diff --git a/litellm/proxy/_types.py b/litellm/proxy/_types.py
index d3f1bc844b..1092a27d63 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/_types.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/_types.py
@@ -1661,13 +1661,13 @@ class ProxyException(Exception):
         message: str,
         type: str,
         param: Optional[str],
-        code: Optional[int],
+        code: Optional[Union[int, str]] = None,
         headers: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None,
     ):
         self.message = message
         self.type = type
         self.param = param
-        self.code = code
+        self.code = str(code)
         if headers is not None:
             for k, v in headers.items():
                 if not isinstance(v, str):
@@ -1681,7 +1681,7 @@ class ProxyException(Exception):
             "No healthy deployment available" in self.message
             or "No deployments available" in self.message
         ):
-            self.code = 429
+            self.code = "429"
 
     def to_dict(self) -> dict:
         """Converts the ProxyException instance to a dictionary."""
diff --git a/litellm/tests/test_proxy_exception_mapping.py b/litellm/tests/test_proxy_exception_mapping.py
index 07ae7f5a87..d5db6f6ab0 100644
--- a/litellm/tests/test_proxy_exception_mapping.py
+++ b/litellm/tests/test_proxy_exception_mapping.py
@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ def test_chat_completion_exception(client):
             in json_response["error"]["message"]
         )
 
+        code_in_error = json_response["error"]["code"]
+        # OpenAI SDK required code to be STR, https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/issues/4970
+        assert type(code_in_error) == str
+
         # make an openai client to call _make_status_error_from_response
         openai_client = openai.OpenAI(api_key="anything")
         openai_exception = openai_client._make_status_error_from_response(