diff --git a/orm/encoding/ormfield/bytes.go b/orm/encoding/ormfield/bytes.go
index 9f03f0905..2c984b113 100644
--- a/orm/encoding/ormfield/bytes.go
+++ b/orm/encoding/ormfield/bytes.go
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@ package ormfield
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"encoding/binary"
 	"io"
 
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/reflect/protoreflect"
-
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/orm/types/ormerrors"
 )
 
 // BytesCodec encodes bytes as raw bytes. It errors if the byte array is longer
@@ -17,17 +16,13 @@ func (b BytesCodec) FixedBufferSize() int {
 	return -1
 }
 
+// ComputeBufferSize returns the bytes size of the value.
 func (b BytesCodec) ComputeBufferSize(value protoreflect.Value) (int, error) {
-	return bytesSize(value)
+	return bytesSize(value), nil
 }
 
-func bytesSize(value protoreflect.Value) (int, error) {
-	bz := value.Bytes()
-	n := len(bz)
-	if n > 255 {
-		return -1, ormerrors.BytesFieldTooLong
-	}
-	return n, nil
+func bytesSize(value protoreflect.Value) int {
+	return len(value.Bytes())
 }
 
 func (b BytesCodec) IsOrdered() bool {
@@ -56,9 +51,17 @@ func (b NonTerminalBytesCodec) FixedBufferSize() int {
 	return -1
 }
 
+// ComputeBufferSize returns the bytes size of the value plus the length of the
+// varint length-prefix.
 func (b NonTerminalBytesCodec) ComputeBufferSize(value protoreflect.Value) (int, error) {
-	n, err := bytesSize(value)
-	return n + 1, err
+	n := bytesSize(value)
+	prefixLen := 1
+	// we use varint, if the first bit of a byte is 1 then we need to signal continuation
+	for n >= 0x80 {
+		prefixLen++
+		n >>= 7
+	}
+	return n + prefixLen, nil
 }
 
 func (b NonTerminalBytesCodec) IsOrdered() bool {
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ func (b NonTerminalBytesCodec) Compare(v1, v2 protoreflect.Value) int {
 }
 
 func (b NonTerminalBytesCodec) Decode(r Reader) (protoreflect.Value, error) {
-	n, err := r.ReadByte()
+	n, err := binary.ReadUvarint(r)
 	if err != nil {
 		return protoreflect.Value{}, err
 	}
@@ -87,10 +90,9 @@ func (b NonTerminalBytesCodec) Decode(r Reader) (protoreflect.Value, error) {
 func (b NonTerminalBytesCodec) Encode(value protoreflect.Value, w io.Writer) error {
 	bz := value.Bytes()
 	n := len(bz)
-	if n > 255 {
-		return ormerrors.BytesFieldTooLong
-	}
-	_, err := w.Write([]byte{byte(n)})
+	var prefix [binary.MaxVarintLen64]byte
+	prefixLen := binary.PutUvarint(prefix[:], uint64(n))
+	_, err := w.Write(prefix[:prefixLen])
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/orm/encoding/ormfield/codec_test.go b/orm/encoding/ormfield/codec_test.go
index 94da353dc..4e7d1574d 100644
--- a/orm/encoding/ormfield/codec_test.go
+++ b/orm/encoding/ormfield/codec_test.go
@@ -76,16 +76,6 @@ func TestUnsupportedFields(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, ormerrors.UnsupportedKeyField.Error())
 }
 
-func TestNTBytesTooLong(t *testing.T) {
-	cdc, err := ormfield.GetCodec(testutil.GetTestField("bz"), true)
-	assert.NilError(t, err)
-	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
-	bz := protoreflect.ValueOfBytes(make([]byte, 256))
-	assert.ErrorContains(t, cdc.Encode(bz, buf), ormerrors.BytesFieldTooLong.Error())
-	_, err = cdc.ComputeBufferSize(bz)
-	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, ormerrors.BytesFieldTooLong.Error())
-}
-
 func TestCompactUInt32(t *testing.T) {
 	var lastBz []byte
 	testEncodeDecode := func(x uint32, expectedLen int) {
diff --git a/orm/internal/testutil/testutil.go b/orm/internal/testutil/testutil.go
index f98b7e334..f220cc897 100644
--- a/orm/internal/testutil/testutil.go
+++ b/orm/internal/testutil/testutil.go
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@ package testutil
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"math"
 	"strings"
 
-	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/durationpb"
-
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/reflect/protoreflect"
+	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/durationpb"
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/timestamppb"
 	"pgregory.net/rapid"
 
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ var TestFieldSpecs = []TestFieldSpec{
 	},
 	{
 		"bz",
-		rapid.SliceOfN(rapid.Byte(), 0, 255),
+		rapid.SliceOfN(rapid.Byte(), 0, math.MaxUint32),
 	},
 	{
 		"i32",
diff --git a/orm/types/ormerrors/errors.go b/orm/types/ormerrors/errors.go
index bcb432a74..73a3418e6 100644
--- a/orm/types/ormerrors/errors.go
+++ b/orm/types/ormerrors/errors.go
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ var (
 	AutoIncrementKeyAlreadySet    = errors.New(codespace, 12, "can't create with auto-increment primary key already set")
 	CantFindIndex                 = errors.New(codespace, 13, "can't find index")
 	UnexpectedDecodePrefix        = errors.New(codespace, 14, "unexpected prefix while trying to decode an entry")
-	BytesFieldTooLong             = errors.New(codespace, 15, "bytes field is longer than 255 bytes")
 	UnsupportedOperation          = errors.New(codespace, 16, "unsupported operation")
 	BadDecodeEntry                = errors.New(codespace, 17, "bad decode entry")
 	IndexOutOfBounds              = errors.New(codespace, 18, "index out of bounds")