Reference · Court

Pickleball court dimensions

Every measurement you need to mark, check or build a court — from USA Pickleball's rulebook — with a scaled diagram.

A pickleball court is the same size for singles and doubles: 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, which matches a doubles badminton court. The net divides it into two 22-foot halves, and a 7-foot non-volley zone ("the kitchen") sits on each side of the net. Everything below comes from Section 2 of the USA Pickleball rulebook ("Court and Equipment").

Diagram drawn to scale (1 ft = 10 units). Yellow = non-volley zone; its lines are part of the zone. Net posts shown outside the sidelines.

Core measurements

Element	Measurement
Court (singles and doubles)	20 ft wide × 44 ft long
Each half (net to baseline)	22 ft
Non-volley zone depth	7 ft from the net on each side
Service court (each)	10 ft wide × 15 ft deep (kitchen line to baseline, split by the centerline)
Line width	2 in, all lines the same color, contrasting with the surface
How lines are measured	To the outside edge of the perimeter and NVZ lines
Net height at sidelines	36 in (±0.25 in)
Net height at center	34 in (±0.25 in)
Net length	At least 21 ft 9 in between posts
Net depth (top to bottom)	At least 30 in
Net posts	22 ft apart (±1 in), inside to inside; max 3 in diameter
Net top	2 in white tape binding over a cord or cable

The 15-foot service-court depth follows from the other numbers: each half is 22 ft, minus the 7 ft kitchen.

Which lines belong to which area

The NVZ lines (the sidelines inside the kitchen and the kitchen line itself) are part of the non-volley zone. Touching them while volleying is a fault, and a serve landing on the kitchen line is short. How these lines decide close calls is covered in kitchen rules explained.
Each service court includes its centerline, sideline and baseline, so a serve landing on any of those lines is good.

Playing surface around the court

Players need room behind the baselines and beyond the sidelines. The rulebook sets these sizes for the total surface:

Use	Total surface
Minimum	30 × 60 ft
Recommended for new construction and tournament play	34 × 64 ft
Wheelchair play	44 × 74 ft
Stadium courts	50 × 80 ft

To see how many courts fit in a space using these footprints, try the court space calculator.

Lining a tennis court for pickleball

A standard tennis court pad is 60 × 120 ft. A technical article by the American Sports Builders Association notes that one, two or four pickleball courts can be fitted on it. Four courts is a common conversion but leaves only about 5 ft between pickleball sidelines and 8 ft from baselines to the fence, so extra width helps if space allows. For blended lines, the ASBA recommends a line color that clearly differs from the tennis lines — for example red or blue pickleball lines on a court with white tennis lines — and professionally painted lines rather than tape or chalk.

USA Pickleball's court guidance adds three practical points: avoid laying pickleball courts at right angles to an existing north–south court (players end up facing the low sun), get the facility owner's permission first, and test temporary tape or adhesive lines in a small, out-of-the-way spot because they can leave residue.

Quick marking checklist

Mark the 20 × 44 ft rectangle to the outside of the lines and check the diagonals match (about 48.3 ft each, from the Pythagorean theorem on 20 and 44).
Mark the net line at 22 ft and the two kitchen lines 7 ft either side of it.
Run the centerline from each kitchen line to its baseline, 10 ft from each sideline.
Set the posts 22 ft apart and adjust the net to 36 in at the sidelines and 34 in at the center.

Sources

Sources checked October 2026. Rules, fees and schedules change — confirm with the venue or governing body.