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Grasslands and savannas in tropical and subtropical regions around the world are most commonly fire driven ecosystems. Prescribed fire is a powerful management tool for maintaining the integrity of rangelands and, depending on its intensity, is capable of shifting rangeland plant communities. �Despite the extensive history of prescribed fire use in the southern Great Plains of Texas and Oklahoma, this practice continues to face numerous social and legal obstacles to more widespread implementation on private land. Past research into social obstacles points to a general reluctance by nonpractitioners to begin using fire due to the perception that deliberately igniting fire is inherently unsafe. �Others cite limited expertise and capacity as obstacles, specifically a lack of resources and personnel. ��Some also point to a perceived lack of �ideal� burn days throughout the year to execute multi-fire management plans. �Legal obstacles identified by past research frequently cite perceived excessive liability associated with the use of fire on private land in the event of an escaped fire. Our research seeks to understand the extent to which these barriers as well as of other obstacles not yet noted in the literature inhibit more widespread use of prescribed fire in the southern Great Plains. �Preliminary findings indicate the influence of legal issues such as perceived liability vary greatly between geographic areas, while social issues such as capacity, expertise, and perceived ideal burn days are cited by a broad cross-section of practitioners and nonpractitioners alike. �Additionally, there seems to exist a lack of consensus as to what constitutes a legal burn during periods of high wildfire threat and county- or state-wide burn bans.