Line calls: who calls out, and when

In the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, a line call is an audible or visual signal that a ball in play did not land in the required court area (Section 2). Everyday line calling sits in Section 8, Line Calls; tournament matches with a referee or line judges add Section 19, Tournament Line Calls. Until 2025 the line-call rules were Section 6, which is why older guides cite numbers such as 6.C.7; in 2026, Section 6 covers player readiness and calling the score. This page uses the 2026 numbers and maps the old ones at the end. The official text always wins.

In or out: which lines count

For a rally shot, the whole end of the court counts: the court is the area within the outer edges of the baselines and sidelines (Section 2), and a returned ball that lands on the opponent's end is in (8.B). A ball landing outside that area is out (8.C).

The serve is narrower. A served ball is in only if it clears the opponent's non-volley zone line and lands in the correct service court (8.B). Each service court includes its baseline, sideline and centerline (3.A.4.f), but the lines around the non-volley zone belong to that zone (3.A.4.c), so a serve that lands on the non-volley zone line is out (8.C).

1. Serve on the centerline of the correct service court: in (3.A.4.f, 8.B).
2. Serve on the non-volley zone line: out (3.A.4.c, 8.C).
3. Serve on the baseline of the correct service court: in (3.A.4.f).
4. Serve in the other service court: out, because it missed the correct one (8.C).
5. Rally ball on the sideline: in (Section 2 court definition, 8.B).
6. Rally ball on the non-volley zone line: in. Only the serve treats that line as out.
7. Ball beyond the baseline: may be called out only if the caller clearly sees a space between the line and the ball (8.E).
8. Rally ball inside the non-volley zone: in; the zone limits volleys, not where shots may land.

Who calls what

Non-volley zone faults and foot faults are fault calls, not line calls, so they follow Rule 9.B: if the two teams disagree about one, the rally is replayed (9.B.3.b); if partners disagree, the decision goes to the opponents (9.B.3.c). With line judges present, any line call a player makes is invalid except on their own centerline or to overrule an official in the opponent's favor (19.C.3).

Section 8: the rules for every match

The timing rule is the main 2026 change. USA Pickleball's 2026 change document explains that the 2025 rule let a player who did not return the ball call it out, appeal or ask the opponent any time before the next serve; that allowance was removed because it saw no legitimate reason to delay an out call and wanted to discourage gamesmanship. The same document says common sense should apply when a ball is clearly out.

With a referee: appeals and overrules

1. Appeal. Only rally-ending shots can be appealed, by any player (19.D), before the next serve is hit, or for a match-ending shot before the scoresheet is initialed (19.D.1).
2. Ask the opponent first, if you like. On a line you are responsible for, you may ask the opponent's opinion before appealing; a definitive answer stands unless the referee overrules it on appeal (19.D.2). After appealing or asking, your side loses that line call except to overrule in the opponent's favor (19.D.3).
3. The referee decides. Without line judges, the referee must make the call on an appealed shot if they clearly saw where it landed (19.E). The referee may overrule any player or line judge call, and must do so on seeing the ball land in (19.F).
4. Blocked view. If a line judge signals "blocked/blinded," the referee must call it at once if they clearly saw the landing; otherwise they canvass other members of the officiating team (19.H).

A replay restarts the rally without awarding a point or changing the server (Section 2). Beyond the match referee, players may appeal any officiating decision to the Head Referee or Tournament Director (20.J); if the original ruling is upheld, the challenging side gets a technical warning and is charged a time-out, or a technical foul if none is left (20.J.2). Repeated appeals that disrupt play can bring a verbal or technical warning (22.B.6). All players together may ask the referee to replace a line judge; if the referee disagrees, the Tournament Director decides (20.K, 20.K.1, 20.K.2). The 2026 change document adds that players in a non-officiated tournament match may summon the Head Referee or Tournament Director.

Video: Section 2 lists a Video Replay Referee and a Tracking Referee as members of the officiating team, and Rule 17.D.9 points to Appendix A for replays. This page does not cover how video review works, because that appendix was not part of the rulebook text read for it.

2025 numbers vs. 2026 numbers

* Pairs listed in USA Pickleball's 2026 change document. Unstarred rows match a 2025 rule, as summarized by PlayPickleball, to the 2026 rule on the same topic; the change document lists entries one by one and has no full renumbering table.

Checklist for self-officiated play

• Call only the lines on your own end (8.A).
• No clear space between ball and line? It is in (8.D, 8.E).
• Call it out loud, with a hand signal, or both, and right away (8.F, 8.F.3).
• "Out!" to your partner while the ball is in the air is not a call (8.F.4).
• Partners split? The ball is in (8.H).
• Not sure? Ask the opponent before the next serve and accept a clear answer (8.I).
• Never ask spectators (8.J).

For every fault with its rule number, see the pickleball faults list; for the kitchen line in volleys, the kitchen rules; for serve placement, the serve rules; and for line widths and layout, court dimensions.