A regulation pickleball court is 44 ft (13.41 m) long and 20 ft (6.10 m) wide, the same size for singles and doubles. The non-volley zone, the kitchen, runs 7 ft (2.13 m) back from the net at each end. The net is 36 in (91.44 cm) high where it crosses the outer edge of each sideline and 34 in (86.36 cm) at the center, each with a tolerance of plus or minus 1/4 in (0.635 cm). Every figure here is read from Section 3 of the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook.
One note on that citation. Court and Equipment was Section 2 through the 2025 edition and became Section 3 in 2026. The figures did not move with it: every dimension below matches the 2025 text, and the 2026 Rulebook Change Document lists no change to any of them.
Court diagram
Full pickleball court dimensions
| Measurement | Figure | Applies to | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court length | 44 ft (13.41 m) | Singles and doubles | Official |
| Court width | 20 ft (6.10 m) | Singles and doubles | Official |
| Non-volley zone depth, net to kitchen line | 7 ft (2.13 m) | Each end of the court | Official |
| Service court depth, kitchen line to baseline | 15 ft (4.57 m) | Each of the four service courts | Derived |
| Service court width, sideline to center line | 10 ft (3.05 m) | Each of the four service courts | Derived |
| Line width | 2 in (5.08 cm) | All court lines | Official |
| Net height at the sidelines | 36 in ± 1/4 in (91.44 cm ± 0.635 cm) | Where the net crosses the outer edge of each sideline | Official |
| Net height at the center | 34 in ± 1/4 in (86.36 cm ± 0.635 cm) | Center point of the court | Official |
| Net post spacing, inside face to inside face | 22 ft ± 1 in (6.71 m ± 2.54 cm) | Net posts | Official |
| Net post set back outside each sideline | 1 ft (0.30 m) | Each side of the court | Derived |
| Minimum net length, post to post | 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) | The net itself | Official |
| Minimum net height, bottom edge to top | 30 in (76.2 cm) | The net panel | Official |
| Minimum total playing surface | 30 ft × 60 ft (9.14 m × 18.29 m) | Ground needed for one court | Official |
| Recommended playing surface, new construction and tournament play | 34 ft × 64 ft (10.36 m × 19.51 m) | New builds and tournament venues | Recommended |
Three rows are calculations rather than quotations. The rulebook never prints the size of a service court. Half the 44 ft length is 22 ft; take away the 7 ft kitchen and 15 ft is left. Half the 20 ft width is 10 ft, which rule 3.B.5 corroborates by placing the center of the net 10 ft from the outside edge of the sidelines.
What each line does
Rule 3.A.2 takes all dimensions to the outside edge of the lines, so 44 ft by 20 ft describes the outer edges of the painted rectangle rather than the inside of it. The two baselines run parallel to the net, the two sidelines perpendicular to it. Pickleball has no separate singles sidelines, so the same four lines bound the court in both formats.
The non-volley zone line gives the game its shape. Rule 3.A.4.c places it parallel to the net, 7 ft from it, running the full width between the sidelines. The line itself is part of the zone, which is two-dimensional: it covers the surface and does not extend upward, so a player outside it may reach over the kitchen to play a ball.
Behind it, a center line splits each end into two service courts running from the kitchen line back to the baseline. Each is 15 ft deep and 10 ft wide, both derived. The center line does not continue into the non-volley zone.
Rule 3.A.4.e sets line width at 2 in (5.08 cm), and words it as a should rather than a must. All lines have to be the same color and clearly contrast with the surface. One transcription point is worth flagging rather than quietly correcting: at 3.A.4.c the 2026 rulebook converts the zone’s 20 ft width as 6.08 m, contradicting the 6.10 m it gives at 3.A.1. This page uses 6.10 m, since 20 ft is 6.096 m.
The net and net posts
Two net heights are fixed, and both are stated as musts. Rule 3.B.6 sets 36 in ± 1/4 in (91.44 cm ± 0.635 cm) where the net crosses the outer edge of each sideline. Rule 3.B.7 sets 34 in ± 1/4 in (86.36 cm ± 0.635 cm) at the center, measured over the center strap where one is fitted. The 2 in difference is designed in. It is not sag, and a net measuring 36 in at the middle is set up wrong.
The 36 in figure is the most misquoted number in pickleball. It is the height at the outer edge of the sideline, not at the post: the posts stand a further 1 ft (0.30 m) outside that edge, and the rulebook specifies no height at the post face. A drawing labeling 36 in at the post is labeling a measurement the rules do not give.
Rule 3.B.2 puts the posts 22 ft ± 1 in (6.71 m ± 2.54 cm) apart, inside face to inside face, and caps post diameter at 3 in (7.62 cm). That spacing is a should. The 1 ft set-back follows from it: posts 22 ft apart, a court 20 ft wide to the outside edge of the sidelines, half the 2 ft difference on each side.
Rule 3.B.3 specifies the net as a supplied object: at least 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) long post to post and at least 30 in (76.2 cm) from bottom edge to top. That length is shorter than the post spacing, so a compliant net need not close the last few inches at each post, and the 30 in describes the panel, not the height it hangs at. Rule 3.B.4 binds the top edge with 2 in (5.08 cm) of white tape.
Clearance and total space
The court is only the painted rectangle: a 44 ft by 20 ft court will not fit on 44 ft by 20 ft of ground. Rule 3.A.3 sets a minimum playing surface of 30 ft × 60 ft (9.14 m × 18.29 m), leaving 5 ft (1.52 m) of run-off beyond each sideline and 8 ft (2.44 m) behind each baseline. That minimum is a rule, not advice.
The same table recommends 34 ft × 64 ft (10.36 m × 19.51 m) for both new construction and tournament play: 7 ft (2.13 m) beyond each sideline and 10 ft (3.05 m) behind each baseline. For a stadium court it recommends 50 ft × 80 ft (15.24 m × 24.38 m). Those are recommendations; a court on the minimum is legal. The 2026 table prints 64 ft as 19.5 m, while 19.51 m is the exact value at the rulebook’s usual two decimals.
Two gaps are worth stating plainly. The rulebook sets no minimum ceiling height for indoor play, so this guide gives no overhead clearance figure. Wheelchair play is governed separately: rule 25.A.11 recommends 44 ft × 74 ft (13.41 m × 22.55 m), or 50 ft × 80 ft in a stadium court.
Overhead plan
The same surface seen from straight above, drawn to scale. Nothing is foreshortened here, so every figure can be read off the drawing the way a tape measure would take it.
Detail sheet
A rule book fixes more than the shape of the surface, and the rest of it is too small to draw at court scale: a mark a few centimetres long, a post standing a metre off the sideline, the clearance around the whole thing. Each one here has its own frame and its own scale.
Frequently asked questions
What are the dimensions of a regulation pickleball court?
44 ft (13.41 m) long by 20 ft (6.10 m) wide, measured to the outside edge of the lines, under rules 3.A.1 and 3.A.2. The non-volley zone takes the first 7 ft (2.13 m) at each end.
Is a pickleball court the same size for singles and doubles?
Yes. Rule 3.A.1 gives one court, 44 ft by 20 ft, for both formats. Pickleball has no singles sidelines and no shorter singles court.
How big is the kitchen in pickleball?
The non-volley zone is 7 ft (2.13 m) deep at each end and spans the full 20 ft (6.10 m) width, under rule 3.A.4.c. The line counts as part of the zone, and the zone does not extend above the surface.
How high is a pickleball net?
36 in ± 1/4 in (91.44 cm ± 0.635 cm) at the outer edge of each sideline, and 34 in ± 1/4 in (86.36 cm ± 0.635 cm) at the center. Both are musts, under rules 3.B.6 and 3.B.7. The rulebook gives no height at the post.
How much space does one pickleball court need?
Rule 3.A.3 requires a minimum surface of 30 ft × 60 ft (9.14 m × 18.29 m). The same rule recommends 34 ft × 64 ft (10.36 m × 19.51 m) for new construction and tournament play.
Official sources
- USA Pickleball, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 edition, Section 3 — Court and Equipment. Source of every figure here. Verified September 5, 2026.
- USA Pickleball, 2025 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2025 edition, Section 2. Used only to confirm the 2026 figures are unchanged. Accessed September 5, 2026.
- USA Pickleball, 2026 Rulebook Change Document, 2026 edition. Accessed September 5, 2026.
- USA Pickleball, Equipment Standards Manual, Revision 3.0, January 2025, Section 2, which defers to the Rulebook for court, line and net specifications. Accessed September 5, 2026.
How a figure is read, labeled and dated is set out on the methodology page. If a number here looks wrong, report it through corrections.