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Non-Compete Laws in Kansas

Kansas courts enforce a non-compete ancillary to employment if the restraint is reasonable and not adverse to the public welfare, and a separate statute presumes certain written non-solicitation covenants enforceable.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Kansas at a glance

Status
Enforceable if reasonable (case law)
The Kansas restraint of trade act does not apply to covenants not to compete (K.S.A. 50-163(e)(6)).
Enforceable against employees
Yes, if reasonable

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Kansas

Are employee non-compete agreements banned, restricted or enforceable in Kansas?

Status in Kansas: Enforceable if reasonable (case law). The Kansas restraint of trade act does not apply to covenants not to compete (K.S.A. 50-163(e)(6)).

Can an employer enforce a non-compete against an employee in Kansas?

Yes, if reasonable. Enforceable against employees in Kansas: yes, if reasonable.

Where do the Kansas non-compete laws come from?

The rules above come from Weber v. Tillman, 259 Kan. 457 (1996) and K.S.A. 50-163. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

K.S.A. 50-163, last amended in 2025, makes certain written owner and employee non-solicitation covenants conclusively presumed enforceable.

What this means in practice

Read the restriction closely before signing. Note how long it lasts, the area it covers, which activities it bars and which state's law the contract says applies. A choice-of-law clause does not always control, because some states refuse to apply another state's law to their own residents or workers.

Salary thresholds are often adjusted every year for inflation. If a state uses a threshold, check the figure for the year the agreement was signed or is being enforced, and how the statute defines earnings.

A non-compete is different from a non-solicitation or confidentiality agreement. Many states that limit non-competes still allow narrower clauses that protect trade secrets or customer lists. An employment lawyer can explain how the rules apply to a specific agreement.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.