diff --git a/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md b/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
index 1c7012ea9..8c15218e7 100644
--- a/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 ### Fixed
 
 - Fix driver crash when using `INTERVAL` types.
+- Fix connection failure in restricted environments when `LogLevel.OFF` is used.
 
 ---
 *Note: When making changes, please add your change under the appropriate section with a brief description.*
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtil.java b/src/main/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtil.java
index 3187d0f35..c73994e6c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtil.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtil.java
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ public class LoggingUtil {
 
   public static void setupLogger(String logDir, int logFileSizeMB, int logFileCount, LogLevel level)
       throws IOException {
+    if (level == LogLevel.OFF) {
+      // Skip handler initialization to avoid AccessDeniedException in restricted environments
+      return;
+    }
     if (LOGGER instanceof JulLogger && System.getProperty(JAVA_UTIL_LOGGING_CONFIG_FILE) == null) {
       // Only configure JUL logger if it's not already configured via external properties file
       JulLogger.initLogger(toJulLevel(level), logDir, logFileSizeMB * 1024 * 1024, logFileCount);
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtilTest.java b/src/test/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtilTest.java
index a534489ef..8b308e822 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtilTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/databricks/jdbc/common/util/LoggingUtilTest.java
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@ void testSetupLogger() {
     assertDoesNotThrow(() -> LoggingUtil.setupLogger("test.log", 1, 1, LogLevel.DEBUG));
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void testSetupLoggerWithOffLevel() {
+    // When log level is OFF, setupLogger should return early without initializing handlers
+    // This should not throw an exception even if the log path is not writable
+    assertDoesNotThrow(() -> LoggingUtil.setupLogger("/", 1, 1, LogLevel.OFF));
+    assertDoesNotThrow(() -> LoggingUtil.setupLogger("/invalid/path", 1, 1, LogLevel.OFF));
+  }
+
   @ParameterizedTest
   @MethodSource("logLevelToJulLevelProvider")
   void testToJulLevel(LogLevel input, Level expected) {
@@ -32,6 +40,7 @@ static Stream<Arguments> logLevelToJulLevelProvider() {
         org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments.of(LogLevel.FATAL, Level.SEVERE),
         org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments.of(LogLevel.INFO, Level.INFO),
         org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments.of(LogLevel.TRACE, Level.FINEST),
-        org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments.of(LogLevel.WARN, Level.WARNING));
+        org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments.of(LogLevel.WARN, Level.WARNING),
+        org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments.of(LogLevel.OFF, Level.OFF));
   }
 }