Pickleball court dimensions: size, kitchen and net

A pickleball court is small, and that is part of its charm: you learn quickly, points are close and you can play almost anywhere with a firm floor. But its dimensions are not random. The kitchen, the net that dips in the middle and the service boxes shape how every point is played. This guide sums up the official measurements from USA Pickleball's rulebook, which most clubs and tournaments follow, and explains what each part is for.

The size: 20 by 44 feet

A pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, that is, 6.10 by 13.41 metres. It is the same court for singles and doubles: unlike tennis, there are no extra alleys and no second pair of sidelines.

Measurements are taken to the outside of the lines, and every line is part of the court, with one important exception on the serve explained below. Under the rules, lines are 2 inches wide (about 5 centimetres) and must be the same colour and contrast with the floor.

The lines, one by one

• Baselines. They close the court at each end, parallel to the net.
• Sidelines. They close the sides, along the length of the court.
• Kitchen line. Parallel to the net, 7 feet (2.13 metres) from it on each side. It marks the edge of the non-volley zone.
• Centreline. It runs from the kitchen line to the baseline on each side and splits that part of the court into two service boxes.

The kitchen: 7 feet from the net

The non-volley zone, which everyone calls the kitchen, covers the first 7 feet (2.13 metres) on each side of the net, from sideline to sideline. Its line is part of the kitchen: touching it on a volley is a fault, just like stepping inside.

The space is small in metres but it is the heart of the game. Inside the kitchen you cannot hit the ball out of the air, so the doubles point is won or lost very close to that line. If you want to understand the rules that come out of this zone, our guide to the kitchen and the two-bounce rule explains them in detail.

The service boxes

Behind the kitchen sit the two service boxes on each side. Each is 10 feet wide and 15 feet deep (3.05 by 4.57 metres), from the kitchen line to the baseline.

The serve has to land in the diagonal box, and here is the exception to the line rule: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is a fault, because that line belongs to the kitchen. A serve that lands on the centreline, sideline or baseline of the correct box, on the other hand, is in.

The net: lower in the middle

The net runs across the court from side to side. Under USA Pickleball's rules:

• At the sidelines it is 36 inches high (91.44 centimetres).
• At the centre it is 34 inches (86.36 centimetres).
• The posts stand outside the court, 22 feet apart, about a foot outside each sideline.

Those two inches between the centre and the sides make the crosscourt dink, which crosses the middle, safer than the straight one. The pickleball net is also lower than a tennis net at the sides, which you will notice at first if you come from tennis.

The space around the court

The 20 by 44 rectangle is not all you need. To chase a lob or reach a wide ball you need clear space. The rulebook recommends a total playing area of 30 by 60 feet (9.14 by 18.29 metres) per court, and prefers 34 by 64 feet (10.36 by 19.51 metres) for tournaments and new courts.

That difference matters when you choose where to play. On a court with little room behind the baseline, serving deep or defending a lob becomes awkward, and on adjacent courts with no fencing between them balls cross over all the time.

The surface

Almost all outdoor courts are concrete or asphalt with an acrylic coating, the same kind of floor as a hard tennis court. People also play on gym hardwood, on modular plastic tiles and, more and more, at clubs that adapt their courts. What you need is a firm, flat floor with a regular bounce. Natural grass and sand do not work, because the perforated plastic ball barely bounces on them.

Pickleball on a tennis court

Because a pickleball court is so much smaller, in Mexico it is common to play on tennis courts, in two ways:

• With temporary lines painted or taped onto a tennis court, using the tennis net. It works for playing, but the tennis net is higher than a pickleball net both in the middle and at the sides, so it is worth lowering it with the centre strap or using a portable net.
• With permanent courts laid out in a tennis court's footprint. It is common for that space to hold up to four pickleball courts, each with its own net, which is why many clubs have converted little-used tennis courts.

If you play on a court with lines for both sports, check the colours carefully before you start: it is easy to mistake the tennis service line for the kitchen line.

How it compares with padel and tennis

A padel court is 20 by 10 metres, and a tennis court 23.77 by 10.97 for doubles. Pickleball's, at 13.41 by 6.10, is clearly the smallest. That is why movements are short, people play at any age and the match is decided more by placement and patience than by speed. If you want to compare, see our guides to tennis and padel court dimensions.

How to use these measurements in your game

• Stand just behind the kitchen line when you move up to the net. It is the closest point from which you can volley without a fault.
• Serve deep, near the baseline of the opposing box. A short serve lands near the kitchen and lets the receiver attack.
• Dink crosscourt, where the net is lower and the distance longer.
• Mind the space behind the baseline. If the court has little, do not stand too far back to return.

In short

20 by 44 feet, the kitchen 7 feet from the net, service boxes of 10 by 15 feet and a net 34 inches high at the centre and 36 at the sides. With that you can see why pickleball is played so close to the net, why a serve on the kitchen line is a fault and why several courts fit in a tennis court's space.

When you are ready to put it into practice, look for pickleball courts in your city on MeetAndPlay and join an open match at your level.