Pickleball Court Dimensions: Official Size Guide

A regulation pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, for both singles and doubles. Each side has a 7-foot non-volley zone (the kitchen) next to the net and two service courts behind it, and the net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches high at the center.

Every measurement in this guide comes from Section 3 of the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook.

Official Court Size

Court measurements are made to the outside edge of the perimeter lines and the non-volley zone lines (Rule 3.A.2). In other words, the lines sit inside the 20 by 44 foot rectangle.

USA Pickleball describes the court as badminton-sized, which matches the sport's origins on a backyard badminton court. For the full story, see what is pickleball.

Total Playing Surface

The court is only part of the space you need. Players regularly run past the baselines and sidelines to reach the ball, so the rulebook defines a larger playing surface around the court (Rule 3.A.3).

With a court centered on the minimum 30 by 60 foot surface, there are 5 feet of clear space beside each sideline and 8 feet behind each baseline. The 34 by 64 foot recommendation increases that to 7 feet and 10 feet.

Court Zones Explained

Non-Volley Zone (The Kitchen)

The non-volley zone is the 7-foot by 20-foot area next to the net on each side of the court (Rule 3.A.4.c). The non-volley zone line runs parallel to the net, 7 feet away from it, from sideline to sideline.

Two details in the rule matter during play. First, all lines that bound the non-volley zone are part of the zone. Second, the zone is two-dimensional and does not extend above the playing surface.

The kitchen exists to restrict volleys, which are shots hit before the ball bounces. All volleys must be started from outside the zone, and a player may be in the zone at any time except during the act of volleying (Rule 11.A). The fine print, including the momentum rule, is covered in our guide to pickleball kitchen rules.

Service Courts

Behind each kitchen, the centerline divides the remaining court into a right service court and a left service court (Rule 3.A.4.f).

The length follows from the other dimensions: each half of the court is 22 feet long, and the kitchen takes up the first 7 feet.

Each service court includes its baseline, sideline and centerline. A serve must land in the service court diagonally opposite the server, and it must clear the kitchen. A serve that lands on the non-volley zone line is a fault. See pickleball serving rules for the full requirements.

Serving Areas

The rulebook also defines a serving area behind each baseline (Rule 3.A.4.g). It is bounded by the imaginary extensions of the sideline and the centerline. When the serve is hit, the server's feet must be within this area and not touching the court.

Lines

All lines should be 2 inches wide and the same color, clearly contrasting with the playing surface (Rule 3.A.4.e). The centerline does not extend through the kitchen in standard play.

During a rally, a ball that touches any line is in. The only exception is on the serve, where the non-volley zone line counts as part of the kitchen and a serve that lands on it is a fault.

Net Specifications

The net is 2 inches lower in the middle than at the sidelines. A center strap may be used to hold the net at the required center height (Rule 3.B.5). Because the posts stand 22 feet apart, they sit about 1 foot outside each sideline of the 20-foot-wide court.

Marking a Temporary Court

You do not need a dedicated facility to play. Any flat, hard surface with room for the 20 by 44 foot court and some space around it can work for casual games.

To lay out a court:

1. Mark the outer rectangle. Measure 20 feet by 44 feet to the outside edges of the lines. Check that the two diagonals are equal so the corners are square.
2. Find the net line. It crosses the court at the midpoint, 22 feet from each baseline.
3. Mark the kitchen lines. Measure 7 feet from the net on each side and mark a line across the full width. Measure to the outside edge of the line, meaning the edge farthest from the net.
4. Mark the centerlines. On each side, mark a line down the middle of the court (10 feet from each sideline) from the kitchen line to the baseline.
5. Set the net. A portable net should measure 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center.

Tape or chalk works for temporary lines. On a gym floor or any surface you do not own, ask the facility what marking material it allows.

For the rest of what you need to bring to the court, see the pickleball equipment list.

How the Court Shapes the Game

The dimensions explain a lot about how pickleball is played:

• The court is compact. With only 20 feet of width to cover, two doubles partners standing side by side can reach most of it, which is one reason doubles teams work to get to the kitchen line together. See pickleball doubles strategy.
• The kitchen takes up almost a third of each side. Seven of the 22 feet on each side are closed to volleys, which keeps players from crowding the net and rewards soft shots that land short.
• The net is lowest in the middle. The 34-inch center gives shots through the middle 2 more inches of clearance than shots near the sidelines.

Tennis players will notice that the court is much smaller. We compare the two sports in detail in pickleball vs tennis. For the rules that go with these lines, start with the pickleball rules overview.