Pennsylvania courts blue-pencil when “a covenant imposes restrictions broader than necessary to protect the employer” (Pharmethod, Inc.
Non-compete clauses are enforceable and legal in Pennsylvania as long as they reasonably protect the business' interest and have reasonable duration and geographic restrictions.
Pennsylvania courts have generally found non-compete agreements to be enforceable if the agreement is incident to an employment relationship between the employer and employee; the restriction imposed is reasonably necessary for the protection of the employer's business interest; and the restrictions imposed are ...
My limited understanding is, restrictive covenants are only enforceable by a home owners association created among them. A local government isn't going to swoop in and enforce, or defend, a covenant that you created on your property. The local government is only concerned with land use ordinance's and state laws.
Covenants are legally binding and enforceable by the court. What might a covenant restrict? A covenant can restrict the appearance of a development, for example its height, size or quantity, or it can restrict the activity that takes place on a plot, such as allowing only agricultural or residential use.
Non-competition, non-dealing and non-solicitation restrictive covenants are only enforceable under English law if the employer can demonstrate that: it has a legitimate business interest that it is seeking to protect; and.
Nevertheless, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has made it clear that non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants are not favored in Pennsylvania and are viewed as a trade restraint that prevents a former employee from earning a living.
The courts will restrain an ex-employee from violating a restrictive covenant only when the circumstances make it reasonable to enforce. However, a Pennsylvania court will look only at the terms when the ex-employer sues for damages, not an injunction.