Veterinary Non-Competes in Utah
Utah Code § 34-51-201 was amended effective May 6, 2026 to add a rule specific to veterinarians: for an agreement entered on or after that date, a person and a veterinarian may not enter into a veterinarian non-compete agreement at all, unless the veterinarian holds at least a 5% ownership interest in the business.
A violating agreement is void.
Utah's separate healthcare non-compete ban, added the same day, does not cover veterinarians.
An agreement entered between May 10, 2016 and May 6, 2026 instead falls under the general one-year cap in § 34-51-201(1)(a).
Mechanics, not a verdict on your contract
At a glance
Void — employee non-competes are voided by statute
State statute — Utah Code § 34-51-201(3) (veterinarian non-compete ban), added by 2026 Utah Laws Chapter 341, applicable by its own terms only to a veterinarian non-compete agreement entered on or after May 6, 2026; for an agreement entered between May 10, 2016 and May 6, 2026, (3)(a) does not apply and the general one-year cap in § 34-51-201(1)(a) governs instead, since (1)(a) itself applies only to an agreement entered on or after May 10, 2016.
Healthcare statute reaches veterinarians: No — the healthcare statute's own definitions leave veterinarians out.
For a veterinarian non-compete agreement entered on or after May 6, 2026, § 34-51-201(3)(a) bars a person and a veterinarian from entering into one at all, unless the veterinarian holds at least a 5% ownership interest in the business (§ 34-51-201(3)(b)); a violating agreement is void (§ 34-51-201(3)(c)). The separate one-year cap in § 34-51-201(1)(a) governs a veterinarian non-compete agreement entered between May 10, 2016 and May 6, 2026 — the only window where (1)(a) applies but (3)(a) does not — and any other qualifying non-compete agreement entered on or after May 10, 2016; the sources read do not address an agreement entered before May 10, 2016.
No. Utah added a general healthcare non-compete ban in § 34-51-201(2)(b), covering a 'healthcare worker' — a term § 34-51-102(4)-(5) defines as 33 listed licenses (nurses, dentists, counselors, therapists and similar human-health roles) — veterinarians are not among them. Veterinarians instead get their own separate ban, the 'veterinarian non-compete agreement' rule in § 34-51-201(3), which § 34-51-102(11) defines as its own distinct term.
No wage or salary threshold in § 34-51-201. The statute's only stated exception to the veterinarian-specific ban is ownership-based: a veterinarian non-compete agreement is permitted only if the veterinarian holds at least a 5% ownership interest in the employer's business (§ 34-51-201(3)(b)).
For a veterinarian non-compete agreement entered on or after May 6, 2026, duration and geography are not the question — the agreement is barred outright unless the veterinarian owns at least 5% of the business. A veterinarian non-compete agreement entered between May 10, 2016 and May 6, 2026 — since § 34-51-201(3)(a) applies only 'on or after' that later date and § 34-51-201(1)(a) itself applies only 'on or after' May 10, 2016 — remains capped at one year from the end of employment under § 34-51-201(1)(a); the sources read record no geographic-radius limit for that general cap and do not address an agreement entered before May 10, 2016.
Not stated in the sources read.
Not stated for a veterinarian non-compete agreement specifically. Section 34-51-202's severance and sale-of-business exceptions name only a 'non-compete agreement' and a 'healthcare non-compete agreement' — terms § 34-51-102 defines separately from 'veterinarian non-compete agreement' — so the sources read do not establish whether that exception reaches a veterinary practice sale.
Not stated for veterinarians specifically. Section 34-51-102(8)(b) excludes a nonsolicitation agreement from the definition of 'non-compete agreement' generally, but the sources read do not address whether that same exclusion reaches a 'veterinarian non-compete agreement,' which § 34-51-102(11) defines as its own separate term.
Amended by 2026 Utah Laws Chapter 341, effective May 6, 2026.
What Utah’s text actually says
“Subject to Subsection (3)(b), on or after May 6, 2026, a person and a veterinarian may not enter into a veterinarian non-compete agreement.”
Utah's veterinarian-specific non-compete ban, effective May 6, 2026
As of May 6, 2026, a person and a veterinarian may not enter into a "veterinarian non-compete agreement." Section 34-51-102(11) defines that term as an agreement where, after the veterinarian stops working for or with the person, the veterinarian will not compete in a similar product, process or service, or will not work within a specific geographic area.
The only exception the statute states is ownership: the ban does not apply if the veterinarian holds at least a 5% ownership interest in the business.
An agreement that violates the ban is void.
“Subject to Subsection (3)(b), on or after May 6, 2026, a person and a veterinarian may not enter into a veterinarian non-compete agreement.”
Why Utah's healthcare non-compete ban doesn't cover veterinarians
Section 34-51-201(2)(b) bans a "healthcare non-compete agreement" for a "healthcare worker" — a term § 34-51-102(4)-(5) defines as 33 listed license types, all in human medicine and behavioral health, none of them a veterinary license. "Veterinarian" and "veterinarian non-compete agreement" are defined completely separately in the same section, rather than folded into the healthcare-worker list.
Rather than routing veterinarians through the general healthcare ban, the legislature wrote them their own rule in § 34-51-201(3).
A Utah veterinarian checking whether the new "healthcare worker" protections apply to them should look at the veterinarian-specific ban instead.
“'Veterinarian non-compete agreement' means an agreement between a veterinarian and a person under which the veterinarian agrees that after the day on which the veterinarian no longer works for or with the person, the veterinarian will not:”
No wage floor — the only exception is 5% ownership
Neither the veterinarian-specific ban nor the general one-year cap sets a wage or salary threshold.
The single statutory exception to the veterinarian ban is ownership-based: a veterinarian non-compete agreement is permitted only if the veterinarian holds at least a 5% ownership interest in the business.
Below that ownership threshold, a veterinarian cannot be bound by a veterinarian non-compete agreement at all, regardless of pay.
“Subsection (3)(a) does not apply if the veterinarian has at least a 5% ownership interest in the person's business.”
What changed on May 6, 2026, and what stayed the same
2026 Utah Laws Chapter 341 amended §§ 34-51-102 and 34-51-201 effective May 6, 2026.
Before that date, Utah's only statutory rule reaching a veterinarian's non-compete was the flat one-year duration cap — common-law limits could still apply alongside it, since the cap's own text preserves "any requirements imposed under common law." Chapter 341 layered on the veterinarian-specific ban in § 34-51-201(3), voided any out-of-state forum-selection clause in a veterinarian non-compete agreement signed on or after May 6, 2026 (§ 34-51-201(4)), and created the separate healthcare non-compete ban that excludes veterinarians.
The one-year cap's current text, quoted below, continues to apply to a non-compete agreement entered on or after May 10, 2016 that was signed before May 6, 2026 (outside § 34-51-201(3)(a)'s own "on or after" scope) or that otherwise is not a "veterinarian non-compete agreement."
“Except as provided in Subsection (2) and in addition to any requirements imposed under common law, for a non-compete agreement entered into on or after May 10, 2016, an employer and an employee may not enter into a non-compete agreement for a period of more than one year from the day on which the employee is no longer employed by the employer.”
What this page does not answer for Utah
For a veterinarian non-compete agreement entered on or after May 6, 2026, a clause requiring the parties to resolve a dispute in a forum outside Utah is void, unenforceable, and against the state's public policy.
Beyond that, the sources read for this page do not establish how a Utah court treats a covenant signed before May 6, 2026, whether § 34-51-202's severance and sale-of-business exceptions (written for "non-compete agreement" and "healthcare non-compete agreement" only) extend to a veterinarian non-compete agreement, or whether the nonsolicitation exclusion in § 34-51-102(8)(b) reaches one.
Take the whole agreement, and its date, to a Utah attorney.
“If a provision in a veterinarian non-compete agreement entered into on or after May 6, 2026, requires that the parties to a dispute arising under the veterinarian non-compete agreement resolve the dispute in a forum outside of this state, the provision: (a) is void and unenforceable; and (b) is considered against the public policy of this state.”
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 Utah.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Utah veterinary practice still require a non-compete?
Only in a narrow case.
Since May 6, 2026, Utah Code § 34-51-201(3)(a) bars a person and a veterinarian from entering into a veterinarian non-compete agreement at all, unless the veterinarian holds at least a 5% ownership interest in the practice.
A violating agreement is void under § 34-51-201(3)(c).
If you signed before that date, or your agreement doesn't fit the statute's definition, a different rule may apply — have a Utah attorney who handles veterinary employment agreements review your specific contract.
Does Utah's new healthcare non-compete ban cover veterinarians?
No. Section 34-51-201(2)(b) bans a "healthcare non-compete agreement" for a "healthcare worker" — a term § 34-51-102(4)-(5) defines as 33 specific licenses in medicine and behavioral health — veterinarians are not among them.
Utah instead wrote veterinarians their own separate rule: the "veterinarian non-compete agreement" ban in § 34-51-201(3), effective the same date.
The two bans reach similar ground but come from different statutory text.
A Utah employment attorney can confirm which provision governs your agreement.
What happens if I own part of the practice I work for?
Ownership is the one exception the statute states.
Under § 34-51-201(3)(b), the veterinarian non-compete ban does not apply if you hold at least a 5% ownership interest in the business.
The sources read for this page do not say how that percentage is measured or verified, or what happens if your ownership share changes after signing.
Have a Utah attorney who handles veterinary practice transactions review your ownership documents alongside any non-compete.
Does selling my share of a Utah veterinary practice change how a non-compete is treated?
Section 34-51-202 exempts a non-compete agreement or healthcare non-compete agreement tied to a business sale from the general ban, if the seller receives value from the sale.
That exception names only those two terms, not a "veterinarian non-compete agreement," which § 34-51-102 defines as its own separate term — so the sources read for this page do not establish whether it reaches a veterinary practice sale.
Have a Utah attorney who handles veterinary practice transactions review the sale and any non-compete together.
When did Utah's veterinarian non-compete rule change, and could it change again?
The veterinarian-specific ban took effect May 6, 2026, under 2026 Utah Laws Chapter 341, which amended § 34-51-201 to add that ban alongside a separate healthcare-worker ban, on top of the existing general one-year cap in § 34-51-201(1)(a).
This page was last verified in September 2026; Utah's legislature has already revisited this statute once, so confirm the current text and have an attorney licensed in Utah review your agreement before relying on any date or figure here.
More Utah Non-Compete Resources
Sources
- Utah Code Ann. § 34-51-201 (Non-compete agreements), as amended by 2026 Utah Laws Ch. 341 — Utah State Legislature (official) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
- Utah Code Ann. § 34-51-102 (Definitions), as amended by 2026 Utah Laws Ch. 341 — Utah State Legislature (official) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
- Utah Code Ann. § 34-51-202 (Exceptions for non-compete agreements) — Utah State Legislature (official) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
Sourced from Utah’s own statute or leading court decisions (see the citations above). Verified September 2026; the governing provision was last amended Amended by 2026 Utah Laws Chapter 341, effective May 6, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.