Veterinary Non-Competes in Washington

💡How Washington treats non-competes

Washington is the useful contrast to the void states, because it restricts by who is covered rather than by how the clause is drafted. Under RCW 49.62.020, a non-compete is void unless the employee's annualized earnings from the employer exceed a statutory threshold that the Department of Labor & Industries adjusts for inflation every year — $126,858.83 for employees and $317,147.09 for independent contractors in 2026 — and any restriction longer than eighteen months is presumed unreasonable. That regime has an end date: the legislature amended the chapter in 2026 so that beginning June 30, 2027, every non-compete is void and unenforceable regardless of when it was signed, and employers must make reasonable efforts to notify affected current and former workers by October 1, 2027.

⚖️What that means in practice

• Until June 29, 2027, a non-compete is void unless the employee's annualized earnings exceed the statutory threshold — $126,858.83 for employees and $317,147.09 for independent contractors in 2026, adjusted each September 30 for the following year.
• For employees who meet the threshold, a duration longer than eighteen months after termination is presumed unreasonable and unenforceable unless the employer proves otherwise by clear and convincing evidence.
• The threshold model sweeps most support staff out of scope while leaving many veterinarians inside it — until the 2027 change removes the distinction.
• Beginning June 30, 2027, all non-competes are void and unenforceable regardless of when the parties signed them, and it becomes a violation for an employer to enforce, threaten to enforce, or even enter into one.
• By October 1, 2027, employers must make reasonable efforts to give written notice to current and former employees and contractors whose non-compete is still within its term that it is void.

🆚Non-solicitation is a separate question

As elsewhere, non-solicitation is analysed separately from the non-compete. An agreement that falls outside the threshold for a non-compete — or that is voided by the 2027 change — may still contain solicitation restrictions, which the chapter defines and treats as a distinct covenant.

📈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. Read that first — this page only covers what is specific to Washington.

🆚Other states

Only states we have researched and dated appear here. Others are added in batches rather than generated in bulk — see the national guide for why.