SQLSTATE 2200C ERROR Class 22: Data Exception

invalid_use_of_escape_character Invalid Use Of Escape Character — SQLSTATE 2200C

SQLSTATE 2200C (invalid_use_of_escape_character): A value is invalid for its data type or the operation applied to it.

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Last reviewed May 2025 Grounded in source

Symptoms

The server reports SQLSTATE 2200C (invalid_use_of_escape_character), a condition in the Data Exception class.

  • The error is written to the server log and returned to the client carrying SQLSTATE 2200C.
  • Any driver (libpq, JDBC, psycopg, npgsql, pgx) surfaces this code in its error object so you can branch on it programmatically.
  • PL/pgSQL can trap it by name: EXCEPTION WHEN invalid_use_of_escape_character THEN.

Environment

Severity: ERROR  |  PostgreSQL versions: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Reproduce with the exact statement and read the full message in the server log (raise log_min_messages / set log_min_error_statement for more context).

Root Cause

2200C belongs to Class 22 — Data Exception. In this class, a value is invalid for its data type or the operation applied to it.

The first two characters (22) identify the error class, so application code can match the whole class via 22000 when the specific code is not needed.

Diagnostic Queries

Recovery

Validate and clean input at the boundary: check ranges, lengths, and formats; cast safely (NULLIF(txt, ''), explicit to_date/to_timestamp); reject bad values before they reach SQL.

Reference: PostgreSQL error codes — Class 22 (Data Exception).

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