Are Non-Competes Enforceable in Connecticut? Your Rights Explained

In Connecticut, non-compete agreements are legal and enforceable, but only if they pass a strict five-factor reasonableness test developed by Connecticut courts. Under that test, a court asks whether the restriction is reasonable as to (1) the length of time it lasts, (2) the geographic area it covers, (3) the fairness of the protection it gives the employer, (4) the degree to which it restrains you from earning a living, and (5) its effect on the public interest. The critical catch most workers do not know: Connecticut courts apply these factors disjunctively. If your non-compete is unreasonable on even one factor, the entire agreement can be thrown out, even if it is perfectly reasonable on the other four. There is no balancing where good elements rescue bad ones.

Connecticut Has No General Non-Compete Statute

Unlike some neighboring states, Connecticut does not have a single comprehensive law that governs ordinary non-compete agreements. Instead, enforceability is decided under common law built from decades of Connecticut court decisions. That means there is no fixed statutory deadline or maximum duration that applies to every worker. Whether your agreement holds up depends on how a judge weighs the five factors against the specific facts of your job, your industry, and the legitimate business interest your employer is trying to protect.

A "legitimate business interest" generally means protecting trade secrets, confidential information, or established customer relationships, not simply shielding the employer from ordinary competition. An agreement designed only to keep you from working somewhere better, with no real secret or relationship to protect, is far more likely to fail.

How the Reasonableness Factors Play Out

Connecticut judges look hard at duration and geography. As a practical matter, restrictions of one to two years are the range courts most often uphold; periods stretching well beyond two years draw heavy scrutiny and are frequently cut down or voided. Geographic scope must track where the employer actually does business. A nationwide ban imposed on a worker whose role was local will usually be struck down, while a tightly drawn radius around the employer's actual market has a much better chance of surviving.

Courts also examine the real-world burden on you. A clause that effectively bars you from your entire profession, or forces you to move out of the region to keep working, weighs heavily toward unenforceability.

You Generally Must Get Something in Return (Consideration)

A Connecticut non-compete must be supported by adequate consideration, meaning you must receive something of value in exchange for signing. A job offer to a new hire is typically valid consideration. But when an employer asks a current employee to sign a non-compete mid-employment, simply allowing you to keep your existing job may not be enough on its own in Connecticut. If you are handed a non-compete after you have already started, ask what you are being given in return, such as a raise, bonus, promotion, or new access to confidential information.

Industry Bans and Limits That Override the Common Law

While Connecticut has no general statute, it has passed several industry-specific laws that sharply limit or ban non-competes for certain workers. If you fall into one of these categories, these statutory rules control regardless of what your contract says.

• Physicians, APRNs, and PAs: Under Connecticut General Statutes Section 20-14p, a non-compete with a physician cannot last more than one year and cannot extend more than 15 miles from the primary site where the physician practices. It must be separately and individually signed, and it must protect a legitimate business interest. A 2023 law (Public Act 23-97) added further restrictions and extended these protections to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs).
• Home care workers: Connecticut General Statutes Section 20-681 makes any agreement that restricts a person from providing homemaker, companion, or home health services, anywhere in the state, for any time, or to any client, void and unenforceable.
• Security guards: Under Section 31-50a, employers generally cannot stop a security officer from taking the same or a similar job at the same location for another employer, unless the employer can prove the worker obtained trade secrets.
• Broadcast employees: Section 31-50b restricts employers from barring certain broadcast workers from employment in a geographic area for a period of time after their job ends.

Is There a Low-Wage Worker Ban in Connecticut?

This is where Connecticut differs from states like neighboring Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which already limit non-competes for lower-paid workers. As of 2026, Connecticut has not enacted a general low-wage worker ban. Lawmakers have repeatedly tried. House Bill 5269 in 2024 and House Bill 7196 in 2025 both proposed making non-competes unenforceable against employees earning less than three times the minimum wage (and against independent contractors earning less than five times the minimum wage), but neither bill became law. Because these proposals are tied to the minimum wage, it helps to know the current figure: Connecticut's minimum wage rose to $16.94 per hour on January 1, 2026, and it adjusts each year based on the federal employment cost index. Always confirm the current rate with the Connecticut Department of Labor, because it changes annually.

For comparison, the federal minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) remains $7.25 per hour, and federal overtime is owed after 40 hours in a workweek. Connecticut's wage floor sits far above the federal baseline, which is one reason the proposed wage-multiplier thresholds would cover a wide swath of workers if they ever pass.

What Happened to the Federal (FTC) Non-Compete Ban?

Many workers heard in 2024 that non-competes were being banned nationwide. That was the Federal Trade Commission's proposed rule, and it is no longer in effect. A federal court in Texas struck the rule down in 2024, and in September 2025 the FTC abandoned its appeal and accepted the rule's vacatur. The bottom line: there is currently no federal ban on non-competes, and Connecticut workers are governed by Connecticut common law and the industry statutes described above.

What to Do if You Are Asked to Sign or Are Being Threatened

Whether you are facing a new agreement or a threat to enforce an old one, you have more leverage than you may think.

• Read it before you sign. Note the duration, the geographic area, and exactly what activities are restricted. Ask for a copy to take home, and do not feel pressured to sign on the spot.
• Negotiate. Non-competes are contracts, and terms are often negotiable. You can ask to narrow the time, shrink the geography, or limit the restriction to direct competitors rather than your whole field.
• Check whether a statutory ban applies to you. If you are a home care worker, security guard, broadcaster, physician, APRN, or PA, the industry rules above may make all or part of the agreement unenforceable.
• Do not assume a threat means the clause is valid. Employers sometimes rely on non-competes that would not survive the five-factor test. An overly broad clause may collapse entirely because Connecticut courts can void a non-compete that fails even one factor.
• Get the demand in writing. If your former employer threatens a lawsuit, ask them to identify the specific provision and the harm they claim. Keep copies of your agreement, offer letters, and any communications.
• Talk to a Connecticut employment lawyer. Because enforceability turns on the specific facts, a brief consultation can tell you whether your agreement is likely to hold up before you turn down a job or risk being sued.

Where to Verify Your Rights

For wage and hour questions, including the current minimum wage and overtime rules, the official source is the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL). The text of the statutes referenced here, including Sections 20-14p, 20-681, 31-50a, and 31-50b, is published by the Connecticut General Assembly. Because non-compete enforceability in Connecticut is shaped by court decisions and the precise wording of your contract, the most reliable way to know where you stand is to combine those official sources with advice from a licensed Connecticut attorney.

Official Connecticut Sources

This page is based on Connecticut employment law. Rules and figures change — verify the current details directly with the official Connecticut sources below. This is general legal information, not legal advice.

• Connecticut Department of Labor — official Connecticut agency.
• File a Wage Complaint - Wage and Workplace Standards Division
• Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 558 - Wages

Federal law and local ordinances may also apply. Federal laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act set a national floor, and your city or county may add protections (such as a higher local minimum wage or paid sick leave). Check both alongside Connecticut state law.