Oregon — State Statute

Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 653 § 653.295 — Noncompetition agreements; bonus restriction agreements; applicability of

Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 653 ·
Oregon Code § 653.295 · Enacted · Last updated March 01, 2026
Statute Text
Noncompetition agreements; bonus restriction agreements; applicability of restrictions. (1) A noncompetition agreement entered into between an employer and employee is void and unenforceable unless: (a)(A) The employer informs the employee in a written employment offer received by the employee at least two weeks before the first day of the employee’s employment that a noncompetition agreement is required as a condition of employment; or (B) The noncompetition agreement is entered into upon a subsequent bona fide advancement of the employee by the employer; (b) The employee is a person described in ORS 653.020 (3); (c) The employer has a protectable interest as described in subsection (2) of this section; (d) Within 30 days after the date of the termination of the employee’s employment, the employer provides a signed, written copy of the terms of the noncompetition agreement to the employee; and (e) The total amount of the employee’s annual gross salary and commissions, calculated on an annual basis, at the time of the employee’s termination exceeds $100,533, adjusted annually for inflation pursuant to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, West Region (All Items), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor immediately preceding the calendar year of the employee’s termination. This paragraph does not apply to an employee described in subsection (2)(c) of this section. (2) For purposes of subsection (1)(c) of this section, an employer has a protectable interest when the employee: (a) Has access to trade secrets, as defined in ORS 646.461; (b) Has access to competitively sensitive confidential business or professional information that otherwise would not qualify as a trade secret, including product development plans, product launch plans, marketing strategy or sales plans; or (c) Is employed as an on-air talent by an employer in the business of broadcasting and the employer: (A) In the year preceding the termination of the employee’s employment, expended resources equal to or exceeding 10 percent of the employee’s annual salary to develop, improve, train or publicly promote the employee, provided that the resources expended by the employer were expended on media that the employer does not own or control; and (B) Provides the employee, for the time the employee is restricted from working, the greater of compensation equal to at least: (i) Fifty percent of the employee’s annual gross base salary and commissions at the time of the employee’s termination; or (ii) Fifty percent of $100,533, adjusted annually for inflation pursuant to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, West Region (All Items), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor immediately preceding the calendar year of the employee’s termination. (3) The term of a noncompetition agreement may not exceed 12 months from the date of the employee’s termination. The remainder of a term of a noncompetition agreement in excess of 12 months is void and may not be enforced by a court of this state. (4) Subsections (1) and (3) of this section apply only to noncompetition agreements made in the context of an employment relationship or contract and not otherwise. (5) Subsections (1) and (3) of this section do not apply to: (a) Bonus restriction agreements, which are lawful agreements that may be enforced by the courts in this state; or (b) A covenant not to solicit employees of the employer or solicit or transact business with customers of the employer. (6) Nothing in this section restricts the right of any person to protect trade secrets or other proprietary information by injunction or any other lawful means under other applicable laws. (7) Notwithstanding subsection (1)(b) and (e) of this section, a noncompetition agreement is enforceable for the full term of the agreement, for up to 12 months, if the employer agrees in writing to provide the employee, for the time the employee is restricted from working, the greater of: (a) Compensation equal to at least 50 percent of the employee’s annual gross base salary and commissions at the time of the employee’s termination; or (b) Fifty percent of $100,533, adjusted annually for inflation pursuant to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, West Region (All Items), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor immediately preceding the calendar year of the employee’s termination. (8) As used in this section: (a) “Bonus restriction agreement” means an agreement, written or oral, express or implied, between an employer and employee under which: (A) Competition by the employee with the employer is limited or restrained after termination of employment, but the restraint is limited to a period of time, a geographic area and specified activities, all of which are reasonable in relation to the serv
Plain English Explanation
This Oregon statute addresses Noncompetition agreements; bonus restriction agreements; applicability of . AI-powered analysis coming soon.
Key Points
Frequently Asked Questions
This section of Oregon law addresses Noncompetition agreements; bonus restriction agreements; applicability of . Read the full statute text above for details.
This page reflects the current text as of our last update. Always verify with the official Oregon legislature website for the most current version.
The formal citation is Oregon Code § 653.295. Use this format in legal documents and court filings.
Browse related sections using the links below, or search all Oregon statutes on FlawFinder.
Why Attorneys Choose FlawFinder

Why Attorneys Choose FlawFinder

Side-by-side with Westlaw and LexisNexis

Feature FlawFinder Westlaw LexisNexis
Monthly price $19 – $99 $133 – $646 $153 – $399
Contract None 1–3 year min 1–6 year min
Hidden fees $0, always Up to $469/search $25/mo + per-doc
Police SOPs 310+ departments No No
Plain-English ELI5 Included No No
Cancel One click Termination fees Account friction
Related Sections

Full legal research for $19/month

All 50 states · Federal regulations · Case law · Police SOPs · AI analysis included · No contract

Continue Researching →