Non-compete map · Texas
Dentist non-compete rules in Texas
Example: a 10-mile non-compete around Houston
541 practices inside this circle, 613 more within 10 miles of it.
- 541 inside the circle
- 613 within 10 more miles
- Click a dot to see the practice.
Texas changed its rule on September 1, 2025. Which rule applies depends on when your agreement was signed.
Signed before September 1, 2025
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 all employees · Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §15.50
Signed on or after September 1, 2025
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.
Names dentists · Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §15.501, added by S.B. 1318 (2025)
Last reviewed September 12, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Have a licensed attorney in Texas review your agreement before you rely on it.
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.