A non-compete agreement restricts a former employee, contractor or consultant from working for, or starting, a competing business — not just from approaching old customers or coworkers, which is what a narrower non-solicitation agreement covers. Download the ready-to-fill template below, or read the checklist first.
Non-compete agreements are not enforceable everywhere, and in some places they are not enforceable at all. Californiavoids nearly all employee non-competes by statute (Business and Professions Code §16600), regardless of what the document says or which state's law it claims to apply. Minnesota, North Dakota and Oklahoma take a similar position. Several other states — including Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington and Virginia — restrict non-competes to workers above or below an income threshold, cap how long they can last, or require advance notice before signing.
Outside the US, treatment varies just as widely — some countries require ongoing payment to the restricted party for the entire restricted period, others limit non-competes to senior or highly compensated roles only. This template cannot tell you which rule applies to your situation. Check the law where the restricted party lives and works, or have a local employment lawyer review it, before you send it for signature.
A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 12 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for both parties. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.
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This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.
Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.
Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.
This kind of document is regulated differently almost everywhere. Many places require specific notices, disclosures or statutory wording, and some make clauses like these unenforceable outright. Treat this template as a starting point to take to a local lawyer, not as a document to sign as-is.
Company & Restricted Party names
The company's full legal name and the individual's full legal name, plus the role or position they hold — an employee, contractor or consultant.
Definition of "Competing Business"
What the restricted party is actually barred from doing — named by product, service, or business, not left as "anything competitive," which courts routinely strike down as unenforceably vague.
Scope of restricted activity
Owning, managing, working for, or consulting for a competing business — spelled out so the restricted party knows exactly what conduct is off-limits, not just which companies.
Geographic area
Where the restriction applies — a mile radius, a list of states, or a country. Limited to where the restricted party actually worked or had customer contact, not "everywhere the company does business."
Duration
How long the restriction lasts after the relationship ends — commonly six months to two years. Longer periods draw more scrutiny and are more likely to be narrowed or struck.
Consideration
What the restricted party receives in exchange — employment itself, continued employment, or a separate payment. Several states require extra consideration if the agreement is signed after employment has already started.
Carve-outs (permitted activities)
What the restriction does not cover — passive stock ownership below a set percentage, general skills and experience, and activity the law does not allow the company to restrict at all.
Severability / blue-pencil clause
A statement that a court should narrow an overbroad restriction to what the law allows, rather than voiding it outright — this is what saves an agreement that overreaches on one axis.
Enforceability check by jurisdiction
Non-competes are banned outright in some places and heavily restricted in others. Check the law where the restricted party lives and works before relying on this document at all.
Signatures & date
Both parties sign and date it. Where the company is the signing entity, the signer must be authorized to bind it — it isn't binding until both have signed.
Where non-competes are enforceable at all, courts don't evaluate them as a single yes-or-no clause. They test three specific dimensions — together sometimes called the "reasonableness" test — and an agreement that overreaches on any one of them is the one most likely to be narrowed by a court or thrown out entirely.
What activity is actually restricted — a named field, product or service, not "any competitor" in general. The template's "Competing Business" and "Restricted Activity" definitions exist to make this specific.
Where the restriction applies — limited to the area the restricted party actually worked in or had customer contact with, not the company's entire market or every place it might someday expand to.
How long it lasts after the relationship ends — commonly six months to two years. Longer periods need a stronger justification and draw more scrutiny.
The template above builds in a dedicated clause for each of the three, a severability clause asking a court to narrow rather than void an overbroad restriction, and a separate clause stating plainly that it does not restrict soliciting customers or employees — that's a distinct, narrower restriction covered by a non-solicitation agreement instead.
Once you've confirmed the restriction is enforceable where the restricted party lives and works, fill in the template above and send it for signature with a free Evenseal account — 3 documents a month, no card required. Only need your own copy signed? Self-sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf.
Not legal advice — non-compete enforceability varies materially by state and country, and is void outright in some. Have a local employment lawyer review it before signing.