Rules
Pickleball rules
Last reviewed July 2026 · 2026 USA Pickleball Rulebook
Pickleball is played to 11 points, win by 2, and only the serving team can score. Serve underhand, diagonally, from behind the baseline. The serve and the return must each bounce before anyone volleys. You cannot volley while touching the kitchen, the 7-foot zone at the net. Lines are in, except the kitchen line on a serve. Nearly every call in a game comes down to those five rules.
What are the rules of pickleball?
The official rulebook runs more than 80 pages. A game needs five of them:
- Serve low, diagonally, from behind the baseline. Hit the serve below your waist with an upward swing, and land it in the service court diagonally across from you, beyond the kitchen and its line.
- Let it bounce twice. The receiver lets the serve bounce, then the serving team lets the return bounce. After that, volleys are open to everyone.
- Stay out of the kitchen when you volley. You may stand in the 7-foot zone at the net any time, but you cannot hit a ball out of the air while touching it.
- Only the serving team scores, and games go to 11, win by 2. Win a rally on your serve, get a point. Win a rally on their serve, get the serve. Tournaments also play to 15 or 21.
- Lines are in. A ball touching any line is good, with one exception: a serve touching the kitchen line is a fault.
That is enough to play your first game today. The rest of this page walks through each rule in plain English, with the real situations that start arguments and the exact official rule that settles them. If a word on court is new, the glossary of pickleball terms marks which ones the rulebook actually defines.
The rules, one question at a time
Every deep question gets its own full entry: a verdict, a diagram, a real-game example, and the exact citation. Live entries link; the rest are being written from the 2026 rulebook.
Live
Kitchen (non-volley zone) rules
The one rule that matters, momentum faults, and whether the line is safe. It is not.
Live
Serving rules
Foot placement, the drop serve, and every way a serve goes wrong.
Live
Scoring
Why the first call is 0-0-2, and who stands on which side.
Live
The double bounce rule
Why nobody gets to serve and charge the net.
Live
Doubles rules
Who serves first, the rotation, and why stacking is legal.
Live
Singles rules
Which side you serve from, one server, and skinny singles by the book.
How does serving work in pickleball?
Serve underhand, diagonally, one attempt. The rulebook never actually says "underhand"; it defines the motion. For a standard volley serve, your paddle must be moving in an upward arc when it meets the ball, the paddle head stays below your wrist, and contact happens below your waist. Your feet matter too: when you hit the serve, at least one foot must be on the ground behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the court or stray outside the serving area.
Hate the swing rules? Use the drop serve. Drop the ball, let it bounce, then hit it any way you like: sidearm, overhand chop, anything. The arc, wrist, and waist limits do not apply after a bounce.
Wherever it starts, the serve must land in the service court diagonally opposite you, clearing the kitchen and the kitchen line. A serve that clips the net and still lands in the correct box is live; there are no let serves. There are also no second serves. Miss, and it is a fault, and the serve moves on.
That is the short version. The full guide, with the doubles rotation, six real-game verdicts, and every current rule number, is pickleball serving rules.
How does pickleball scoring work?
Only the serving team can score a point (Rule 4.A). Win a rally while serving and your score goes up by one, and you serve again from the other side. Lose a rally while serving and the ball passes on. Games go to 11, win by 2, in standard play; tournament formats also use 15 or 21. Tournaments sort entries into divisions by rating, which is a separate system from the rules.
The score in doubles is three numbers: your team's score, their score, then your server number. At 5-3-2, your team has 5, they have 3, and you are your team's second server. Both partners serve before the ball changes teams, with one exception: the team that serves first in a game gets only one server for that opening turn. That is why every doubles game starts at "zero, zero, two."
Singles drops the third number. And if you ever hear a game where both teams score on every rally, that is rally scoring, a provisionally approved variation, not the standard game.
The full guide, with the doubles rotation drawn out, what to do when somebody calls the wrong score, and every current rule number, is pickleball scoring rules.
What is the double bounce rule?
The serve must bounce, and the return of serve must bounce (Rule 10.A). The receiver cannot volley the serve, and the serving team cannot volley the return. After those two bounces, anyone may volley from anywhere outside the kitchen. This is why you cannot serve and rush the net like a tennis player: the rule exists to kill that play and make rallies happen.
One naming note, because it trips people up. Players call this the double bounce rule; the rulebook calls it the two-bounce rule, and reserves "double bounce" for a ball that bounces twice on one side, which loses the rally. Same conversations, two different rules. On this site, the two-bounce rule is the one about the serve and return.
The full breakdown, with six real-game verdicts, the drop-serve interaction, and the wheelchair exception, is the double bounce rule.
What are the kitchen rules?
One rule, strictly enforced. You cannot volley while touching the kitchen or its line (Rule 11.A). Standing there is fine. Hitting a bounced ball there is fine. The fault is hitting the ball out of the air while any part of you, your paddle, or anything you are wearing touches the zone, and it still counts if your momentum carries you in after the ball is dead. After any kitchen contact, both feet must land outside the zone before you may volley again.
The kitchen produces more arguments than the rest of the court combined, so it has its own full entry: pickleball kitchen rules, with six real-game verdicts, the momentum rule, and every line call.
How big is a pickleball court?
A pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long, for singles and doubles alike (Rule 3.A.1). The kitchen extends 7 feet from the net on each side. The net hangs 36 inches high at the sidelines and dips to 34 inches at the center, so the easiest path over is straight down the middle.
Is the line in or out?
Pickleball's line rules are short. Lines are in: a ball touching a baseline, sideline, or centerline is good (Rule 8.B). The one exception is the serve: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is out, because that line belongs to the kitchen. After the serve, even the kitchen line is a good target.
You call the lines on your own end of the court, and the rulebook sets a high bar for calling a ball out: you must see a clear space between the line and the ball when it lands. Cannot say for sure? The ball is in. Every questionable call goes to your opponent. That is not etiquette; it is the written rule.
What counts as a fault?
A fault is any rules violation that ends the rally (Rule 9.B). The common ones:
- The ball lands out, or your shot fails to clear the net.
- A serve lands in the kitchen or on its line.
- Someone volleys the serve, or volleys the return of serve.
- The ball bounces twice on one side.
- A volley touches the kitchen.
- A live ball touches your body or clothing, wherever you are standing.
If the serving team faults, the serve moves on. If the receiving team faults, the serving team scores.
Who makes the calls?
In a game without a referee, mostly you, and mostly against yourself. You call the lines on your own end of the court. You are expected to call faults on yourself and your partner the moment they happen. The only faults you may call on an opponent are kitchen faults and service foot faults (Rule 9.B.3); anything else you can mention after the rally, but the final decision belongs to the player who supposedly committed it.
When the two teams disagree about a kitchen or foot fault, nobody wins the argument: the rally is replayed. When partners disagree with each other, their opponents get the benefit. The rulebook resolves every standoff the same way: doubt favors the other side.
Doubles rules vs singles rules
The game itself is the same; the serving arithmetic changes. Doubles calls three numbers and gives both partners a serve each rotation. Singles calls two numbers, and your own score tells you where to stand: serve from the right when your score is even, from the left when it is odd. The court, the kitchen, the two-bounce rule, and every line call are identical in both games. There is also a half-court singles variation called mini-singles, with its own section of the rulebook. The full singles guide, with the serve side by score, skinny singles, and six real-game verdicts, is pickleball singles rules.
The full doubles guide, with the rotation step by step, stacking, and six real-game verdicts, is pickleball doubles rules.
Is this legal? Real-game verdicts
Your serve clips the top of the net, tumbles over, and lands in the correct service court past the kitchen.
Legal. A serve may touch the net as long as it clears the kitchen and lands in the correct service court. There are no let serves. Play on. USA Pickleball Rule 7.E
Your serve lands squarely on the kitchen line.
Fault. The lines bounding the kitchen are part of the kitchen, and a serve may not land there. The same ball one inch deeper is good. USA Pickleball Rules 7.E.2 and 3.A.4.c
You serve, the receiver returns a floater, and your partner steps in and smacks it out of the air.
Fault. The serving team must let the return of serve bounce. The rally ended the moment paddle met ball. USA Pickleball Rule 10.A.2
A ball is sailing well past the baseline, so you catch it in the air to save everyone the walk.
Fault. A live ball that touches a player is a fault against that player, no matter where it was headed. Let it land, then call it out. USA Pickleball Rule 10.C.3
A sharp angle pulls you wide, and you drive the ball around the outside of the net post, below net height, into the open court.
Legal. The ball may be returned around the outside of the net post, and the rule sets no height requirement. It never has to cross above the net. USA Pickleball Rule 13.C
Your paddle crosses over the plane of the net during a shot.
It depends on when you hit the ball. Contact the ball before it has fully crossed to your side, and it is a fault. Contact it on your side and let your follow-through swing across, and it is legal. USA Pickleball Rules 13.F.1 and 13.I.1
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: "A serve that hits the net is replayed."
Not anymore. If it lands in the correct service court, play it (Rule 7.E). If it lands anywhere else, it is a fault. The let serve is gone from the rulebook.
Misunderstanding: "You get two serves, like tennis."
Not true. One attempt. An illegal or missed serve is a fault and the serve moves on (Rules 7.C.5, 7.E.1). There is no second serve to fall back on.
Misunderstanding: "A ball on the line is out."
Not true. Lines are in (Rule 8.B). The only line that rejects a ball is the kitchen line, and only on the serve (8.C).
Misunderstanding: "You can never stand in the kitchen."
Not true. You may stand there all day. The rule bans volleying while touching it (Rule 11.A), nothing else. The kitchen rules page settles every version of this argument.
Under the official rule
- Rule 3.A.1 The court is 20 feet by 44 feet for both singles and doubles.
- Rule 3.A.4.c The non-volley zone (kitchen) is the 7 ft × 20 ft area each side of the net; its lines are part of the zone.
- Rule 3.B.6, 3.B.7 Net height: 36 inches at the sidelines, 34 inches at the center.
- Rule 4.A A point is scored by serving the ball and winning the rally.
- Rule 5.A.1, 5.B Singles: serve from the right when your score is even, the left when odd. Doubles: both partners serve each rotation, except the game-opening turn.
- Rule 6.B.2 The doubles score is called as three numbers: serving team’s score, receiving team’s score, server number. Games open at 0-0-2.
- Rule 7.A, 7.C, 7.D Serve with one foot behind the baseline; volley serves need an upward arc, contact below the waist, paddle head below the wrist; drop serves lift those swing limits.
- Rule 7.E, 7.E.2 The serve must land in the diagonal service court, clearing the kitchen and its line, with or without touching the net.
- Rule 8.B, 8.C, 8.D Lines are in, except the kitchen line on the serve. Questionable calls go to the opponent.
- Rule 9.B.2, 9.B.3, 9.B.4 Call faults on yourself as they happen. On an opponent you may call only kitchen faults and service foot faults; team disagreements replay the rally.
- Rule 10.A, 10.B.1 The serve and the return of serve must each bounce (two-bounce rule); a ball bouncing twice on one side loses the rally.
- Rule 10.C.1, 10.C.3 A ball that lands out is a fault against the hitter; a live ball that touches a player is a fault against that player.
- Rule 11.A You may touch the kitchen at any time except during the act of volleying.
- Rule 13.C The ball may be returned around the outside of the net post.
- Rule 13.F.1, 13.I.1 Hitting the ball before it fully crosses the net is a fault; following through across the plane after legal contact is not.
Paraphrased from the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, always the final authority.
Related questions
Is there a let serve in pickleball?
No. A serve that touches the net and still lands in the correct service court is live: play it. The current rulebook has no let serve (Rule 7.E). If the net dumps the serve into the kitchen or out of the court, it is a fault, not a replay.
Who serves first in pickleball?
The rulebook leaves it to a fair method, such as a coin toss (Rule 17.C.4 covers tournaments). In casual play, decide any way both sides accept. Whoever starts, the first serving team gets only one server for its opening turn, which is why games open at 0-0-2.
Can you serve overhand in pickleball?
Not with a standard volley serve: the paddle must move in an upward arc, contact the ball below your waist, and keep the paddle head below your wrist (Rules 7.C.1 to 7.C.3). With a drop serve, the ball bounces first and you may then hit it any way you like (Rule 7.D).
What are the 5 serving rules in pickleball?
Keep at least one foot behind the baseline in the serving area (7.A). Swing in an upward arc (7.C.1). Contact the ball below your waist (7.C.3). Serve diagonally into the correct service court (7.E). Clear the kitchen and its line (7.E.2). Or skip the swing rules with a drop serve (7.D).
Can you play pickleball with two people?
Yes. Singles uses the same court, net, and rules as doubles. The score is called as two numbers instead of three, and the server serves from the right side when their score is even and the left side when it is odd (Rule 5.A.1).
When do you switch sides in pickleball?
Between games of a match, always. Within a single game, tournament play switches ends when the first side reaches 6 in a game to 11 (Rule 21.B.1), 8 in a game to 15, or 11 in a game to 21. Casual players usually just swap between games.