Pickleball Court Dimensions — Complete Guide

A pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long with the same dimensions for both singles and doubles. The court is divided into a non-volley zone (the “kitchen”), two service boxes per side, and a baseline at the back. The net is 34 inches tall in the middle, 36 inches at the posts.

Here are all the measurements, why they matter, and how to lay out a court if you’re building one.

The full court — measurements

The zones explained

Baseline: the back line of the court. You serve from behind it. Stepping on or over the baseline at the moment of serving contact = foot fault.

Non-volley zone (the kitchen): a 7-foot zone on each side of the net. You cannot volley while standing in it or on its line. You CAN step into it any time the ball has bounced — drop shots and dinks from inside the kitchen are legal.

Kitchen line: the line marking the front of the non-volley zone. It is part of the kitchen for volley purposes (touching it during a volley = violation) but out of bounds for the serve (a serve landing on it is out).

Centerline: divides each side of the court into the right and left service boxes. Runs from the kitchen line to the baseline.

Sidelines: the outermost lines. Same court for singles and doubles.

Service boxes: the four 10-foot-wide × 15-foot-deep rectangles where serves must land. Service is always diagonal — your right box to opponent’s right box, or your left to their left.

Net height in detail

The net is lower in the middle by 2 inches. This is the only place where the net height varies — most players don’t notice. The dip is part of the sport’s character: passing shots over the lower center are easier to land than dropped lobs at the post.

The net is 22 feet wide (a bit longer than the court itself) to give post stability and account for sag.

Singles vs doubles — same court

Unlike tennis (where doubles uses wider sidelines than singles), pickleball uses the same court for both formats. This is one of the sport’s defining quirks. It means singles requires more lateral coverage per player — both feet of the court are theirs to defend.

Some advanced players prefer “skinny singles” — singles played using only half the court (one diagonal half). This is a casual training variation, not a sanctioned format.

Court orientation and shared courts

Pickleball courts are typically oriented north-south to minimize sun in players’ eyes. When painted over a tennis court, one tennis court typically accommodates 2-4 pickleball courts (depending on whether you preserve tennis play or not).

Multi-use lining is common — most public courts now have both pickleball and tennis lines painted. The pickleball lines are typically a different color (often blue or red while tennis lines are white). Players agreed not to be confused.

Pickleball vs tennis vs badminton

Interesting historical note: pickleball’s court dimensions are nearly identical to badminton’s — because pickleball was invented in 1965 on a badminton court when the inventors couldn’t find a shuttlecock and improvised with a wiffle ball and ping-pong paddles. The court stuck. The net height dropped (from 60” to 36” eventually 34” middle) because the wiffle ball is too heavy to clear a badminton-height net.

Laying out a backyard court

If you’re painting a court at home:

Materials needed

• Chalk or athletic field paint
• Long tape measure (50+ feet)
• A few stakes and string for straight lines
• A friend to hold the other end of the tape

Steps

1. Pick a level surface at least 30’ × 60’ (court + safety margin around it).
2. Mark the baseline corners. Two stakes 20 feet apart. This is one baseline.
3. Measure 44 feet perpendicular. Both stakes go 44 feet to mark the opposite baseline.
4. Verify the rectangle. Diagonal corner-to-corner should measure ~48.4 feet. If not, your rectangle isn’t square — adjust.
5. Mark the kitchen lines. 7 feet from each baseline… no wait — 7 feet from the net line, which is the midpoint of the court. So 22 feet from each baseline (the midpoint), then 7 feet toward each baseline gives you the kitchen line, which sits 15 feet in front of each baseline.
6. Mark the centerline. Runs from the kitchen line back to the baseline, dividing each side into two service boxes.
7. Paint with 2-inch lines. Standard line width.

Net setup

• Posts at the sidelines, 22 feet apart.
• Net top: 36” at posts, 34” in center. Most portable pickleball nets achieve this with built-in tension.
• If using a tennis net, lower it by ~2 inches.

Court surface options

If you’re building a real court, surface choice matters:

• Painted asphalt — cheapest, slick when wet, hard on joints. Common at public courts.
• Acrylic-coated asphalt — adds grip and slight cushion. Most municipal courts use this.
• Post-tension concrete — best base; rare for residential.
• Snap-together tiles (Versacourt, etc.) — easiest for backyards. $5,000-8,000 for a single court. Easier on joints than asphalt.

Surface affects play noticeably — outdoor balls bounce differently on different surfaces. Most rec play uses Onix Dura 40 outdoor balls on acrylic-coated asphalt.

Bottom line

Memorize: 20 by 44 feet. 7-foot kitchen. 34”/36” net. That’s the whole game’s geometry.

Read next: pickleball rules explained for beginners or the paddle buyer’s guide.