Official Rules

The pickleball rulebook, in plain English

A friendly summary of how the game is played, written to match USA Pickleball’s official rules. When a question comes up on the court, the official rulebook below is the final word.

The official source

USA Pickleball Official Rulebook

The complete, authoritative rules, updated every January. The LPA follows them for all club and tournament play. Download the full rulebook or the quick summary.

Download the full rulebook (PDF) ↓Quick rules summary (PDF) ↓View all official rules on usapickleball.org →
20 × 44 ft
Court size
36 / 34 in
Net height (side / center)
7 ft
Non-volley zone
11
Points to win (by 2)

How the game is played

01

Court & Equipment

  • The court is 20 ft × 44 ft for both singles and doubles, the same size as a doubles badminton court, with the same lines for every format.
  • The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center.
  • A non-volley zone (the “kitchen”) extends 7 ft from the net on each side. Each side is split by a centerline into right/even and left/odd service courts.
  • Paddles must be a solid, rigid surface (no strings) and the ball is a perforated plastic ball. Both must meet the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards.
02

The Serve

  • The serve is made underhand. At contact the paddle must be below the waist (navel level) and the highest point of the paddle head must be below the highest part of the wrist.
  • At least one foot must be behind the baseline; neither foot may touch the baseline or court until after the ball is struck.
  • Serve diagonally crosscourt. The ball must land in the opposite diagonal service court, past the non-volley zone. A serve landing on the kitchen line is short and a fault.
  • Each server gets one serve attempt. A served ball that clips the net and lands in the correct court is in play (there are no let serves).
  • Two motions are allowed: the volley serve (struck from the hand) or the drop serve (dropped and struck after the bounce, with no added force).
03

Scoring & Serving Sequence

  • Traditional scoring is side-out: only the serving side can score. Games go to 11, win by 2 (tournaments may play to 15 or 21, win by 2).
  • In doubles both partners serve before the side outs, except the very first service turn of the game, when the starting team gets only one server.
  • The score is called as three numbers in doubles: serving score, receiving score, server number (1 or 2). Singles uses two numbers.
  • Serve from the right/even court when the serving score is even, and from the left/odd court when it is odd.
  • The 2025+ rulebook also defines an optional rally-scoring format for some recreational and tournament play; traditional side-out scoring remains the default.
04

The Two-Bounce Rule

  • After the serve, the receiving team must let the ball bounce before returning it, and the serving team must let that return bounce before playing it.
  • That means two bounces, one per side, before anyone may volley. It removes the serve-and-volley advantage and creates longer rallies.
  • Once those two bounces have happened, the ball may be volleyed (hit out of the air) or played off the bounce.
05

The Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen)

  • The 7-ft zone on each side of the net is the non-volley zone. You may not volley the ball while any part of you touches the zone or its lines.
  • Momentum counts: if volleying carries you into the kitchen, even after the ball is dead, it is a fault.
  • You may stand in the kitchen any time you are not volleying; you must re-establish both feet outside the zone before you volley again. The kitchen lines are part of the kitchen.
06

Line Calls

  • A ball that touches any line is “in.” The only exception is a serve landing on the non-volley zone line, which is short and a fault.
  • Players call balls on their own side of the net and give the opponent the benefit of any doubt.
  • A ball must be called out promptly; if there is no clear out call, the ball is considered in.
07

Faults

  • Hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net.
  • Volleying before the two-bounce rule has been satisfied.
  • Volleying the ball while touching the non-volley zone, or letting momentum carry you into it.
  • Letting the ball bounce twice on your side before returning it.
  • Breaking a service rule, or the ball striking a player or anything they wear or carry.
  • Touching the net, net posts, or the opponent’s court while the ball is in play.
08

Singles vs. Doubles

  • In singles there is one server, the score is called as two numbers, and the server’s own score decides the side they serve from (even → right, odd → left).
  • In doubles both partners serve before a side out (after the first turn of the game), and the score is called as three numbers.
  • Strategy differs too: doubles play centers on the kitchen line and the soft “dink” game, while singles rewards serving deep and covering more court.

Talk like a pickler

Rally
Hitting the ball back and forth between opponents until a fault.
Volley
To hit the ball out of the air before it bounces.
Dink
A soft shot arced just over the net to land in the kitchen.
Kitchen / NVZ
The 7-foot non-volley zone next to the net.
Two-Bounce
Each side must play its first shot off the bounce.
Side Out
Loss of serve, passing the serve to the other team.
Baseline
The back line of the court, 22 feet from the net.
Centerline
The line dividing the right/even and left/odd service courts.
Server Number
“1” or “2,” called with the score in doubles.
Poach
Crossing to take a shot meant for your partner.

This page is a plain-English summary for LPA members. Where anything differs, the official USA Pickleball Rulebook governs.

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