Washington's non-competition agreement law governs when a non-competition agreement may be considered valid or enforceable under state law. Washington state businesses that have noncompetition agreements with employees or independent contractors will be subject to new requirements.In 2019, the Washington legislature passed a bill that substantially limits covenants not to compete ("noncompetes"). Under the final Noncompete Rule, the FTC adopts a comprehensive ban on new noncompetes with all workers, including senior executives. Employment means work for a person. On April 23, 2024, the US Federal Trade Commission voted 32 to finalize and promulgate a rule banning most noncompete clauses in employeremployee contracts. The law does not apply to independent contractors and does not limit or regulate non-solicitation agreements. The rule would ban employers from entering noncompete clauses with their workers, including independent contractors. A noncompete clause may be part of the worker's employment contract or may be contained in a standalone contract.