Colorado physician non-compete law
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Colorado.
If your contract is governed by Colorado 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 (void by statute)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- —
- Term that tends to stand
- —
Governing law: C.R.S. § 8-2-113 (physician carve-out eliminated by SB 25-083, eff. Aug. 6, 2025; formerly the physician provision at § 8-2-113(3))
These are the general rules for Colorado. 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
Crocker v. Greater Colorado Anesthesia, P.C., 2018 COA 33 (2018, Colo. Court of Appeals) — Held a physician liquidated-damages/non-compete clause unenforceable under former § 8-2-113(3) because damages must be reasonably related to the injury actually suffered upon termination, not estimated prospectively; the employer proved no actual damages (decided Mar. 8, 2018, 4th Div.).
The detailed picture
Covenants restricting a physician's practice of medicine are void under C.R.S. § 8-2-113. Even before 2025, Colorado barred prohibiting a physician from practicing medicine post-departure; the former physician carve-out merely permitted a provision for "damages reasonably related to the injury suffered" (no actual practice restriction). SB 25-083 (eff. Aug. 6, 2025) eliminated that carve-out entirely: covenants (including customer/patient non-solicits) restraining the practice of medicine, advanced practice registered nursing, certified midwifery, or dentistry are void regardless of income/highly-compensated thresholds or any trade-secret rationale; it deleted the prior damages provision and bars restricting a provider's right to notify patients of their new location/contact info and patients' right to choose their provider. Changes apply only to agreements entered or renewed on or after Aug. 6, 2025 (not retroactive) — pre-existing agreements are governed by prior law, under which an actual practice restriction was already void but a reasonable-damages provision could survive.
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Colorado?
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Colorado. Governing law: C.R.S. § 8-2-113 (physician carve-out eliminated by SB 25-083, eff. Aug. 6, 2025; formerly the physician provision at § 8-2-113(3)).
My Colorado contract still has a non-compete — does that matter?
A clause can appear in a contract without being enforceable. Under Colorado 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.