Serve rules: volley serve, drop serve and foot faults

In the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook the serve has its own part: Section 7, "Serving". Through 2025 they sat in Section 4, so older articles citing 4.A.5 or 4.A.7 mean today's 7.B.2 and 7.C. Rule numbers on this page follow the 2026 rulebook; the official text always wins.

Volley serve vs. drop serve

The rulebook allows two kinds of serve. A volley serve is hit before the released ball bounces. A drop serve is hit after the ball bounces on the playing surface. Only the volley serve has motion and height limits.

1. Legal Both feet on the playing surface behind the baseline, inside the correct (here: right) serving area (7.A.1).
2. Fault Toe on the baseline when the serve is hit. The court is the area inside the outer dimensions of the baselines and sidelines, so the line counts as court (7.A.2).
3. Fault A foot outside the imaginary extension of the sideline (7.A.3).
4. Legal A foot on the imaginary extension of the centerline. The serving area includes its extensions (3.A.4.g).
5. Volley serve Paddle moving in a clear upward arc at contact (7.C.1).
6. Volley serve Highest point of the paddle head not above the highest part of the wrist (7.C.2).
7. Volley serve Ball no higher than the waist at contact (7.C.3).
8. Drop serve Ball released from a natural height, not thrown or pushed down; it may bounce any number of times before it is hit (7.D.1–7.D.4).

Where the server's feet must be (7.A)

A serve foot fault is judged at one moment only: when the paddle hits the ball. At that moment all three of these must be true:

1. One foot down. At least one foot is in contact with the correct serving area. If both feet are off the playing surface, it is a fault (7.A.1, 7.A.1.a).
2. No foot on the court. Neither foot touches the court, which includes the baseline (7.A.2).
3. No foot outside the area. Neither foot touches the playing surface outside the correct serving area, meaning beyond the imaginary extension of the sideline or the centerline (7.A.3).

The right and left serving areas include the imaginary extensions of their sideline and the centerline (3.A.4.g). Which one is "correct" depends on the score: in singles the server serves from the right when their score is zero or even and from the left when it is odd (5.A.1).

Releasing the ball and spin (7.B)

• Release the ball with only one hand or only the paddle (7.B.1).
• Some natural rotation is expected, but the server may not add spin or manipulate the ball with the body or the paddle during the release. Spin applied by the paddle at contact is allowed (7.B.2).
• The release must be visible to the receiver (7.B.3).

Without a referee, the receiver may call for a replay if they judge that spin was added during the release, or if they could not see the release, but only before returning the serve (7.B.2.a, 7.B.3.a).

Where the serve must land

The serve goes to the service court diagonally opposite the server. It must clear the opponents' non-volley zone, with or without touching the net, and land in the correct service court (7.E). It is a fault if the serve:

• lands outside the correct service court (7.E.1);
• lands in the non-volley zone, which includes the non-volley-zone line (7.E.2, 3.A.4.c; Rule 8.C calls a serve on that line "out");
• hits a permanent object before landing (7.E.3);
• hits the server, the server's partner, or anything either is wearing or carrying (7.E.4);
• hits the net post or net support system (13.B.1).

A serve that hits the receiver or receiver's partner before landing is a fault against the receiving side (7.E.5). A serve that touches the net and lands in the correct court is simply in play: there is no service let.

Before the serve: score call and 10 seconds

The whole score must be called before the serve is hit; serving during the call is a fault (6.C, 6.C.1). The server then has 10 seconds after the call is completed to serve, or it is a fault (6.D, 6.D.1). If the serving team changes serving areas after the call, all players get to reposition and the score is called again, restarting the count (6.D.2).

Who calls a service fault

In play without a referee, players may call service foot faults only on an opponent (9.B.3). In refereed tournament play, the referee calls service faults and may call a replay when unsure that a requirement was met. For a drop serve where it is questionable whether the ball was propelled on release, the replay is mandatory (20.E.1, 20.E.2.i).

How the serve rules changed

The 2026 change document lists, among others, these moves: 4.A.5 to 7.B.2 (release and spin), 4.A.7 to 7.C (volley serve) and 4.M.4 to 7.E (placement). Pro tours can use their own rules; Wikipedia's pickleball article notes PPA differences on let serves and the drop serve. Check the event's rules.

Pre-serve checklist

• Correct server, correct serving area for the score, and the full score called.
• Both feet behind the baseline and inside the extensions of the sideline and centerline.
• Ball released with one hand or the paddle, visibly, with no added spin.
• Drop serve: just let go of the ball. Volley serve: upward arc, paddle head below the wrist, contact below the waist.
• Served within 10 seconds of the call, aimed past the kitchen line into the diagonal court.

For the rest of the game see the rules summary, the kitchen rules and the scoring explainer.