The ex-Giants star had applied for work release, but has been denied by the New York Department of Correctional Services.
Burress made the application just a few months into his two-year sentence. Prosecutors said it would be too soon to give the former Super Bowl star a break.
Burress went to prison in September for carrying a gun that accidentally went off in a nightclub. He pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon.
He has a month to appeal the decision. He also can reapply for work release in July.
Burress' lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.