Louisiana Employment Law for Martial Arts Schools: Non-Competes, Pay and Hiring Rules

Louisiana voids non-competes unless the agreement fits one of the exceptions the statute lists.

Can a martial arts school in Louisiana make instructors sign a non-compete?

Under La. R.S. 23:921(A), any contract that restrains someone from a lawful profession, trade or business is void unless it fits a listed exception. The employee exception (23:921(C)) lets an employee agree not to compete with the employer or solicit its customers for up to two years after employment ends, but only within parishes or municipalities (or parts of them) that are specifically named in the agreement and where the employer actually carries on a like business. There is no income threshold and no statutory notice period, so an ordinary instructor can be covered if the agreement is drafted strictly (named parishes, two-year cap); agreements that miss these requirements are typically unenforceable. Physician-specific limits took effect January 1, 2025 (Act 273 of 2024, subsections M-O), and Act 150 of 2026 (effective August 1, 2026) bans non-competes for paid or unpaid interns and apprentices.

Can you stop a departing instructor from soliciting your students?

Customer non-solicitation is treated like a non-compete: R.S. 23:921(C) allows it only for up to two years and only within specifically named parishes or municipalities where the employer does business. A student non-solicit without named parishes or a time limit is at serious risk of being void.

Can you stop a departing instructor from recruiting your staff?

A Louisiana appeals court (Brown & Root Industrial Services v. Farris, La. App. 1st Cir., reported Nov. 2024) held that employee non-solicitation (no-raiding) clauses are not governed by R.S. 23:921, but must still be reasonable in scope and duration; a clause with no time limit was struck and the court refused to rewrite it. Put an explicit time limit (e.g., one to two years) in any staff non-solicit.

What is the minimum wage for instructors in Louisiana?

Louisiana has no state minimum wage law, so the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour applies to FLSA-covered employers (U.S. DOL state table, updated July 1, 2026). No 2027 state increase is scheduled. Louisiana law preempts local minimum wages, so no city minimums apply (not re-verified).

When do instructors earn overtime?

No state overtime law; federal FLSA rules apply (time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a workweek, no daily overtime). No state salary threshold above the federal one.

When is the final paycheck due?

Under La. R.S. 23:631, whether an employee is fired or resigns, all amounts due must be paid by the earlier of the next regular payday or 15 days after separation. Earned commissions and bonuses count as wages due unless modified under a written policy before separation (policies may condition commissions on the employer being paid), and accrued, unused vacation pay under the employer’s policy must be paid and cannot be forfeited. Undisputed amounts must be paid even if part of the pay is disputed.

What background checks can you run on instructors who teach children?

Louisiana’s ban-the-box law covers public employers only; no private-employer fair-chance law was found. Under R.S. 15:587.1 (Louisiana Child Protection Act), employers of people with supervisory or disciplinary authority over children are directed to request state criminal history checks with the applicant’s signed consent; whether a private martial arts school falls within that wording is not settled, so check with counsel, but running a consented state check through Louisiana State Police plus a national check is prudent. No state salary-history ban for private employers was confirmed. Follow the federal FCRA for any third-party background report.

Are martial arts instructors mandated reporters of child abuse?

Louisiana Children’s Code Art. 603(17) makes coaches, and administrators, employees or volunteers of youth centers, recreation programs and ‘any organization offering organized activities for children,’ mandatory reporters, which very likely covers martial arts instructors and staff at a kids’ program. Reports go to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) child abuse/neglect line, or to law enforcement in an emergency. Other citizens may report (Art. 609).

What can a dress code or grooming policy require?

Louisiana’s CROWN Act (HB 1083, effective Aug. 1, 2022) added natural, protective and cultural hairstyles (afros, braids, twists, locs) to race-based protections in the Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law. That law generally covers employers with 20 or more employees in the state (R.S. 23:302). Religious dress is protected under federal Title VII (15+ employees); no state statute expressly covering gender identity in private employment was confirmed, though federal Title VII (Bostock) applies to employers with 15+ employees.

How far can a morals or conduct clause reach into off-duty life?

R.S. 23:961 bars employers with 20 or more employees from controlling employees’ political activities or affiliations or threatening their jobs over them. No general lawful off-duty conduct or recreational-cannabis employment protection for private employees was confirmed (recreational cannabis is not legal in Louisiana).

Do you have to disclose pay or allow staff to discuss it?

No Louisiana pay-range posting requirement for private employers and no state salary-history ban were found. Wage-discussion rights come from the federal NLRA.

What privacy rules apply to student and parent records?

Louisiana enacted a comprehensive consumer privacy law (SB 386, 2026) effective January 1, 2027. It applies only to businesses with more than $25 million in annual gross revenue, or that handle personal data of 75,000+ consumers, or that get half their revenue from selling data, so a typical martial arts school will fall below the thresholds.

Other Louisiana rules that catch school owners

No state paid sick leave mandate, no predictive scheduling, and no state meal-break rule for adult employees were found. Louisiana is an at-will state. Teen assistant instructors are subject to Louisiana child labor rules (R.S. 23:151 et seq.) and federal FLSA rules; specific 2026 hours limits and work-permit rules were not re-verified, so check with the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

What to watch in Louisiana

Act 150 of 2026 (HB 315) adds R.S. 23:921(P), banning non-competes for interns and apprentices effective August 1, 2026 – relevant if you run instructor-trainee or apprentice programs. The new consumer privacy law takes effect January 1, 2027. Physician non-compete limits (Act 273 of 2024) have applied since January 1, 2025.

The bottom line for Louisiana schools

Louisiana allows a non-compete or a student non-solicitation clause only for up to two years and only in parishes or municipalities named in the agreement. If you use either, draft to the statute exactly; otherwise rely on a confidentiality agreement, real control of the student database, and a clear rule against diverting students while still employed. Do not put an instructor-trainee or apprentice under a non-compete after August 1, 2026.

Sources

• La. R.S. 23:921 – Restraint of business prohibited (Louisiana Legislature)
• HB 315 (2026 Regular Session) bill history – Act 150
• Act 273 of 2024 (SB 165) enrolled text – physician non-competes
• La. R.S. 23:631 – Final wages (Louisiana Legislature)
• La. R.S. 15:587.1 – Child Protection Act criminal history checks
• Child Welfare Information Gateway – Mandatory Reporting, Louisiana
• Ogletree – Louisiana court: employee nonsolicitation not governed by non-compete law
• U.S. DOL – State Minimum Wage Laws

Also for Louisiana: Martial arts laws in Louisiana · Louisiana 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.