Physician noncompete crackdown: A 50-state guide

Eighteen states now generally ban or void noncompete agreements for physicians, according to a September 2026 state-by-state guide from law firm Tucker Arensberg.

The firm sorts the rest into three groups. Ten states and Washington, D.C., allow physician noncompetes with significant restrictions. Five allow them with some restrictions. Seventeen generally allow them if they are reasonable.

There is no federal ban. The Federal Trade Commission’s April 2024 rule, which would have barred most employee noncompetes nationwide, was challenged in court and never took effect. The agency later dropped its defense of the rule and has turned to targeted enforcement actions, including in healthcare.

Here is where each state stands:

1. Alabama: Physician noncompetes are generally unenforceable because physicians are treated as professionals, not because of a physician-specific statute.
2. Alaska: The state has no physician-specific law, so noncompetes may be enforced if they are reasonable and protect a legitimate employer interest.
3. Arizona: Noncompetes are allowed, but courts look closely at how they affect patient choice and continuity of care.
4. Arkansas: A 2025 law generally voids covenants that restrict a physician’s ability to practice within their scope of practice.
5. California: Physician employment noncompetes are generally void, with exceptions for the sale of a business or ownership interest.
6. Colorado: Noncompetes for physicians, dentists and advanced practice registered nurses are generally banned in agreements signed on or after Aug. 6, 2025.
7. Connecticut: Restrictions are capped at one year and 15 miles from the primary practice site, and enforcement is limited after termination without cause or nonrenewal.
8. Delaware: Agreements cannot bar physicians from practicing in a geographic area, but they can require physicians who compete to pay reasonable damages.
9. Florida: Noncompetes are generally enforceable. A narrow exception applies when one entity employs or contracts with every physician in a specialty within a county.
10. Georgia: Noncompetes are generally allowed, and courts can narrow an overly broad restriction instead of striking it.
11. Hawaii: The state bans noncompetes for certain technology workers, but that protection generally does not extend to physicians.
12. Idaho: Noncompetes are generally allowed for key employees and independent contractors, which can include physicians.
13. Illinois: Noncompetes are allowed, but employers must give advance notice and tell physicians in writing that they can consult an attorney before signing.
14. Indiana: Newer agreements cannot include noncompetes for primary care physicians, and recent legislation sharply limits noncompetes from hospitals, health systems and certain affiliates.
15. Iowa: Reasonable noncompetes are generally allowed. A law effective July 1, 2026, requires University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to bar them in certain provider agreements.
16. Kansas: The state has no physician-specific ban, and courts have historically enforced reasonably tailored restrictions.
17. Kentucky: The state has no comprehensive ban, so enforceability depends on the restriction’s duration, geography and scope.
18. Louisiana: Agreements generally must name the parishes or municipalities they cover. Under newer legislation, the right to enforce generally expires after three years of employment for certain primary care physicians and five years for other physicians.
19. Maine: A 2026 law generally bans noncompetes in newer agreements for covered practitioners who have no ownership interest in the employer.
20. Maryland: Noncompetes are generally banned for covered providers who give direct patient care and earn $350,000 or less. For higher earners, they are generally limited to one year and 10 miles.
21. Massachusetts: Physician noncompetes have been generally unenforceable for decades.
22. Michigan: Noncompetes are allowed if reasonable, and courts can narrow overly broad covenants.
23. Minnesota: Most employee noncompetes, including physicians’, are banned in agreements signed on or after July 1, 2023.
24. Mississippi: The state has no physician-specific statute, though courts may weigh the public interest, including access to care.
25. Missouri: Noncompetes are generally allowed. Healthcare noncompete legislation has been proposed but not enacted.
26. Montana: Starting in 2026, employers generally cannot stop physicians and other covered healthcare professionals from practicing after they leave under newer contracts.
27. Nebraska: Noncompetes are allowed, but they generally must be limited to protecting patient relationships the physician actually built.
28. Nevada: Noncompetes are generally allowed, with statutory protections for certain hourly workers and workers affected by reductions in force.
29. New Hampshire: Physician noncompetes are banned, and similar protections now cover certain other healthcare professionals.
30. New Jersey: Noncompetes are generally allowed, though courts weigh how they affect patients and the public.
31. New Mexico: Noncompetes for covered healthcare practitioners are generally banned, a protection that predates many newer state laws.
32. New York: Noncompetes are still allowed under a reasonableness standard after the governor vetoed a statewide ban the legislature passed in 2023.
33. North Carolina: Noncompetes are allowed if reasonable, and courts have limited power to rewrite overly broad restrictions.
34. North Dakota: Employee noncompetes, including physicians’, are broadly banned, for business sales and certain ownership transactions.
35. Ohio: Noncompetes are allowed if reasonable, and courts can modify covenants that go further than necessary.
36. Oklahoma: Traditional employee noncompetes are generally banned, but restrictions on directly soliciting established customers are allowed, which can affect outreach to former patients.
37. Oregon: A 2025 law generally voids noncompetes for covered physicians and certain other providers, with exception, some tied to ownership.
38. Pennsylvania: In agreements signed on or after Jan. 1, 2025, healthcare practitioner noncompetes are capped at one year and cannot be enforced if the employer dismisses the practitioner.
39. Rhode Island: Physician noncompetes are generally banned, with exceptions tied to buying or selling a practice.
40. South Carolina: Noncompetes are allowed if reasonable and narrowly drafted, and courts are reluctant to rewrite overly broad covenants.
41. South Dakota: Physician noncompetes are generally banned in agreements signed on or after July 1, 2023, though limited patient nonsolicitation clauses are still allowed.
42. Tennessee: Restrictions are capped at two years and must meet specific geographic limits. Contractual buyouts are permitted.
43. Texas: In agreements signed or renewed on or after Sept. 1, 2025, noncompetes are capped at one year and five miles, must include a buyout no higher than annual salary and wages, and cannot be enforced after involuntary termination without good cause.
44. Utah: A 2026 law generally bans traditional employment noncompetes in new agreements with covered healthcare workers.
45. Vermont: The state has no comprehensive ban, so enforceability depends on the agreement’s language and circumstances.
46. Virginia: Starting July 1, 2026, traditional noncompetes are generally banned in new agreements with covered licensed healthcare professionals.
47. Washington: Noncompetes are allowed today only under strict conditions, including compensation thresholds. On June 30, 2027, all noncompetes become void no matter when they were signed.
48. West Virginia: Restrictions are capped at one year and 30 road miles, and are generally unenforceable if the employer terminates the physician.
49. Wisconsin: Noncompetes are allowed, but courts generally cannot rewrite an unreasonable restriction to make it enforceable.
50. Wyoming: Since July 1, 2025, covenants restricting a physician’s right to practice after leaving employment are generally void.

Washington, D.C.: The district uses compensation thresholds, with a separate, higher threshold for qualifying medical specialists.

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