竞业限制协议：全国范围内限制竞业限制协议的法律现状（一）（2026年3月更新）

1、全面限制 

最简单的竞业限制类型是全面限制。目前已有六个州（加利福尼亚州、明尼苏达州、蒙大拿州、北达科他州、俄克拉荷马州、怀俄明州）实施了全面限制，还有几个州的立法机构正在考虑实施这一禁令。

2、加利福尼亚州 

加利福尼亚州实际上已限制竞业限制条款超过150年，其竞业限制条款的范围最为广泛。该州法律广泛限制限制加州员工从事任何合法职业、贸易或业务的协议，但有非常有限的例外情况，主要是在企业出售的背景下（《加利福尼亚州商业与职业法典》第16600至16602.5条，最新修正案于2024年1月1日生效）。即使符合上述有限的例外情况之一，限制性协议的范围在地理范围和期限上也必须是合理的。

自2024年1月1日起，加利福尼亚州的修正案生效，规定“根据本章规定无效的任何合同，无论合同在何时何地签署，均不可执行。” 《加利福尼亚州商业与职业法典》第16600.5条。更具体地说，2024年的修正案规定，雇主或前雇主不得试图执行此类无效合同，“无论合同是否在加利福尼亚州以外签署，也无论雇佣关系是否在加利福尼亚州以外维持。” 因此，新法律使竞业限制协议或其他限制性契约无效，从而无法执行这些协议——即使员工是在加利福尼亚州以外、竞争限制合法的州签署这些协议。

2024年的修正案很可能是在回应加利福尼亚州雇主试图继续强迫员工签署无法执行的竞业限制协议的企图而通过的，该修正案还规定，雇主若签订无效的竞业限制协议或试图执行此类无效协议，“即构成民事违法行为”。最后，该修正案规定，员工、前员工或潜在员工可提起私人民事诉讼，寻求禁令救济或实际损害赔偿，并有权获得律师费和诉讼费用的赔偿。换言之，新法律具有强制力：如果雇主试图执行无效的竞业限制协议，员工可以起诉雇主要求赔偿损失。

新规定生效后不久，一名员工起诉其雇主执行竞业限制条款，而雇主则通过质疑新法律的合宪性来抗辩。该员工试图适用加利福尼亚州法律，根据该法律，即使竞业限制条款是在另一个州签署的，也应判定其不可执行；而雇主则试图适用马萨诸塞州法律。雇主获胜：DraftKings Inc.诉Hermalyn案，118 F.4th 416（第一巡回法院，2024年9月26日）。2024年加利福尼亚州竞业限制禁令修正案在多大程度上可广泛适用于在其他司法管辖区签署的竞业限制条款，仍有待观察。

自上次发帖以来的更新：自2025年7月起，加利福尼亚州已通过《加利福尼亚健康与安全法》第1190条及以下条款的修正案（自2026年1月1日起生效），该修正案明确规定，在私人股本集团或对冲基金收购医生或牙科诊所后，相关管理层的竞业限制条款无效。

3、明尼苏达州 

明尼苏达州法律完全限制竞业限制。（《明尼苏达州法典》第181.988条，自2023年7月1日起生效）。该法明确规定，“雇员”包括“独立承包商”，但竞业限制并不限制非招揽协议、保密协议或旨在保护商业秘密或机密信息的协议。事实上，许多限制或限制竞业限制的州法律都明确指出，竞业限制/限制并非旨在限制或限制非招揽协议或其他特定类型的限制性契约。[自2025年7月上一篇博客以来无更新。]

工资门槛 限制竞业限制的最常见法律之一是设定工资门槛，低于该门槛的员工不受竞业限制条款的保护。有十二个州（科罗拉多州、哥伦比亚特区、伊利诺伊州、缅因州、马里兰州、马萨诸塞州、内华达州、新罕布什尔州、俄勒冈州、罗德岛州、弗吉尼亚州和华盛顿州）实施了某种形式的工资门槛竞业限制禁令。

设定工资门槛 许多实行工资门槛竞业限制禁令的州都设定了一个明确的工资门槛，超过该门槛则允许竞业限制，但会受到合理时间、地理区域和范围等限制，这些限制有时由法规规定，有时由判例法规定。大多数实行工资门槛禁令的州会每年根据通货膨胀或其他指标提高这一设定门槛；少数州会定期提高设定门槛。

4、俄勒冈州 

例如，俄勒冈州的工资门槛法（RCW §§ 49.62.005 – .900）于2020年1月1日生效，该法限制对年收入低于10万美元的员工施加竞业限制条款。此外，俄勒冈州的法律还限制对独立承包商施加竞业限制条款，除非他们从寻求执行的一方获得的年收入超过25万美元。该法不具有追溯性，并规定这些年收入数字每年会根据通货膨胀进行调整。2025年的工资门槛约为116,427美元。

自上次发帖以来的更新：自2025年7月起，俄勒冈州颁布了一项新法律（自2025年6月9日起生效），该法律宣布，除非满足某些所有权条件，否则医疗执照持有者之间的竞业限制协议无效，并在有限条件下允许最长三年的竞业限制期。参见《俄勒冈州修订法》第58.375至58.376条。

5、伊利诺伊州 

同时，伊利诺伊州的工资门槛法（820 ILCS §§ 90/1及以下各条）于2022年1月1日生效，限制对年收入低于75,000美元的员工施加竞业限制条款，且该门槛会定期提高（“自2027年1月1日起，该金额将提高至每年80,000美元；自2032年1月1日起，提高至每年85,000美元；自2037年1月1日起，提高至每年90,000美元。”）。

自上次发帖以来的最新进展：自2025年7月以来，伊利诺伊州立法机构继续审议在2025年立法会议上提出的两项法案，即H.B. 1642（该法案将把收入门槛提高至30万美元）和H.B. 2561（该法案规定，如果竞业限制可能会减少生殖保健或孕产妇护理服务的可用性，则限制对生殖保健或孕产妇护理专业人员实施竞业限制）。

平均收入工资门槛 另一种竞业限制工资门槛的做法是将门槛与国家、州或县的平均工资，或联邦法律中的其他指标挂钩。这种方法的好处在于，工资门槛将随着联邦、州或地方工资的上涨而提高；缺点在于，州或全国最低工资以及其他法定工资门槛通常不会以与通货膨胀相同的速度上涨，因此随着时间的推移，禁令能切实保护的工人数量将越来越少。

Total Bans

The simplest type of noncompete restriction is a total ban.  Six states so far have instituted total bans (CA, MN, MT, ND, OK, WY), and several legislatures are considering them.

State Spotlight: California

California, which has effectively banned noncompetes for over 150 years, has the broadest noncompete ban.  Its statute broadly prohibits agreements that restrain California employees from engaging in any lawful profession, trade, or business, subject to very limited exceptions, mostly in the context of the sale of a business (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600 – 16602.5, latest amendments effective January 1, 2024).  Even if one of the narrow exceptions applies, the scope of the restrictive agreement must be reasonable both in geographic scope and duration.

As of January 1, 2024, California’s amendments went into effect, providing that “any contract that is void under this chapter is unenforceable regardless of where and when the contract was signed.”  Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600.5.  More specifically, the 2024 amendment states that the employer or former employer may not attempt to enforce such void contracts “regardless of whether the contract was signed and the employment was maintained outside of California.”  The new law thereby invalidates noncompetition agreements or other restrictive covenants to enforce the agreements – even when employees entered into the agreements outside California in a state where the competition restrictions are lawful.

Likely passed in response to California employers’ attempts to continue to force employees to sign unenforceable noncompetes, the 2024 amendment also states that an employer that either enters into a contract with a void noncompete agreement or attempts to enforce such a void agreement, “commits a civil violation.”  Finally, it provides that employees, former employees, or prospective employees may bring private, civil actions for injunctive relief or actual damages, and be entitled to recover attorney fees and costs.  In other words, the new law has teeth: employees can sue their employers for damages if the employer tries to enforce a void noncompete.

Shortly after the new provisions took effect, an employee sued his employer for enforcing a noncompete provision, and the employer has defended against his suit by challenging the constitutionality of the new law. The employee sought to apply California law, which would have concluded that the noncompete was unenforceable even though it was signed in another state; and the employer sought to apply Massachusetts law.  The employer won: DraftKings Inc. v. Hermalyn, 118 F.4th 416 (1st Cir. Sept. 26, 2024).  The extent to which the 2024 amendments to the California noncompete ban will be widely enforceable against noncompetes signed in other jurisdictions remains to be seen.

Update since last post: since July 2025, California has passed an amendment to the California Health & Safety Code §§ 1190 et seq. (effective January 1, 2026), which explicitly voids noncompetes for management of physician or dental practices after being acquired by private equity groups or hedge funds.

State Spotlight: Minnesota

Minnesota law completely bans noncompetes.  (Minn. Stat. § 181.988, effective July 1, 2023).  The statute clarifies that “employee” includes “independent contractors,” but the noncompete ban does not restrict non-solicitation agreements, nondisclosure agreements, or agreements designed to protect trade secrets or confidential information.  Indeed, many state statutes banning or restricting noncompetes clarify that the noncompete ban/restrictions are not intended to ban or restrict non-solicitation agreements or other, specified, types of restrictive covenants.  [No updates since last blog post in July 2025.]

Wage Thresholds

One of the most common types of laws restricting noncompetes is one that imposes wage thresholds below which employees are protected from noncompetes.  Twelve states (CO; D.C.; IL; ME; MD; MA; NV; NH; OR; RI; VA; and WA) have some sort of wage threshold noncompete ban.

Defined Wage Threshold

Many states with wage threshold noncompete bans implement a defined wage threshold beyond which noncompetes are permitted, with restrictions such as reasonable time, geographic area, and scope, sometimes set by statute and sometimes set by caselaw.  Most states with wage threshold bans increase this defined threshold annually linked to inflation or other metrics; few states increase the defined threshold periodically.

State Spotlight: Oregon

For example, Oregon’s wage threshold law (RCW §§ 49.62.005 – .900), which went into effect on January 1, 2020, bans noncompetes for employees making less than $100,000 annually.  Further, Oregon’s law bans noncompetes for independent contractors unless their earnings from the party seeking enforcement exceed $250,000 annually.  The law, which is not retroactive, provides that these annual income figures are adjusted annually for inflation.  The wage threshold in 2025 is approximately $116,427.

Update since last post: since July 2025, Oregon enacted a new law (effective June 9, 2025) that voids noncompete agreements between medical licensees unless certain ownership conditions are met, and permits noncompetes for up to three years under limited conditions.  See Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 58.375 – .376 .

State Spotlight: Illinois

Meanwhile, Illinois’ wage threshold law (820 ILCS §§ 90/1 et seq.) went into effect on January 1, 2022 and bans noncompetes for workers who make less than $75,000 annually, with the threshold increasing at regular intervals (“This amount shall increase to $80,000 per year beginning on January 1, 2027, $85,000 per year beginning on January 1, 2032, and $90,000 per year beginning on January 1, 2037.”).

Update since last post: since July 2025, the Illinois legislature continues to consider two bills introduced in the 2025 legislative session, H.B. 1642 (which would raise the income threshold to $300,000), and H.B. 2561 (which would ban noncompetes for reproductive healthcare or maternity care professionals if it would be likely to reduce the availability of reproductive healthcare or maternity care).

Average Earnings Wage Threshold

Another approach to a wage threshold noncompete is to tie the threshold to average wages in the nation, state, or county, or some other metric in federal law.  The benefit of this method is that the wage threshold will increase along with federal, state, or local wages; the weakness is that state or nationwide minimum wages, and other statutorily-defined wage thresholds, are not typically increased at the same pace as inflation, and so the ban will meaningfully protect fewer and fewer workers over time.

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