Rules
Pickleball: rules
Pickleball is played as singles or doubles on a small court with paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The serve goes diagonally across the net, and the serve and its return must each bounce before being hit. In standard scoring only the serving side scores, and a game is typically won by the first to 11 points with a two-point lead.
Importance 4 out of 5Importance rating
Serve
- The serve goes to the service court diagonally opposite and must clear the non-volley zone (the area next to the net), with or without touching the net, and land in the correct service courtSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 7.E · tier 1
- When the serve is hit, at least one of the server's feet must be on the playing surface inside the correct serving area behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the courtSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 7.A.1 to 7.A.3 · tier 1
- For a volley serve, the paddle must move in a clear upward arc, its head must not be above the server's wrist, and the ball must be no higher than the waist at contactSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 7.C.1 to 7.C.3 · tier 1
- A drop serve is also allowed: the server drops the ball from a natural height without propelling it and hits it after it bounces, however many times and wherever it bouncesSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 7.D · tier 1
- A serve that lands outside the correct service court, lands in the non-volley zone, or hits a permanent object before landing is a fault against the serverSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 7.E.1 to 7.E.3 · tier 1
Scoring
- In standard scoring, a point is scored only by the side that serves and wins the rallySource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 4.A · tier 1
- A game is typically won by the first player or team to 11 points with a lead of at least twoSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Section 1 · tier 1
- In singles, the server serves from the right when their score is zero or even and from the left when it is odd, switching sides after each point won until they lose a rallySource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 5.A.1 and 5.A.2 · tier 1
- Rally scoring, in which the winner of every rally scores, is a provisionally approved optionSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 14.A · tier 1
Rally
- Two-bounce rule: the serve and the return of serve must each bounce before they are hitSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 10.A · tier 1
- Players must return the ball before it bounces a second timeSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 10.B · tier 1
- A volley (hitting the ball before it bounces) must be started outside the non-volley zone, the area within 2.13 m of the net on each side (given as 7 ft); touching the zone while volleying, or being carried into it by the momentum of a volley, is a faultSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 3.A.4.c, 11.A, 11.A.1 and 11.A.2 · tier 1
Faults
- It is a fault if a player hits the ball out of bounds or fails to get it over the netSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 10.C.1 and 10.C.2 · tier 1
- After the serve, it is a fault against a player if the ball touches them or anything they wear or carry, other than the paddle or the paddle hand below the wristSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 10.C.3 · tier 1
- A player may only call non-volley zone faults and service foot faults on an opponent; other suspected faults can be mentioned after the rally, but the player concerned decidesSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 9.B.3 and 9.B.4 · tier 1
Doubles
- In doubles both partners serve before the serve passes to the other team, except at the start of each game, when only one player of the starting team servesSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 5.B · tier 1
- Serving and receiving positions follow the team's score: the starting server is on the right when the team's score is zero or even and on the left when it is oddSource: USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rule 5.B.3 · tier 1