Work · Non-Compete Agreements
Are Non-Competes Enforceable in Pennsylvania?
Whether an employee non-compete holds up in Pennsylvania, any income threshold that voids one, the exceptions and carve-outs, and how the state compares after the 2024 to 2025 changes. Cited to the statute or the controlling law.
The rules and exceptions in Pennsylvania
What makes a non-compete enforceable here, when it is void, and the carve-outs for particular workers or agreements.
New 2025 law: Governor Shapiro signed HB 1633, effective January 1, 2025. It does not ban non-competes generally, only restricts health-care practitioner covenants (one-year cap, void if the practitioner was dismissed). Confirm the codified citation and the covered-practitioner list.
| The rule in this state | What it means |
|---|---|
| Common-law reasonableness (general workers) | Pennsylvania has no general non-compete statute. A covenant is enforceable if it is ancillary to employment, supported by consideration, and reasonable in duration and geography. |
| Consideration required | A non-compete signed after employment begins generally needs new consideration, not just continued employment. A signing bonus, raise, or promotion can supply it. |
| Health-care carve-out (2025) | The Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act, effective January 1, 2025, voids non-competes with covered practitioners that impede continued patient treatment. |
| Exceptions and carve-outs | What it means |
|---|---|
| Health-care practitioners: one-year cap | A health-care non-compete is allowed only if it is no more than one year and the practitioner was not dismissed by the employer. Longer or post-dismissal covenants are void. Covered practitioners include physicians, osteopaths, CRNAs, CRNPs, and physician assistants. |
| Sale of a business | A non-compete tied to the sale of a business remains enforceable under the ordinary rules. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if you signed or were asked to sign a non-compete in Pennsylvania. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- For most workers, judge the covenant’s reasonableness
A Pennsylvania non-compete is enforceable if it is ancillary to employment, backed by consideration, and reasonable in time and geography. An overbroad one is vulnerable.
- If you signed after starting, check for new consideration
A covenant signed after employment begins generally needs something new in return, like a bonus or promotion. Continued employment alone may not be enough.
- Health-care practitioners: know the one-year limit
If you are a covered health-care practitioner, a non-compete beyond one year is void, and any non-compete is void if the employer dismissed you. That 2025 rule sharply limits enforcement.
- Talk to a Pennsylvania employment lawyer before switching
Because ordinary covenants rest on common law and the health-care rule is new, a licensed Pennsylvania attorney can assess your covenant. The Bar can refer you to one.
Whether a non-compete can be enforced against you turns on its exact terms and your role. This resource can connect you with a licensed employment attorney who can review it.
→ Pennsylvania Bar Association — Find a LawyerThis is general legal information, not legal advice. A non-compete is different from an NDA or a non-solicitation clause, and enforceability turns on the specific facts, so confirm your situation with a licensed attorney.
What Pennsylvania workers get wrong about non-competes
Pennsylvania splits into two answers. For most workers there is no non-compete statute at all, so enforceability turns on common-law reasonableness: the covenant must be ancillary to employment, supported by consideration, and reasonable in duration and geography. A wrinkle catches people who signed after they started, because a covenant added mid-employment generally needs new consideration, like a bonus or promotion, not just keeping the job. The bigger 2025 development is for health-care workers. The Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act, effective January 1, 2025, voids a covered practitioner’s non-compete beyond one year and voids it entirely if the employer dismissed the practitioner. Covered practitioners include physicians, CRNAs, CRNPs, and physician assistants. So a doctor’s two-year non-compete is now unenforceable, while an ordinary worker’s reasonable covenant still holds. Which rule applies to you depends on your profession.
Common questions
Are non-compete agreements enforceable in Pennsylvania?
For most workers, yes, if reasonable. Pennsylvania has no general non-compete statute, so a covenant is enforceable if it is ancillary to employment, backed by consideration, and reasonable in time and geography.
Are non-competes banned for doctors in Pennsylvania?
Largely, since 2025. The Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act voids a covered practitioner’s non-compete beyond one year, and voids it entirely if the employer dismissed the practitioner.
Do I need something extra for a Pennsylvania non-compete to bind me?
If you signed after employment began, generally yes. A mid-employment covenant usually needs new consideration, such as a bonus, raise, or promotion, rather than just continued employment.
Which health-care workers does the 2025 ban cover?
It covers physicians, osteopaths, CRNAs, CRNPs, and physician assistants. For them a non-compete over one year, or any non-compete after a dismissal, is void.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.