Pickleball rules

Pickleball rules, in plain words.

How to serve, score and play, singles or doubles. One picture per rule, and every rule names the clause it comes from.

Checked against the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 editionLast checked Read the official rulebook ↗

The court

KITCHEN KITCHEN Service court Service court Service court Service court Net 44 ft (13.41 m) 20 ft (6.10 m) 7 ft 7 ft
Same court for singles and doubles.
  • 20 × 44 feet, singles and doubles alike Rule 3.A.1
  • Net 36 in at the sides, 34 in in the middle Rule 3.B.6, 3.B.7
  • Kitchen: 7 feet each side of the net. Its lines count as kitchen Rule 3.A.4.c

How to keep score in pickleball

Serving side wins the rally Point to them. Same server serves again. 4 5 +1 POINT Serving side loses the rally No point to anyone. The serve passes on. 4 4 SIDE OUT
  • Only the serving side scores Rule 4.A, 5.A.3, 5.B.6
  • Games to 11, win by 2 Rule 4.B, 15.C
  • Matches: best of 3 or 5 games to 11, or one game to 15 or 21 All formats Rule 15.C.1
  • Change ends after each game, and at 6 in a deciding game to 11 Rule 21.F.2, 21.B.1

Calling the score

“Four, two, one.”
  • Doubles: your score, their score, server 1 or 2 Rule 6.B.2
  • Every game starts at 0–0–2: the first side gets one server in its first turn Rule 5.B
  • Singles: just the two scores, server’s first Rule 6.B.1

Pickleball serving rules

IN FAULT S Feet behind the baseline Diagonal court is the target
  • Serve diagonally, past the kitchen. Kitchen or kitchen line: fault Rule 7.E, 7.E.2, 8.C
  • At least one foot on the ground behind the baseline; none on the court or line Rule 7.A.1–7.A.3
  • One try. A serve off the net that lands in is played Rule 7.E
  • No spin from the release. Spin from the paddle at contact is fine Rule 7.B.1, 7.B.2
Upward swingclear upward arc Head below wristat contact waistBall below waistat contact Drop servebounce, then hit
  • Volley serve: all three must clearly be true at contact Rule 7.C.1–7.C.3
  • Drop serve: drop the ball (no push or throw), hit it after it bounces Rule 7.D

The two-bounce rule

A B 1 2 Serve bounces Return bounces After bounce 2, anyone may volley
  • The serve must bounce before it is returned Rule 10.A
  • The return must bounce before the serving side hits it Rule 10.A
  • After that, anyone may volley. Volleying sooner is a fault Rule 10.A.1, 10.A.2

The kitchen rule

KITCHEN Net The kitchen line is part of the kitchen 7 ft
FAULTVolley with a toe on the line Rule 11.A.1
FAULTVolley, then step in from the swing Rule 11.A.2
ALLOWEDStep in to hit a ball that bounced Rule 11.A
ALLOWEDVolley while your partner is in it Rule 11.A.1
The kitchen rule, in full →

Faults

A fault ends the rally. Serving side faults: the serve passes on. Receiving side faults: point to the server. Rule 4.A

Ball lands out Rule 10.C.1
Ball doesn’t clear the net Rule 10.C.2
Ball bounces twice Rule 10.B.1
1Volley before both bounces Rule 10.A.1, 10.A.2
Volley touching the kitchen Rule 11.A.1
You or your paddle touch the net Rule 13.G.1

Doubles scoring and serving order

Score even: 0, 2, 4… LEFT RIGHT 1 2 net Score odd: 1, 3, 5… LEFT RIGHT 1 2 net
Where the player who served first in the game stands.
  • Both partners serve before a side out, except in the first turn of a game Rule 5.B
  • After a side out, the player on the right serves first Rule 5.B.2
  • Win a point: the server switches sides with their partner and serves again Rule 5.B.5
  • Score even: first server on the right. Odd: on the left Rule 5.B.3
  1. Server 1
  2. Server 2
  3. Side out

Common questions

Can you score when you are not serving?

Not with standard scoring: only the serving side scores. Under rally scoring, a provisional rule some events use, every rally wins a point.

Is the kitchen line in or out?

The line is part of the kitchen. You can’t volley while touching it, and a serve that lands on it is a fault. During a rally, a ball that lands on the kitchen line is in.

Can a serve hit the net?

Yes. A serve that touches the net and lands in the correct service court is played. There are no let serves.

Why does the score start at 0–0–2?

The side that serves first gets only one server in its first turn. Calling that player the second server means the serve passes to the other side at the first side out.

Do you have to win by 2 in pickleball?

Yes. At 10–10, play goes on until one side leads by two points. Rally scoring games are won by 2 as well.

NextFormats and variationsGames to 15 or 21, rally scoring, singles. HistoryRule changesWhat changed in the rulebook, before and after.

Rules are written by 1SCOR in our own words and checked against the official rulebook. They are not the rulebook: for anything official, read the rulebook itself.