Pickleball court fencing: a planner's checklist

USA Pickleball's outdoor construction page puts the job of a fence in one line: "Fencing contains the ball within the confines of the court." How tall, how far it runs down the sides, what mesh and gates it uses and whether it carries windscreens are set in three kinds of documents: USA Pickleball's guidance, the court manual of the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), and the bid specifications cities and park districts publish. They do not all agree, so this page shows each one.

Fence heights in guidance and bids

Where they disagree: USA Pickleball's 10-ft minimum is 2 ft taller than the 8-ft high fence in the ASBA manual's pickleball section, and most of the public bids above follow the 10-ft figure. Pickleball Canada, outside the US, recommends about 10–12 ft (3.0–3.7 m) for outdoor perimeters and 4–5 ft (1.2–1.5 m) for dividers between courts, close to Troy's and Miami-Dade's 4-ft dividers.

1. Backstop behind the baselines: at least 10 ft (USA Pickleball); 8 ft in the ASBA pickleball manual.
2. Backstop height carried along the sides for at least 20 ft from the backstop, 30 ft recommended (USA Pickleball).
3. Rest of the long sides: at least 3 ft (USA Pickleball); 3 ft 6 in to 4 ft (ASBA).
4. Divider fence between courts: 4 ft in the Troy and Ojus Park bids; ASBA's low fences run 3–5 ft with padded tops.
5. Gates at both ends, wide enough for wheelchairs and maintenance equipment (USA Pickleball); Galena's specification has gates swing outward.
6. Windscreen on the tall exterior fence: 6 ft (Hoffman Estates) or 8 ft (Troy, Ojus Park).
7. Fenced surface per court: 30 × 60 ft minimum, 34 × 64 ft preferred (USA Pickleball).

Fabric, mesh and posts

• Mesh smaller than the ball. USA Pickleball notes the ball is about 65 mm across and recommends 45 mm or 55 mm links. The 2-in mesh in the Hoffman Estates, Galena and Conway documents is about 51 mm; Albany used 1¾-in (about 44 mm) on its multi-use court and 2-in elsewhere.
• Material. USA Pickleball calls chain link cost-effective and good for visibility and light, and says fencing should be rust-proof and free of protrusions that could injure players. It names orange construction fencing and plastic garden fencing as other options.
• Gauge and coating. ASBA's summary gives 9-gauge wire, 11-gauge for residential courts. The bids: 8 gauge (Hoffman Estates; Albany, with an 11-gauge core), 9 gauge (Galena, Conway, Birchwood). Black vinyl coating is common; Galena cites ASTM F668 Class 2b for the coated fabric and ASTM F934 for the color.
• Posts and rails. Hoffman Estates sets line posts 8 ft on center in 12 × 48-in concrete footings; Galena allows at most 10 ft between line posts and sizes them by fence height (3-in posts above 96 in). Albany requires a bottom rail on all exterior court fencing rather than a tension wire.
• Wind. The ASBA presentation points to the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute for post sizing and spacing by wind region, exposure, fabric, soil and ice.

Gates

Windscreens

USA Pickleball recommends windbreaks to keep wind from interfering with play and to give "a background against which the ball can be seen." Troy's bid priced 524 ft of 8-ft black windscreen for the exterior fences at $18.68 a foot from the low bidder (against $93.60 a foot for the 8-ft chain link). Ojus Park specifies 8-ft black windscreen throughout; Hoffman Estates specifies 6-ft black screen of 10-oz vinyl-coated polyester; Fairhope's addendum answers "No" to windscreens. Screens add wind load: the ASBA presentation prefers mounting windscreens and divider nets on independent structural members, and otherwise engineering the fence to carry them. Solid noise barriers are a separate, heavier specification; see pickleball noise.

Dividers between courts

• Low chain link. Troy (48-in) and Ojus Park (4-ft, capped). ASBA adds that low sideline fences suit spectators and their tops should be padded.
• Nets. Fairhope's 12 courts use 14 dividers made from 42-ft standard tennis nets; Conway runs about 330 ft of divider netting.
• Weighted curtains. Tarrytown, N.Y., specified a curtain between a new pickleball court and a tennis court: 18-gauge knotted nylon, 1¾-in mesh, with a vinyl and lead-core rope bottom, on galvanized steel posts braced with steel cable.
• Wheelchair play. ASBA recommends setting fences farther apart; the larger wheelchair surface size is on the wheelchair rules page.

Planning steps

1. Fix the fenced footprint first: 34 × 64 ft per court where it fits (see court dimensions and the court space calculator).
2. Choose backstop height (10 ft per USA Pickleball, 8 ft per ASBA) and how far it returns along the sides.
3. Decide what separates courts: low fence, net or curtain.
4. Place gates at both ends with an accessible route to at least one, plus a wide maintenance gate.
5. Decide on windscreens and check the fence is designed for the extra wind load.
6. Keep light poles at least 5 ft from the sidelines, as USA Pickleball recommends; levels and codes are on the court lighting page.

Bid review checklist

• Heights stated for backstops, side returns, low sides and dividers.
• Side-return length stated (USA Pickleball: 20 ft minimum, 30 ft recommended).
• Mesh opening and wire gauge stated; mesh no larger than about 2 in.
• Coating and color named, with the ASTM standard if the city uses one.
• Post size, spacing and footing given, sized for local wind.
• Gate count, clear widths, swing direction and accessible route shown.
• Windscreen height, material and linear feet, and how the fence carries it.
• No sharp ends or protrusions on the playing side.

Related: what cities paid for courts and court surfaces.