Non-compete agreements have long been a controversial tool used by employers to restrict where employees can work after leaving a job. In Washington, however, those restrictions are soon becoming a thing of the past as Washington state has enacted a near-total ban on non-compete agreements under House Bill 1155. The bill was signed by Governor Bob Ferguson on March 23, 2026, and will go into effect on June 30, 2027. What Is House Bill 1155? HB 1155 (HB 1155) is a sweeping piece of legislation that virtually bans all non-compete agreements between companies and employees and independent contractors in Washington. Unlike prior laws that limited non-competes based on salary thresholds or duration, HB 1155 goes much further. The law provides that: All non-compete