Massachusetts physician non-compete law
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Massachusetts.
If your contract is governed by Massachusetts 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 (physician non-competes void by statute)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- —
- Term that tends to stand
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Governing law: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 112, § 12X
These are the general rules for Massachusetts. 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
Falmouth Ob-Gyn Associates, Inc. v. Abisla (1994, Mass. Supreme Judicial Court) — SJC held a $250,000 'compensation for competition' liquidated-damages clause (2-year, 25-mile restriction) in a physician's employment contract void under § 12X, reading 'any restriction' broadly to cover any term with a significant inhibitory effect on practice.
The detailed picture
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 112, § 12X (enacted St. 1977, c. 762; unchanged through 2026) makes void and unenforceable any provision in a physician's partnership, employment, or other professional-relationship agreement that restricts the physician's right to practice medicine in any geographic area for any period after termination; the rest of the contract survives. The SJC reads "any restriction" broadly to reach any term with a significant "inhibitory effect" on practice (including liquidated-damages "compensation for competition" clauses), grounded in the public policy that patients may consult the physician of their choice. Note: the separate Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (M.G.L. c. 149, § 24L, 2018) governs general employees and caps duration at 12 months but does not revive physician non-competes, which remain barred by § 12X. (Cf. c. 112 § 74D, which similarly bars nurse non-competes.)
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Massachusetts?
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Massachusetts. Governing law: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 112, § 12X.
My Massachusetts contract still has a non-compete — does that matter?
A clause can appear in a contract without being enforceable. Under Massachusetts 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.