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Non-Compete Laws in Ohio

Ohio has no non-compete statute; courts enforce an employee non-compete if it is reasonable and can modify an overly broad one.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Ohio at a glance

Status
Enforceable if reasonable (case law)
Courts may modify an unreasonable covenant and enforce it to the extent needed to protect the employer.
Enforceable against employees
Yes, if reasonable

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Ohio

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

Status in Ohio: Enforceable if reasonable (case law). Courts may modify an unreasonable covenant and enforce it to the extent needed to protect the employer.

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

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

Where do the Ohio non-compete laws come from?

The rules above come from Raimonde v. Van Vlerah, 42 Ohio St. 2d 21 (1975). Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

Under Raimonde v. Van Vlerah (1975), a covenant is reasonable if it is no greater than needed to protect the employer, does not impose undue hardship on the employee and does not injure the public.

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.