diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.cpp
index c0f1ccfa62..027a6a4d68 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.cpp
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.cpp
@@ -16,10 +16,15 @@
 #include "SharedUtil.h"
 #include "OctalCode.h"
 
-int numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(const unsigned char* octalCode) {
+int numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(const unsigned char* octalCode, int maxBytes) {
+    if (maxBytes == OVERFLOWED_OCTCODE_BUFFER) {
+        return OVERFLOWED_OCTCODE_BUFFER;
+    }
+
     assert(octalCode);
     if (*octalCode == 255) {
-        return *octalCode + numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(octalCode + 1);
+        int newMaxBytes = (maxBytes == UNKNOWN_OCTCODE_LENGTH) ? UNKNOWN_OCTCODE_LENGTH : maxBytes - 1;
+        return *octalCode + numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(octalCode + 1, newMaxBytes);
     } else {
         return *octalCode;
     }
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.h b/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.h
index 27746474eb..34d4264de4 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.h
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/OctalCode.h
@@ -24,7 +24,15 @@ void printOctalCode(const unsigned char* octalCode);
 int bytesRequiredForCodeLength(unsigned char threeBitCodes);
 int branchIndexWithDescendant(const unsigned char* ancestorOctalCode, const unsigned char* descendantOctalCode);
 unsigned char* childOctalCode(const unsigned char* parentOctalCode, char childNumber);
-int numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(const unsigned char* octalCode);
+
+const int OVERFLOWED_OCTCODE_BUFFER = -1;
+const int UNKNOWN_OCTCODE_LENGTH = -2;
+
+/// will return -1 if there is an error in the octcode encoding, or it would overflow maxBytes
+/// \param const unsigned char* octalCode the octalcode to decode
+/// \param int maxBytes number of bytes that octalCode is expected to be, -1 if unknown
+int numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(const unsigned char* octalCode, int maxBytes = UNKNOWN_OCTCODE_LENGTH);
+
 unsigned char* chopOctalCode(const unsigned char* originalOctalCode, int chopLevels);
 unsigned char* rebaseOctalCode(const unsigned char* originalOctalCode, const unsigned char* newParentOctalCode, 
                                bool includeColorSpace = false);
diff --git a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServerPacketProcessor.cpp b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServerPacketProcessor.cpp
index 53a6267a7a..a547f441db 100644
--- a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServerPacketProcessor.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServerPacketProcessor.cpp
@@ -49,7 +49,15 @@ void VoxelServerPacketProcessor::processPacket(sockaddr& senderAddress, unsigned
         int atByte = numBytesPacketHeader + sizeof(itemNumber);
         unsigned char* voxelData = (unsigned char*)&packetData[atByte];
         while (atByte < packetLength) {
-            unsigned char octets = numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(voxelData);
+            int maxSize = packetLength - atByte;
+            unsigned char octets = numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(voxelData, maxSize);
+            
+            if (octets == OVERFLOWED_OCTCODE_BUFFER) {
+                printf("WARNING! Got voxel edit record that would overflow buffer in numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(), ");
+                printf("bailing processing of packet!\n");
+                break;
+            }
+            
             const int COLOR_SIZE_IN_BYTES = 3;
             int voxelDataSize = bytesRequiredForCodeLength(octets) + COLOR_SIZE_IN_BYTES;
             int voxelCodeSize = bytesRequiredForCodeLength(octets);
diff --git a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp
index f7f50788c5..57c99c5ff8 100644
--- a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp
@@ -581,7 +581,14 @@ void VoxelTree::processRemoveVoxelBitstream(unsigned char * bitstream, int buffe
     int atByte = sizeof(short int) + numBytesForPacketHeader(bitstream);
     unsigned char* voxelCode = (unsigned char*)&bitstream[atByte];
     while (atByte < bufferSizeBytes) {
-        int codeLength = numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(voxelCode);
+        int maxSize = bufferSizeBytes - atByte;
+        unsigned char codeLength = numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(voxelCode, maxSize);
+        
+        if (codeLength == OVERFLOWED_OCTCODE_BUFFER) {
+            printf("WARNING! Got remove voxel bitstream that would overflow buffer in numberOfThreeBitSectionsInCode(), ");
+            printf("bailing processing of packet!\n");
+            break;
+        }
         int voxelDataSize = bytesRequiredForCodeLength(codeLength) + SIZE_OF_COLOR_DATA;
         
         if (atByte + voxelDataSize <= bufferSizeBytes) {