Washington 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 Washington before you sign, change or enforce a staff agreement.
Washington 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 Washington make instructors sign a non-compete?
Through June 29, 2027, RCW 49.62 voids non-competes for employees earning $126,858.83 or less in 2026 (independent contractors: $317,147.09). Even above the threshold, the terms must be disclosed in writing by the time the offer is accepted. Duration over 18 months is presumed unreasonable, and laid-off workers must be paid base salary during the restricted period. ESHB 1155, signed March 23, 2026, voids essentially all employee and contractor non-competes as of June 30, 2027, including ones already signed; sale-of-business covenants survive. Employers must send written notice to current and former workers with active agreements by October 1, 2027. An ordinary instructor is effectively not bindable now and will not be from mid-2027.
Can you stop a departing instructor from soliciting your students?
Under current law, a non-solicit may bar soliciting current customers only and is not treated as a non-compete. From June 30, 2027, a customer non-solicit is allowed only for customers the worker dealt with directly, and for no more than 18 months after separation. Barring a worker from accepting business, or from servicing customers, will be treated as a banned non-compete.
Can you stop a departing instructor from recruiting your staff?
Allowed under current law. From June 30, 2027, employee non-solicits remain permitted but are limited to 18 months after separation.
What is the minimum wage for instructors in Washington?
$17.13 per hour from January 1, 2026 (up 2.8%); 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid $14.56 (85%). Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Bellingham, Everett, Burien and unincorporated King County set higher local minimums. The state rate is indexed each January; the 2027 figure was not confirmed.
When do instructors earn overtime?
Time-and-a-half after 40 hours a week. To be exempt in 2026, an employee must earn at least $1,541.70 a week ($80,168.40 a year), which is 2.25 times the state minimum wage and far above the federal level.
When is the final paycheck due?
Whether the employee quits or is fired, final wages are due at the end of the established pay period, meaning the next regular payday. Earned commissions are wages. Willful nonpayment can bring double damages and attorney fees (RCW 49.52.070).
What background checks can you run on instructors who teach children?
The Fair Chance Act (RCW 49.94), as amended by EHB 1747, bars asking about criminal history until after a conditional offer, starting July 1, 2026 for employers with 15+ employees and January 1, 2027 for smaller ones. It also requires an individualized assessment before rejecting someone. The Act does not apply to jobs with unsupervised access to children under 18 or vulnerable adults, which covers most instructor roles. Washington State Police background checks (WATCH) are available, and Washington bans salary-history questions. Not confirmed — check with local counsel.
Are martial arts instructors mandated reporters of child abuse?
Washington is not a universal reporting state, and coaches are not named. However, anyone who supervises employees or volunteers who coach or counsel children, and any supervisor at a for-profit or nonprofit organization who learns of abuse by someone they supervise, must report. Reports go to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The legal deadline is generally no later than 48 hours (not re-verified).
What can a dress code or grooming policy require?
The Washington Law Against Discrimination (8+ employees) defines race to include hair texture and protective hairstyles (since 2020) and covers gender expression or identity and religion, so dress codes must accommodate these.
How far can a morals or conduct clause reach into off-duty life?
Since January 1, 2024, employers generally may not reject applicants for lawful off-duty cannabis use or for a pre-employment test showing non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites (safety-sensitive and federal roles are excepted). There is no broad lawful-conduct statute. Not confirmed — check with local counsel.
Do you have to disclose pay or allow staff to discuss it?
Employers with 15 or more employees must include a wage scale or salary range and a general description of benefits in every job posting (RCW 49.58.110). Through July 27, 2027, employers get a 5-business-day cure window. Washington also protects employees’ right to discuss wages.
What privacy rules apply to student and parent records?
No comprehensive consumer privacy law. The My Health My Data Act covers ‘consumer health data’ with no small-business exemption, which could touch injury or health records you collect from students. Federal COPPA applies to online collection from children under 13.
Other Washington rules that catch school owners
Paid sick leave of at least 1 hour per 40 hours worked applies to all employers. Rest breaks: 10 paid minutes per 4 hours. Meal breaks: 30 minutes per 5 hours. Workers must pass a strict six-part test to be independent contractors, so contract instructors are risky. Minors need a work permit endorsement and have hour limits.
What to watch in Washington
The non-compete ban takes effect June 30, 2027, with worker notices due by October 1, 2027. Fair Chance Act changes reach small employers January 1, 2027. The pay-transparency cure period ends July 27, 2027. The thresholds and minimum wage are indexed each January.
The bottom line for Washington schools
Leave a post-employment non-compete out of ordinary instructor agreements; for that role it is unlikely to be enforceable. Where Washington 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
- WA L&I: Non-compete agreements (2026 thresholds)
- Faegre Drinker: Washington bans all noncompete agreements effective June 30, 2027
- WA L&I: Minimum wage going up to $17.13 in 2026
- K&L Gates: Fair Chance Act amendments starting July 1, 2026
- CHILD USA: Washington mandatory reporting laws
- AllVoices: Washington labor laws 2026
Also for Washington: Martial arts laws in Washington · Washington 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.
