Veterinary Non-Competes in New Mexico
New Mexico has no general non-compete statute for veterinarians.
Its Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act, NMSA 1978 §§ 24-1I-1 and 24-1I-2, voids non-compete provisions for a ten-profession list — dentist, osteopathic physician, physician, podiatrist, certified nurse practitioner, pharmacist and others — that does not include veterinarians, and the section carries no wage threshold or duration cap.
Absent a governing statute, a veterinarian's covenant is presumed to fall under common-law reasonableness, though the sources read do not identify a leading New Mexico case, and the provision's own enactment date is not confirmed in the sources read.
Mechanics, not a verdict on your contract
At a glance
Permitted — judged on reasonableness
Court decisions (no governing statute) — No general non-compete statute governs New Mexico veterinarians; presumed common-law reasonableness, with no leading New Mexico case identified in the sources read. New Mexico's Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act, NMSA 1978 §§ 24-1I-1 and 24-1I-2 (recompiled as §§ 24A-4-1 and 24A-4-2 by Laws 2024, ch. 39, effective July 1, 2024), voids non-compete provisions for a ten-profession list that does not include veterinarians..
Healthcare statute reaches veterinarians: No — the healthcare statute's own definitions leave veterinarians out.
New Mexico has no general non-compete statute for veterinarians; the presumed general rule is common-law reasonableness, though the sources read for this page do not identify a leading New Mexico case. NMSA 1978 § 24-1I-2(A) (Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act, recompiled as § 24A-4-2 by Laws 2024, ch. 39, effective July 1, 2024) voids non-compete provisions restricting a "health care practitioner" from providing clinical health care services, but that term names only a ten-profession list that does not include veterinarians.
No. NMSA 1978 § 24-1I-1 (recompiled as § 24A-4-1 by Laws 2024, ch. 39, effective July 1, 2024) defines "health care practitioner" as ten specific license types — dentist, osteopathic physician, physician, podiatrist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, psychologist, physician assistant, and pharmacist. Veterinarians are absent from the list, so § 24-1I-2's voiding rule does not reach them.
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What New Mexico’s text actually says
“A non-compete provision in an agreement, which provision restricts the right of a health care practitioner to provide clinical health care services in this state, shall be unenforceable upon the termination of”
The rule that governs a New Mexico veterinarian's non-compete
New Mexico has not enacted a general non-compete statute that reaches veterinarians.
The non-compete statute the research read, the Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act at NMSA 1978 §§ 24-1I-1 and 24-1I-2 (recompiled as §§ 24A-4-1 and 24A-4-2 by Laws 2024, ch. 39, effective July 1, 2024), voids non-compete provisions only for the ten license types § 24-1I-1 names — dentist, osteopathic physician, physician, podiatrist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, psychologist, physician assistant, and pharmacist — a list that does not include veterinarians.
Absent a governing statute, a veterinarian's covenant in New Mexico is presumed to fall under the state's common-law reasonableness tradition.
The sources read for this page do not identify a leading New Mexico case that sets out the specific factors a court would weigh for a veterinarian's covenant.
For an associate reading an offer or a relief veterinarian comparing agreements, that means there is no fixed statutory duration, mileage radius, or wage threshold to check a covenant against in New Mexico.
“A non-compete provision in an agreement, which provision restricts the right of a health care practitioner to provide clinical health care services in this state, shall be unenforceable upon the termination of”
Why New Mexico's health care practitioner non-compete ban does not cover veterinarians
NMSA 1978 § 24-1I-1 (recompiled as § 24A-4-1 by Laws 2024, ch. 39, effective July 1, 2024) defines "health care practitioner" as ten specific license types: dentist, osteopathic physician, physician, podiatrist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, psychologist, physician assistant, and pharmacist.
Section 24-1I-2(A) (recompiled as § 24A-4-2) then voids a non-compete provision that restricts one of those practitioners' right to provide clinical health care services in New Mexico, upon termination of the agreement or the practitioner's employment.
Veterinarians are absent from the ten-profession list, so § 24-1I-2's voiding rule does not reach them.
A separate subsection, § 24-1I-2(B) (recompiled as § 24A-4-2(B)), voids choice-of-law and out-of-state dispute-resolution clauses in these same health care practitioner agreements, but it is likewise scoped to the ten-profession list and does not extend to veterinarians either.
“'health care practitioner' means: (1) a dentist; (2) an osteopathic physician; (3) a physician; (4) a podiatrist; (5) a certified registered nurse anesthetist; (6) a certified nurse practitioner; (7) a certified nurse-midwife; (8) a psychologist; (9) a physician assistant; and (10) a pharmacist.”
What this page does not answer for New Mexico
The research behind this page confirms New Mexico has no general non-compete statute for veterinarians and reads the state's health care practitioner non-compete statute, but it does not identify a leading New Mexico case setting out the reasonableness factors a court would apply to a veterinarian's covenant, a wage or salary threshold, a statutory duration or geographic limit, how New Mexico treats a covenant tied to selling a practice or an ownership interest, how client and staff non-solicitation clauses are handled, or the Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act's own enactment date.
Those gaps matter most at a buy-in or buy-out, where a covenant may be drafted alongside the purchase terms.
They are left blank here rather than filled from another state's rule or from memory — take them to a New Mexico attorney with the whole agreement in hand.
Have the agreement itself reviewed
Start with the mechanics
The reasonableness test, what a radius is measured from, the access-to-care argument, and the difference between a non-compete and a non-solicitation clause are covered in the national guide to veterinary non-competes. This page covers only what is specific to New Mexico.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does New Mexico have a non-compete statute for veterinarians?
No. New Mexico has not enacted a general non-compete statute that reaches veterinarians.
Its Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act, NMSA 1978 §§ 24-1I-1 and 24-1I-2 (recompiled as §§ 24A-4-1 and 24A-4-2 by Laws 2024, ch. 39, effective July 1, 2024), voids non-compete provisions only for a ten-profession list — dentist, osteopathic physician, physician, podiatrist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, psychologist, physician assistant, and pharmacist — that does not include veterinarians.
Absent a governing statute, a veterinarian's covenant is presumed to fall under common-law reasonableness.
Have a New Mexico attorney who handles veterinary employment agreements read your specific covenant against that standard.
Does New Mexico's health care practitioner law protect veterinarians?
No. NMSA 1978 § 24-1I-1 defines "health care practitioner" as ten specific license types, and veterinarians are not among them.
Section 24-1I-2(A) voids a covered practitioner's non-compete provision upon termination of the agreement or employment, but that protection stops at the ten license types the definitions section names.
A veterinarian's covenant is not covered by this statute and is instead presumed to fall under New Mexico's common-law reasonableness tradition.
Ask a New Mexico attorney to confirm how the statute currently reads.
Is there a wage or salary threshold for veterinary non-competes in New Mexico?
The sources read for this page do not identify one.
New Mexico has no non-compete statute covering veterinarians, and the Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act that does apply to the ten listed professions carries no wage threshold or duration cap of its own.
Because New Mexico's general rule for a veterinarian is presumed to be common-law reasonableness without an identified leading case, there is no confirmed figure to check a specific contract against.
A licensed New Mexico attorney can tell you what applies to your agreement.
Does selling my share of a New Mexico veterinary practice change how a non-compete is treated?
The sources read for this page do not address how New Mexico treats a covenant tied to selling a veterinary practice or an ownership interest, so this page does not answer that question.
A buy-in or buy-out agreement may carry its own covenant, drafted alongside the purchase terms rather than the employment terms.
Before signing one, have a New Mexico attorney who handles veterinary practice transactions review the covenant and the purchase agreement together.
When did New Mexico's Health Care Practitioner Agreements Act last change?
The sources read for this page do not confirm the enactment or last-amendment date of NMSA 1978 §§ 24-1I-1 and 24-1I-2, so this page does not state one.
Those sections were recompiled, without a substantive change, as §§ 24A-4-1 and 24A-4-2 by Laws 2024, ch. 39, effective July 1, 2024.
The statute does not reach veterinarians regardless of when it was last amended.
This page was last verified in September 2026; confirm the current text and ask an attorney before relying on it.
More New Mexico Non-Compete Resources
Sources
Sourced from New Mexico’s own statute or leading court decisions (see the citations above). Verified September 2026; the governing provision was last amended Not stated in the sources read. This page is general information, not legal advice.