Non-compete map · Texas
Dentist non-compete rules in Texas
This state's rule changed for agreements entered into on or after 2025-09-01. Enter the date the agreement was entered into, or the date you expect to sign, to see the rule for it.
Entered into before 2025-09-01 · Enforced if reasonable
For an agreement entered into or last renewed before 1 September 2025, the dentist cap does not apply; Texas judges the clause on general reasonableness and the older healthcare provisions named physicians, not dentists.
General rule for employees; no dentist-specific statute · Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §15.50
Entered into on or after 2025-09-01 · Enforced with statutory limits
Texas created a dentist-specific cap for agreements entered or renewed on or after 1 September 2025: at most one year, at most five miles from the primary practice location, and a buyout capped at the dentist's total annual salary and wages at termination. Older agreements follow the general reasonableness rule. What counts as a renewal is the open question; confirm it with Texas counsel.
This rule names dentists · Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §15.501, added by S.B. 1318 (2025)
This rule names dentists · verified 2026-09-12
Each entry was checked against the statute or the leading case and law-firm summaries on the review date shown, and carries its citation. An entry retires 180 days after review, or on the day a change it names takes effect, and the page then says so and asks not to be indexed.
General information only, not legal advice. Non-compete law changes frequently, healthcare-specific rules apply in several states, and non-solicitation, tail-coverage and repayment terms are separate obligations. Have a licensed attorney in your state review your agreement before you rely on any of this.
To see what a radius covers around a practice in Texas, and the rule for your own agreement date, draw it on the non-compete map.
Practice owners comparing a template: the employer contract benchmark.