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Kansas physician non-compete law

Kansas enforces reasonable physician non-competes.

Kansas 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 30–50 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
30–50 miles
Term that tends to stand
12–24 months

Governing law: None controlling (common law). K.S.A. 50-163 (Restraint of Trade Act, am. by 2025 SB 241) governs non-solicitation only and expressly excludes non-competes at K.S.A. 50-163(d)(6).

These are the general rules for Kansas. Your contract's exact radius, term, and buyout decide how it actually lands. See how your own clause compares — free.

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A case that shaped this

Weber v. Tillman (1996, Kan. (Kansas Supreme Court), 259 Kan. 457, 913 P.2d 84) Upheld a dermatologist's 2-year, 30-mile non-compete as reasonable and not against public policy; established the four-factor enforceability framework. The restraining party (former employer-physician Dr. Weber) prevailed against the departing physician.

The detailed picture

Physician non-competes are enforceable under common-law reasonableness via a four-factor test (legitimate interest, undue burden on employee, public-welfare injury, reasonableness of time/territory); there is no physician-specific statute in force as of June 2026. The 2025 SB 241 amendment to K.S.A. 50-163 (signed Apr. 9, 2025, eff. July 1, 2025) covers only employee/customer non-solicitation (2-year safe harbor, 4-year for owners) and expressly excludes non-competition covenants at K.S.A. 50-163(d)(6), but does mandate judicial reformation of overbroad restrictive covenants. WATCH: SB 504 (introduced Feb 2026, Healthcare Professional Employment Mobility and Patient Access Act) would have banned physician/mid-level non-competes — allowing only a 24-month restriction within 15 miles, applicable only on voluntary termination, with a mandatory recruiting/relocation-cost buyout, effective July 1, 2026 — but it DIED in the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs and never advanced; it is not law. If a similar bill is reintroduced and enacted, Kansas would flip to "limited"/"banned."

Common questions

Are physician non-competes enforceable in Kansas?

Kansas enforces reasonable physician non-competes. Governing law: None controlling (common law). K.S.A. 50-163 (Restraint of Trade Act, am. by 2025 SB 241) governs non-solicitation only and expressly excludes non-competes at K.S.A. 50-163(d)(6)..

How far and how long can a Kansas physician non-compete reach?

Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 30–50 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.