v  # Silence pyflakes.
 
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ def test_encoding1(v):
 pass
 """
     )
-    assert not v.found_dead_code_or_error
+    assert v.exit_code == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
 
 
 def test_encoding2(v):
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ def test_encoding2(v):
 pass
 """
     )
-    assert not v.found_dead_code_or_error
+    assert v.exit_code == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
 
 
 def test_non_utf8_encoding(v, tmp_path):
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ def test_non_utf8_encoding(v, tmp_path):
         f.write(codecs.BOM_UTF16_LE)
         f.write(code.encode("utf_16_le"))
     v.scavenge([non_utf_8_file])
-    assert v.found_dead_code_or_error
+    assert v.exit_code == ExitCode.InvalidInput
 
 
 def test_utf8_with_bom(v, tmp_path):
@@ -43,4 +44,4 @@ def test_utf8_with_bom(v, tmp_path):
     # utf8_sig prepends the BOM to the file.
     filepath.write_text("", encoding="utf-8-sig")
     v.scavenge([filepath])
-    assert not v.found_dead_code_or_error
+    assert v.exit_code == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
diff --git a/tests/test_errors.py b/tests/test_errors.py
index 6d53e25b..87feff43 100644
--- a/tests/test_errors.py
+++ b/tests/test_errors.py
@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
 import pytest
 
-from . import v
+from . import v, call_vulture
+from vulture.utils import ExitCode
 
 assert v  # Silence pyflakes.
 
 
 def test_syntax_error(v):
     v.scan("foo bar")
-    assert int(v.report()) == 1
+    assert int(v.report()) == ExitCode.InvalidInput
 
 
 def test_null_byte(v):
     v.scan("\x00")
-    assert int(v.report()) == 1
+    assert int(v.report()) == ExitCode.InvalidInput
 
 
 def test_confidence_range(v):
@@ -24,3 +25,10 @@ def foo():
     )
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         v.get_unused_code(min_confidence=150)
+
+
+def test_invalid_cmdline_args():
+    assert (
+        call_vulture(["vulture/", "--invalid-argument"])
+        == ExitCode.InvalidCmdlineArguments
+    )
diff --git a/tests/test_scavenging.py b/tests/test_scavenging.py
index 27154cd6..c0ccbbf6 100644
--- a/tests/test_scavenging.py
+++ b/tests/test_scavenging.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import pytest
 
 from . import check, v
+from vulture.utils import ExitCode
 
 assert v  # Silence pyflakes.
 
@@ -765,7 +766,7 @@ def __init__(self):
         check(v.unused_imports, ["Any", "Dict", "List", "Text", "Tuple"])
     else:
         check(v.unused_imports, [])
-        assert not v.found_dead_code_or_error
+        assert v.exit_code == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
 
 
 def test_invalid_type_comment(v):
@@ -779,9 +780,9 @@ def bad():
     )
 
     if sys.version_info < (3, 8):
-        assert not v.found_dead_code_or_error
+        assert v.exit_code == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
     else:
-        assert v.found_dead_code_or_error
+        assert v.exit_code == ExitCode.InvalidInput
 
 
 def test_unused_args_with_del(v):
diff --git a/tests/test_script.py b/tests/test_script.py
index b57b5d02..62c36e90 100644
--- a/tests/test_script.py
+++ b/tests/test_script.py
@@ -4,31 +4,38 @@
 import sys
 
 from . import call_vulture, REPO, WHITELISTS
+from vulture.utils import ExitCode
 
 
 def test_module_with_explicit_whitelists():
-    assert call_vulture(["vulture/"] + WHITELISTS) == 0
+    assert call_vulture(["vulture/"] + WHITELISTS) == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
 
 
 def test_module_with_implicit_whitelists():
-    assert call_vulture(["vulture/"]) == 0
+    assert call_vulture(["vulture/"]) == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
 
 
 def test_module_without_whitelists():
-    assert call_vulture(["vulture/", "--exclude", "whitelists"]) == 1
+    assert (
+        call_vulture(["vulture/", "--exclude", "whitelists"])
+        == ExitCode.DeadCode
+    )
 
 
 def test_missing_file():
-    assert call_vulture(["missing.py"]) == 1
+    assert call_vulture(["missing.py"]) == ExitCode.InvalidInput
 
 
 def test_tests():
-    assert call_vulture(["tests/"]) == 0
+    assert call_vulture(["tests/"]) == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
 
 
 def test_whitelists_with_python():
     for whitelist in WHITELISTS:
-        assert subprocess.call([sys.executable, whitelist], cwd=REPO) == 0
+        assert (
+            subprocess.call([sys.executable, whitelist], cwd=REPO)
+            == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
+        )
 
 
 def test_pyc():
@@ -36,7 +43,10 @@ def test_pyc():
 
 
 def test_sort_by_size():
-    assert call_vulture(["vulture/utils.py", "--sort-by-size"]) == 1
+    assert (
+        call_vulture(["vulture/utils.py", "--sort-by-size"])
+        == ExitCode.DeadCode
+    )
 
 
 def test_min_confidence():
@@ -50,7 +60,7 @@ def test_min_confidence():
                 "100",
             ]
         )
-        == 0
+        == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
     )
 
 
@@ -61,8 +71,14 @@ def get_csv(paths):
     def call_vulture_with_excludes(excludes):
         return call_vulture(["vulture/", "--exclude", get_csv(excludes)])
 
-    assert call_vulture_with_excludes(["core.py", "utils.py"]) == 1
-    assert call_vulture_with_excludes(glob.glob("vulture/*.py")) == 0
+    assert (
+        call_vulture_with_excludes(["core.py", "utils.py"])
+        == ExitCode.DeadCode
+    )
+    assert (
+        call_vulture_with_excludes(glob.glob("vulture/*.py"))
+        == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
+    )
 
 
 def test_make_whitelist():
@@ -70,6 +86,8 @@ def test_make_whitelist():
         call_vulture(
             ["vulture/", "--make-whitelist", "--exclude", "whitelists"]
         )
-        == 1
+        == ExitCode.DeadCode
+    )
+    assert (
+        call_vulture(["vulture/", "--make-whitelist"]) == ExitCode.NoDeadCode
     )
-    assert call_vulture(["vulture/", "--make-whitelist"]) == 0
diff --git a/vulture/config.py b/vulture/config.py
index f382276d..3576af5c 100644
--- a/vulture/config.py
+++ b/vulture/config.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import toml
 
 from .version import __version__
+from vulture.utils import ExitCode
 
 #: Possible configuration options and their respective defaults
 DEFAULTS = {
@@ -192,7 +193,10 @@ def make_config(argv=None, tomlfile=None):
         else:
             config = {}
 
-    cli_config = _parse_args(argv)
+    try:
+        cli_config = _parse_args(argv)
+    except SystemExit as e:
+        raise SystemExit(ExitCode.InvalidCmdlineArguments) from e
 
     # Overwrite TOML options with CLI options, if given.
     config.update(cli_config)
diff --git a/vulture/core.py b/vulture/core.py
index 16c71948..04166358 100644
--- a/vulture/core.py
+++ b/vulture/core.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 from vulture import noqa
 from vulture import utils
 from vulture.config import make_config
+from vulture.utils import ExitCode
 
 
 DEFAULT_CONFIDENCE = 60
@@ -217,7 +218,7 @@ def get_list(typ):
 
         self.filename = Path()
         self.code = []
-        self.found_dead_code_or_error = False
+        self.exit_code = ExitCode.NoDeadCode
 
     def scan(self, code, filename=""):
         filename = Path(filename)
@@ -232,7 +233,7 @@ def handle_syntax_error(e):
                 file=sys.stderr,
                 force=True,
             )
-            self.found_dead_code_or_error = True
+            self.exit_code = ExitCode.InvalidInput
 
         try:
             node = (
@@ -251,7 +252,7 @@ def handle_syntax_error(e):
                 file=sys.stderr,
                 force=True,
             )
-            self.found_dead_code_or_error = True
+            self.exit_code = ExitCode.InvalidInput
         else:
             # When parsing type comments, visiting can throw SyntaxError.
             try:
@@ -287,7 +288,7 @@ def exclude_path(path):
                     file=sys.stderr,
                     force=True,
                 )
-                self.found_dead_code_or_error = True
+                self.exit_code = ExitCode.InvalidInput
             else:
                 self.scan(module_string, filename=module)
 
@@ -353,8 +354,8 @@ def report(
                 else item.get_report(add_size=sort_by_size),
                 force=True,
             )
-            self.found_dead_code_or_error = True
-        return self.found_dead_code_or_error
+            self.exit_code = ExitCode.DeadCode
+        return self.exit_code
 
     @property
     def unused_classes(self):
diff --git a/vulture/utils.py b/vulture/utils.py
index 7bed9f93..2578d868 100644
--- a/vulture/utils.py
+++ b/vulture/utils.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import ast
+from enum import IntEnum
 import pathlib
 import sys
 import tokenize
@@ -8,6 +9,13 @@ class VultureInputException(Exception):
     pass
 
 
+class ExitCode(IntEnum):
+    NoDeadCode = 0
+    InvalidInput = 1
+    InvalidCmdlineArguments = 2
+    DeadCode = 3
+
+
 def _safe_eval(node, default):
     """
     Safely evaluate the Boolean expression under the given AST node.