Rhode Island physician non-compete law
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Rhode Island.
If your contract is governed by Rhode Island 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 for physicians (employment); 5-yr sale-of-practice carve-out
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
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- Term that tends to stand
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Governing law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-37-33
These are the general rules for Rhode Island. Your contract's exact radius, term, and buyout decide how it actually lands. See how your own clause compares — free.
Check your contract — free →The detailed picture
R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-37-33 (eff. July 12, 2016) renders void and unenforceable any restriction on a licensed physician's right to practice medicine in an employment, partnership, or other professional-relationship contract — including geographic/temporal practice limits, restrictions on treating current patients, and patient non-solicitation. The only exception is a restrictive covenant tied to the purchase and sale of a physician practice, capped at five (5) years. The ban was extended to APRNs in 2024 (§ 5-34-50, eff. June 17, 2024); a broader all-sector ban (SB 2436) was vetoed by Gov. McKee June 26, 2024 (no override), so general RI non-competes remain enforceable subject only to the wage-threshold law (§§ 28-59-1 to 3). 2025-2026 bills do not alter the physician rule.
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Rhode Island?
Physician non-competes are generally not enforceable in Rhode Island. Governing law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-37-33.
My Rhode Island contract still has a non-compete — does that matter?
A clause can appear in a contract without being enforceable. Under Rhode Island 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.