District of Columbia Employment Law for Martial Arts Schools: Non-Competes, Pay and Hiring Rules
Researched October 21, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Part of the Martial Arts Employment Law Center. Points we could not confirm from a primary source are marked. Confirm with an employment lawyer admitted in the District of Columbia before you sign, change or enforce a staff agreement.
The District of Columbia allows employee non-competes only for workers who clear statutory pay or job-status tests, so most ordinary instructors cannot be bound.
Research confidence: high.
Can a martial arts school in the District of Columbia make instructors sign a non-compete?
Since October 1, 2022, DC bans non-competes for employees earning less than the highly-compensated threshold, which is $162,164 for 2026 ($270,274 for medical specialists). Above the threshold, the agreement must be in writing, state the functional and geographic scope, last no more than 365 days, and be given at least 14 days before work starts or before it takes effect. You must also give the employee the required statutory notice. An ordinary instructor is almost certainly below the threshold, so a non-compete is void and asking someone to sign one can bring fines.
Can you stop a departing instructor from soliciting your students?
The DC ban does not cover agreements barring solicitation of clients or customers, or confidentiality agreements. A reasonable student non-solicit is generally allowed.
Can you stop a departing instructor from recruiting your staff?
No specific DC rule on employee non-solicitation or no-poach clauses was confirmed. They are judged for reasonableness and are not treated as banned non-competes. Check with counsel.
What is the minimum wage for instructors in the District of Columbia?
$18.40 per hour from July 1, 2026, up from $17.95. The tipped base wage is $10.30. DC raises the rate each July 1 by CPI, so expect another increase on July 1, 2027.
When do instructors earn overtime?
Time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, with no daily overtime. Exempt status follows the federal tests, with no higher DC salary threshold.
When is the final paycheck due?
If you fire someone, pay all wages by the next working day. If they quit, pay by the next regular payday or within 7 days, whichever comes first. Earned commissions are wages.
What background checks can you run on instructors who teach children?
DC’s Fair Criminal Record Screening Act covers employers with 11 or more employees. You may not ask about criminal history on the application or before a conditional offer. After an offer you may ask only about convictions, never arrests or accusations, and you need a legitimate business reason to withdraw it. Programs serving minors or vulnerable adults are an exception where other law requires screening. DC separately requires background checks for youth-services providers that are government or government-contracted, which matters if your school runs DC government-funded programs. Salary-history questions are banned.
Are martial arts instructors mandated reporters of child abuse?
DC’s mandated reporter list expressly includes athletic coaches, so martial arts instructors who coach children should treat themselves as mandated reporters. Report to the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) or the Metropolitan Police Department.
What can a dress code or grooming policy require?
The DC Human Rights Act protects personal appearance, which covers hairstyle, dress, and grooming, as well as religion, gender identity or expression, and many other traits. Grooming codes must have a business reason and be applied evenly.
How far can a morals or conduct clause reach into off-duty life?
Since July 2023, DC’s Cannabis Employment Protections Amendment Act bars most employers from penalizing off-duty cannabis use or a positive test without impairment. Safety-sensitive positions are exempt, and counsel should confirm whether instructor roles qualify. The Human Rights Act also protects political affiliation.
Do you have to disclose pay or allow staff to discuss it?
Since June 30, 2024, every DC job posting must include a good-faith minimum and maximum pay range, and you must disclose healthcare benefits before the first interview. Pay-history questions are banned, and employees may discuss their wages.
What privacy rules apply to student and parent records?
No comprehensive DC consumer privacy law covering small private businesses was confirmed. DC’s data breach notification law still applies to personal information you hold.
Other D.C. rules that catch school owners
Paid sick leave covers all employers. With 1 to 24 employees, workers earn 1 hour per 87 hours worked, up to 3 days a year. DC’s Universal Paid Leave program is funded by an employer payroll tax. The DC minimum wage applies to all employers regardless of size.
What to watch in the District of Columbia
The non-compete salary threshold resets every January 1. The minimum wage and tipped wage reset every July 1. Watch for further Council changes to the tipped-wage phase-in after the 2025 rollback of Initiative 82.
The bottom line for D.C. schools
Leave a post-employment non-compete out of ordinary instructor agreements; for that role it is unlikely to be enforceable. Where D.C. law allows it, a narrow student non-solicitation clause limited to students the employee actually taught, a confidentiality agreement, and real control of the student database protect a school far better.
Sources
- DC DOES: 2026 Minimum Wage Increase Notice
- DC DOES: 2026 Ban on Non-Compete Clauses
- DC Code 4-1321.02: Mandatory reporters
- Legal Aid DC: Working with a criminal record
- DC OHR Enforcement Guidance 16-02: Fair Criminal Record Screening Act
- Akin Gump: Washington, D.C.’s New Non-Compete Law Is Now in Effect
Also for District of Columbia: Martial arts laws in District of Columbia · District of Columbia membership contracts
What every martial arts school staff package should contain
- Offer or employment agreement: the legal employer, the role and duties, workplace, pay, employment status and termination terms, reviewed against local rules. U.S. at-will language does not belong in a Canadian contract.
- Compensation schedule: hourly or salary terms, commissions and bonuses, and exactly when each is earned and paid. Record all working time, not only time on the mat. See instructor pay structures and overtime.
- Appearance and conduct policies: functional uniform, hygiene and safety standards with a written accommodation process. See the dress code and grooming guide.
- Child-protection policy: boundaries, private communications, transport, supervision and reporting. See the conduct clause guide and background checks for instructors.
- Confidentiality and data-security agreement: student records, CRM access, permitted use, return and deletion, and protected-disclosure exceptions (in the U.S., the federal DTSA whistleblower-immunity notice). See student data and trade secrets.
- Restrictive-covenant addendum: only what local law permits, usually a narrow student or staff non-solicitation clause; a non-compete only in exceptional cases. See non-compete laws by state and non-solicitation agreements.
Planning for a departure? Read When an instructor leaves: protecting students and records. Every state and province is indexed in the Martial Arts Employment Law Center.
Before you act on this
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Employment, wage, human-rights, privacy and restrictive-covenant laws change, and their application depends on the exact wording of an agreement, the employee’s duties and pay, where the work is done and when the agreement was signed. Confirm the current statute, regulations and agency guidance, and take advice from a lawyer admitted in the relevant state or province, before drafting, changing or enforcing an employment agreement. Corrections: see our editorial policy.
