The enforceability of non-compete agreements is constantly evolving. California, Minnesota, North Dakota and Oklahoma void ordinary employee noncompetes. Wyoming bars new ones, with exceptions for executives and sales of a business.
Washington is next. On June 30, 2027, virtually every noncompete there becomes void, no matter when it was signed, and that includes contractors.
Elsewhere, noncompetes survive with conditions: income thresholds, statutory duration caps (12 months in Massachusetts, two years in Louisiana), and a reasonableness test on scope and territory.
California employers, note that our ban follows the employee. An out-of-state noncompete doesn’t survive the move here.