Rules
Pickleball Fault
A fault ends the rally and results in a point or side-out. Knowing every fault type helps you avoid giving away free points, and call them correctly when your opponent commits one.
Serve faults
- ✗
Ball lands outside the service box (wrong court or out of bounds)
- ✗
Ball hits the net on the serve
- ✗
Ball lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line
- ✗
Server's foot touches the baseline or sideline during the serve
- ✗
Server hits the ball before it drops below waist height (volley serve violation)
- ✗
Paddle head above wrist at contact (upward arc violation, non-drop serve)
- ✗
Server not positioned behind baseline, between centerline and sideline
Kitchen (NVZ) faults
- ✗
Volleying (hitting before bounce) while any part of body is in the kitchen
- ✗
Stepping into the kitchen during or immediately after a volley swing
- ✗
Momentum carrying you into the kitchen after a volley
- ✗
Partner touching you and causing you to enter the kitchen during a volley
- ✗
Paddle, clothing, or accessory contacts the kitchen line or zone during a volley
Two-bounce rule faults
- ✗
Server's team volleys the return of serve (before it bounces on their side)
- ✗
Return-of-serve team volleys the serve (before it bounces on their side)
- ✗
Note: after two bounces have occurred, volleys are legal from outside the kitchen
Ball in play faults
- ✗
Ball lands out of bounds (outside the court lines)
- ✗
Ball hits the net and does not clear (net fault)
- ✗
Ball bounces twice before the player hits it
- ✗
Player or their clothing/paddle contacts the net
- ✗
Ball strikes a player's body (not the paddle), except serving hand below wrist
- ✗
Ball struck by a player while the ball is out of bounds
- ✗
Player hits the ball out of turn in doubles
Common fault misconceptions
Rules that players frequently get wrong.
“Your feet must stay out of the kitchen at all times”
You can stand in the kitchen whenever you want, the rule only applies to volleys. You can step in before or after a ball bounces.
“If the ball lands on the line, it is out”
Lines are in bounds (except the kitchen line on a serve, the kitchen line is a fault on serves). All other lines are in.
“You can reach over the net to volley”
Your paddle may cross the plane of the net after contact as long as it crossed while following through, but you cannot reach over to hit the ball before it crosses to your side.
“A let serve is a fault”
Under current USA Pickleball rules, a serve that clips the net and lands in the proper service box (let serve) is played as a live ball, not a fault. The let rule was eliminated.
How faults affect scoring
Serving team fault = loss of serve (or partner serves in doubles). Receiving team fault = point to serving team. Only the serving team can score.
Any fault = point to the opposing team. Used in some leagues and tournaments. Every rally produces a point regardless of who was serving.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fault in pickleball?
A fault in pickleball is any action that stops play and results in a point being awarded to the opposing side or a loss of serve. Common faults include: hitting the ball out of bounds, hitting the ball into the net, volleying from the non-volley zone (kitchen fault), violating the two-bounce rule (hitting on the fly before the two required bounces), foot faults on the serve, and serve faults. In doubles, a fault by the serving team results in a side-out or loss of serve; a fault by the receiving team awards a point to the server.
What is a kitchen fault in pickleball?
A kitchen fault (non-volley zone fault) occurs when a player volleys (hits the ball without letting it bounce) while standing in the kitchen or while stepping into the kitchen during the volley motion. The fault includes: standing in the kitchen and volleying, stepping into the kitchen immediately after volleying (momentum carry), having any part of your body (including paddle, clothing, or accessories) touch the kitchen line or zone during a volley. You can step into the kitchen any time the ball has bounced.
What happens when you commit a fault in pickleball?
In traditional pickleball scoring: if the serving team faults, they lose their serve (or in doubles, their partner serves next, then side-out). If the receiving team faults, the serving team scores a point. In rally scoring (used in some leagues): every fault awards a point to the opposing team, regardless of which side committed it. The rally ends immediately on a fault, play stops and the appropriate consequence applies.
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