Arkansas physician non-compete law
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Arkansas.
If your contract is governed by Arkansas law, a physician non-compete is generally void — the state does not let an employer restrict where you practice after you leave. The clause may still appear in your contract; that alone does not make it enforceable. Confirm the restriction is tied to employment (not the sale of a practice or an ownership stake), and don't let an unenforceable clause talk you out of a move it cannot actually block.
- Posture
- Banned for physicians (2025 statute)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- —
- Term that tends to stand
- —
Governing law: Ark. Code Ann. § 4-75-101(k) (added by Act 232 of 2025 / SB 139)
These are the general rules for Arkansas. Your contract's exact radius, term, and buyout decide how it actually lands. See how your own clause compares — free.
Check your contract — free →A case that shaped this
Duffner v. Alberty (1986, Ark. Ct. App.) — Pre-statute: Court of Appeals REVERSED the chancellor and refused to enforce a 30-mile/12-month orthopedic-surgeon covenant — appellees' goodwill stayed with them and there was no protectable interest beyond ordinary competition, and the court invoked the public's right of access to the physician of its choice. (Researcher had this as an employer win; corrected — the physician prevailed.)
The detailed picture
Act 232 of 2025 (SB 139, signed Mar. 4, 2025; effective Aug. 5, 2025) added subsection (k) to Ark. Code Ann. § 4-75-101, making void any covenant not to compete that \"restricts the right of a physician to practice within the physician's scope of practice.\" \"Physician\" is limited to MDs/DOs licensed under the Arkansas Medical Practices Act / osteopathy statute — it does NOT cover APPs (NPs/PAs/APRNs). Non-solicitation, confidentiality/trade-secret, and the general terms of an employment agreement remain enforceable, and the ban does not reach business-sale or franchise covenants. Retroactivity is unsettled (no express retroactive language; Arkansas presumes prospective operation), so pre-Aug-2025 agreements may still be litigated; pre-statute case law (Duffner, Jaraki) already voided overbroad physician covenants on public-policy grounds, which the legislature framed the act as clarifying.
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Arkansas?
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Arkansas. Governing law: Ark. Code Ann. § 4-75-101(k) (added by Act 232 of 2025 / SB 139).
My Arkansas contract still has a non-compete — does that matter?
A clause can appear in a contract without being enforceable. Under Arkansas law a physician employment non-compete is generally void, so confirm the restriction is not tied to a practice sale or ownership interest, and check your own contract's exact wording.
Other states
General legal information, not legal advice. Non-compete enforceability turns on the exact wording of your contract and your circumstances; this page describes the state's general posture as last reviewed 2026-06-10.