Michigan physician non-compete law
Michigan enforces reasonable physician non-competes.
Michigan 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 5–15 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 if reasonable (general common law)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- 5–15 miles
- Term that tends to stand
- 12–24 months
Governing law: MCL 445.774a
These are the general rules for Michigan. 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
St. Clair Medical, P.C. v. Borgiel (2006, Mich. Ct. App. (270 Mich. App. 260)) — Affirmed enforcement of a physician covenant barring medical practice within 7 miles for 1 year; protecting patient retention/goodwill is a reasonable competitive business interest.
The detailed picture
Michigan enforces physician non-competes under the general reasonableness statute MCL 445.774a (part of the Antitrust Reform Act, last amended 1987); there is NO physician/healthcare-specific statute, no statutory duration or radius cap, no mandatory buyout, and no continuity-of-care/patient-notice requirement. A covenant must protect a reasonable competitive business interest and be reasonable in duration, geography, and scope; courts may blue-pencil an overbroad term to make it reasonable. Note: MCL 445.774a governs employer/employee covenants; independent-contractor or business-sale covenants are analyzed under the common-law rule of reason instead. Reform bill HB4040 (2025-2026) would broadly void nearly all worker non-competes but remains pending (referred to second reading; not passed by House or Senate) and is NOT enacted, so the law is unchanged; the FTC national ban was vacated, the appeal abandoned in Sept 2025, and the rule formally removed from the CFR in Feb 2026.
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Michigan?
Michigan enforces reasonable physician non-competes. Governing law: MCL 445.774a.
How far and how long can a Michigan physician non-compete reach?
Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 5–15 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.