Tennessee physician non-compete law
Tennessee sharply limits physician non-competes.
Tennessee 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 10 miles and 24 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
- Enforceable, healthcare-specific statutory caps
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-10
- Radius that tends to stand
- 10 miles
- Term that tends to stand
- 24 months
Governing law: Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-1-148
These are the general rules for Tennessee. 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
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, P.A. v. Udom (2005, Tenn. Supreme Court) — Held physician covenants not to compete unenforceable and void as against public policy except as specifically prescribed by statute — directly prompting the 2007 enactment of § 63-1-148 that now authorizes them within limits.
The detailed picture
Physician/healthcare-provider non-competes are enforceable ONLY within Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-1-148 (enacted 2007 to reverse Murfreesboro Medical Clinic v. Udom): they must be (1) in writing/signed; (2) limited to a duration of two (2) years or less after termination; and (3) geographically limited to the greater of the practice county or a 10-mile radius from the primary practice site — or, if no radius, bar practice only at facilities where the employer provided services. Physicians specializing in emergency medicine and agreements entered in conjunction with the sale of a practice are exempt from the statute. CORRECTION to prior research: the current statute caps the restriction at a flat "two (2) years or less"; there is NO statutory "extendable up to 5 years" provision (the 2011 Public Chapter 218 change removed an unrelated length-of-employment threshold, not the 2-year cap). 2026 reform HB 1034 / SB 995 (signed May 7, 2026, eff. July 1, 2026) was originally aimed at healthcare providers but was stripped of its healthcare provisions during the legislative process; it enacted a general-employment regime ($70k compensation floor + rebuttable reasonableness presumptions) and does NOT substantively amend § 63-1-148, so the physician-specific regime is unchanged.
Common questions
Are physician non-competes enforceable in Tennessee?
Tennessee sharply limits physician non-competes. Governing law: Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-1-148.
How far and how long can a Tennessee physician non-compete reach?
Restrictions that tend to stand here run about 10 miles and 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.