Pickleball Court Dimensions: Size, Lines, and Layout Explained
Whether you're converting a tennis court, building a new facility, or just trying to understand the sport better, knowing pickleball court dimensions is foundational. Here's a complete breakdown of the official court size, zones, and line markings.
Overall court size
A standard pickleball court is 44 feet long and 20 feet wide. This is the same footprint as a doubles badminton court. The total playing area including out-of-bounds space should be at least 30 x 60 feet to allow safe play, tournament specifications typically require 34 x 64 feet minimum for adequate player movement.
The net
The net is 22 feet wide (spanning the 20-foot court with 1 foot of overlap on each side). It hangs 36 inches high at the sideposts and sags to 34 inches at the center. This center dip is intentional and creates the standard cross-court dink angle that makes the soft game so important.
The non-volley zone (kitchen)
On each side of the net, a 7-foot zone extends toward the baseline, this is the non-volley zone, commonly called the kitchen. Players cannot volley (hit the ball out of the air) while standing inside this zone or on its lines. The kitchen is bounded by the sidelines and the non-volley zone line. It's the most strategically important area on the court.
Service boxes
Each side of the court is divided down the middle by a centerline, creating two service boxes, left and right. Service boxes are 10 feet wide and 15 feet long (from the kitchen line to the baseline). Serves must land in the diagonal service box. In singles, server position alternates each point based on score (even = right, odd = left).
Baselines and sidelines
The baseline runs the full 20-foot width at each end of the court. Sidelines run the full 44-foot length. All lines are part of the court except the non-volley zone lines on serves, a serve that lands on the kitchen line is a fault. All other lines are in bounds.
Converting a tennis court
A standard tennis court (78 x 36 feet) can fit 4 pickleball courts. Two courts can fit comfortably on a single tennis court with adequate spacing. You'll need temporary or permanent tape lines and a dedicated pickleball net (or a tennis net adjustment kit). Many parks now run mixed-use programs sharing tennis infrastructure for pickleball.
Next steps
Turn the guide into your next session
Move from reading to action: find the right court, join a game, connect with players, and buy only the gear that helps.