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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Bans Non-Compete, Nondisclosure, and Nonsolicitation Agreements for Veterinarians Starting May 2026
Last action · March 17, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Jen Plumb and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Utah enacts a ban making post-employment non-compete agreements, s, and s entered into on or after May 6, 2026, void between veterinarians and employers, with an exception for veterinarians holding at least a 5% ownership interest in the business.
Veterinarians practicing in the state gain freedom to change jobs or start competing practices without facing contractual restrictions, while employers lose the ability to enforce restrictive covenants unless a 5% ownership stake threshold is met.
- Utah previously enacted general limitations on employee non-compete agreements in 2016, restricting them to a maximum duration of one year. context
- H.B. 270 addresses post-employment restrictions for healthcare workers during the same 2026 legislative session. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Veterinarians
Veterinarians can no longer be bound by post-employment non-compete agreements, nondisclosure clauses, or nonsolicitation agreements entered into on or after May 6, 2026, unless they hold a 5% or greater ownership interest.
Veterinary employers
Employers of veterinarians are prohibited from entering into non-compete, nondisclosure, or nonsolicitation agreements with veterinarians after May 6, 2026, and face liability for costs and damages if they attempt to enforce such agreements.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a veterinarian still sign a non-compete agreement in Utah?
What happens if an employer tries to enforce an invalid veterinarian non-compete agreement?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
44 actions- Mar 17, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 13, 2026SenateSenate/ to Governor
- Mar 13, 2026SenateSenate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 11, 2026SenateSenate/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 11, 2026Senate SecretaryEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 38 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from Senate for Enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
- Mar 5, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 23, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 23, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 23, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 20, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ substituted
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 17, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0111S01
- Feb 17, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0111S01
- Feb 16, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0111S01
- Feb 16, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0111S01
- Jan 22, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Jan 22, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Jan 22, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Jan 22, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Jan 21, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 20, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Jan 20, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 19, 2026SenateSenate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 18, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0111
- Jan 16, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0111
- Jan 13, 2026SenateSenate/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 8, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0111
- Jan 8, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0111
- Jan 8, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 8, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Coordination with H.B. 270
The bill includes a specific coordination clause to align statutory numbering and terms with H.B. 270 concerning healthcare worker post-employment amendments.
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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