Maryland physician non-compete law
Maryland sharply limits physician non-competes.
Maryland 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 0–10 miles and 0–12 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 by statute (void at/below $350K; 1-yr/10-mi cap + patient notice above)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- 0–10 miles
- Term that tends to stand
- 0–12 months
Governing law: Md. Code, Labor & Employment § 3-716
These are the general rules for Maryland. 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
Holloway v. Faw, Casson & Co. (1990, Md. Court of Appeals (319 Md. 324, 572 A.2d 510)) — Pre-statute case affirming that an overbroad covenant could be judicially narrowed (5-year reduced to 3-year), establishing Maryland's reasonableness/judicial-modification framework still relevant to the over-$350K tier. Confirmed real and accurately described.
The detailed picture
Effective July 1, 2025 (2024 HB 1388), Md. Lab. & Empl. § 3-716 makes physician/healthcare non-competes NULL AND VOID for anyone required to be licensed under the Health Occupations Article who provides direct patient care and earns $350,000 or less in total annual compensation. For those earning MORE than $350,000, a non-compete is permitted only if it does not exceed 1 year from the last day of employment and a 10-mile radius from the primary place of employment; on a patient's request, the employer must disclose the former employee's new practice location (continuity-of-care/notice rule). The healthcare provisions apply only to employment contracts executed on or after the effective date (prospective only; pre-existing agreements are not voided). (A separate, earlier-effective prong of the same statute fully bans non-competes for licensed veterinary practitioners/technicians, but that does not affect physicians.)
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Maryland?
Maryland sharply limits physician non-competes. Governing law: Md. Code, Labor & Employment § 3-716.
How far and how long can a Maryland physician non-compete reach?
Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 0–10 miles and 0–12 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.