Iowa physician non-compete law
Iowa enforces reasonable physician non-competes.
Iowa treats a reasonable physician non-compete as binding, so assume yours will apply and negotiate the scope down before you sign. Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 25–35 miles and 12–24 months; terms beyond that are the most vulnerable. Narrow the radius to the specific sites where you practiced, shorten the term, and ask for a defined buyout as a release valve.
- Posture
- Enforceable — common-law reasonableness
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- 25–35 miles
- Term that tends to stand
- 12–24 months
Governing law: No general non-compete statute (common law). Carve-outs: Iowa Code §147.161 (voids non-competes for "mental health professionals" as defined in §228.1 — which includes psychiatrists and MDs/DOs practicing as mental-health professionals); HF2254 / 2026 Acts (bans non-competes for University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics employees only)
These are the general rules for Iowa. 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
Lamp v. American Prosthetics, Inc. (1986, Iowa Supreme Court, 379 N.W.2d 909) — Established Iowa's controlling three-prong reasonableness test for restrictive covenants; declined to enforce an overbroad 100-mile covenant.
The detailed picture
Iowa has no general non-compete statute; physician covenants are enforced under common-law reasonableness — the three-prong test from Lamp v. American Prosthetics (employer's legitimate interest; not unduly oppressive to the physician; not contrary to public interest), with blue-pencil/partial-enforcement reformation. Two statutory carve-outs exist. (1) Iowa Code §147.161 (eff. 6/1/2023, amended 2024) voids non-competes for "mental health professionals," defined by cross-reference to §228.1 — that definition expressly includes a psychiatrist and a "physician and surgeon or an osteopathic physician and surgeon," so the ban DOES reach MDs/DOs practicing as mental-health professionals (e.g., psychiatry), though not physicians generally. (2) HF2254 (signed 6/2/2026) bars non-competes only for University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics employees. For private-employer physicians outside the mental-health field, courts routinely uphold reasonable terms (1-2 yrs, ~25-35 mi) — e.g., Cedar Valley v. Wright upheld 35 mi/2 yrs — while striking or reforming overbroad ones; blanket 50-mi "all-medicine" bans (Warren) have been rejected.
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Iowa?
Iowa enforces reasonable physician non-competes. Governing law: No general non-compete statute (common law). Carve-outs: Iowa Code §147.161 (voids non-competes for "mental health professionals" as defined in §228.1 — which includes psychiatrists and MDs/DOs practicing as mental-health professionals); HF2254 / 2026 Acts (bans non-competes for University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics employees only).
How far and how long can a Iowa physician non-compete reach?
Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 25–35 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.