Pickleball court dimensions

The court from above

The net splits the court into two 20 × 22 ft halves. On each side, the kitchen line runs 7 ft from the net, and a centreline from the kitchen line to the baseline divides the rest into a right and a left service court. All measurements are made to the outside edge of the perimeter and kitchen lines.

Court and lines

The kitchen is two-dimensional: it does not extend above the playing surface. Every line that bounds it counts as part of it, so a foot on the kitchen line is in the kitchen.

Net and posts

The net is lower in the middle than at the sides: 36 in where it crosses the outer edge of the sidelines and 34 in at the centre. A centre strap, placed 10 ft from the outside edge of either sideline, may be used to pull the net down to the right height.

How much space a pickleball court needs

The rulebook calls the court plus the space around it the playing surface and sets its size. The run-off in the last column is simply what is left around a centred 20 × 44 ft court.

Source: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook 2026, Rule 3.A.3. Space around the lines calculated from it.

Several courts side by side

The rulebook sizes the playing surface per court and sets no separate gap between courts. If every court in a row keeps its own 30 × 60 ft surface, neighbouring sidelines end up 10 ft apart; at 34 × 64 ft, 14 ft apart. For planning a site, Pickleball BC’s rule of thumb is 2,250–2,500 sq ft (about 209–232 m²) per court, which also leaves room for players waiting to come on. On that basis a six-court hub needs 13,500–15,000 sq ft (about 1,250–1,390 m²).

Outdoors, USA Pickleball says courts should run north–south, so that players are not looking into the sun in the morning or late afternoon.

Pickleball courts on a tennis court

A tennis court is 78 × 36 ft inside its lines, so it holds several 44 × 20 ft pickleball courts. The LTA says up to four pickleball courts fit on one tennis court. Pickleball England’s layout drawings show two pickleball courts on a common-size tennis court and four on an international-size one, drawn in a 120 × 60 ft area. Its guidance asks for 50 mm lines, supports blended pickleball lines on tennis courts and notes that pickleball lines in a different colour from the white tennis lines distract tennis players less.

For the full tennis court and its run-off, see tennis court dimensions. For what a conversion or a new court costs, see how much it costs to build a pickleball court.

Indoor courts and ceiling height

The rulebook does not set a ceiling height. It does treat ceilings, walls and light fittings as permanent objects: a ball that hits one before it lands is a fault against the player who hit it, so a low ceiling ends lobs early. Clear heights and lighting for new courts are covered in Pickleball Courts: A Construction & Maintenance Manual, which USA Pickleball publishes with the American Sports Builders Association. It is a paid, 182-page book; the current edition is from 2023 and USA Pickleball says the next one is due in 2026.

Where the sources differ

• 20 ft in metres. The rulebook gives the court width as 6.10 m but the kitchen as 7 × 20 ft “(2.13 m by 6.08 m)”, and the LTA writes 6.09 m. 20 ft is 6.096 m; the court is the same width everywhere.
• Rounded UK figures. The LTA’s FAQ also gives the court as 6.1 × 13.4 m. Lines measured to 13.4 m instead of 13.41 m are 1 cm short, so mark out in feet, or in metres to two decimals.
• Line width. The rulebook asks for 2 in (5.08 cm); Pickleball England’s guidance for lines on tennis courts says 50 mm, a rounded metric equivalent.

Running the courts once they are built

Playmore runs bookings and payments for pickleball clubs. See how it works for pickleball clubs.