Indiana physician non-compete law
Indiana sharply limits physician non-competes.
Indiana treats physician non-competes with heavy skepticism and narrows or sets aside restrictions that reach too far. Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 10–25 miles and 12–24 months; terms beyond that are the most vulnerable. Before you sign, pull the radius and term to the low end of what the state lets stand, and make sure the clause covers only the sites where you actually worked.
- Posture
- Limited - bans for primary care & hospital-employed physicians; others enforceable with statutory buyout/notice
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- 10–25 miles
- Term that tends to stand
- 12–24 months
Governing law: Ind. Code ch. 25-22.5-5.5 (esp. §§ 25-22.5-5.5-1, -2; as amended by SEA 7 (2023) and SEA 475 (2025))
These are the general rules for Indiana. 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
Central Indiana Podiatry, P.C. v. Krueger (2008, Ind. (Supreme Court of Indiana), 882 N.E.2d 723) — Physician non-competes are not void per se, but geographic scope must be limited to the area where the physician actually had patient contact; court blue-penciled the 43-county restriction down to the 3 counties (Marion, Tippecanoe, Howard) where the podiatrist actually practiced.
The detailed picture
Layered statute: (1) 2020 baseline (IC 25-22.5-5.5-2) requires every physician non-compete to include patient-notice/records-access provisions and a good-faith buyout option to be enforceable; (2) SEA 7 (eff. 7/1/2023) flatly VOIDS non-competes with primary care physicians (family medicine, general pediatrics, internal medicine) and makes any physician non-compete unenforceable on employer termination without cause, physician resignation for cause, or contract expiration, plus mandates good-faith buyout pricing with elective mediation; (3) SEA 475 (eff. 7/1/2025) VOIDS non-competes (for new agreements entered on/after 7/1/2025) between physicians and a hospital, hospital parent, affiliated manager, or hospital system - pre-7/1/2025 agreements stay valid even if renewed/amended; carve-outs for >50%-owner sale-of-business and 1-yr employee non-solicits. Residual enforceable zone: specialist physicians at non-hospital employers (e.g., private groups) who leave voluntarily without cause - enforceable only if statutory requirements met. No statutory mileage or duration cap; courts limit geography to the area of actual patient contact (Krueger). Indiana uses a strict blue-pencil (strike-only, no rewrite) approach (Heraeus).
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Indiana?
Indiana sharply limits physician non-competes. Governing law: Ind. Code ch. 25-22.5-5.5 (esp. §§ 25-22.5-5.5-1, -2; as amended by SEA 7 (2023) and SEA 475 (2025)).
How far and how long can a Indiana physician non-compete reach?
Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 10–25 miles and 12–24 months; terms beyond that are the most vulnerable. The radius and term in your specific contract decide how it lands — check your own clause.
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.