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This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified coach or for medical advice.
The rulebook
USA Pickleball says it is the National Governing Body of American pickleball, that it writes and interprets the rules, and that its rules decisions are final and cannot be appealed. It says it published the sport's first official rulebook in March 1984. The current edition is the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook (the book itself reads "2010; revised 2026"), read for this site in a copy hosted by Pickleball Canada. A separate 2026 Change Document, dated 17 December 2025 and edited 30 January 2026, explains what changed and why.
The 2026 rulebook has four parts. Parts I and II apply to all play, Part III changes them for USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments, and Part IV covers players with disabilities.
The professional PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball play under a different body, the UPA-A, which sets its own paddle standard, as The Dink described it in March 2025; USA Pickleball says it is the only national governing body. Each side's view is on pickleball bodies and tours. Everything below is the USA Pickleball rulebook.
What the rulebook says the game is
Section 1 describes a paddle sport combining elements of badminton, table tennis and tennis, played with a perforated ball on a 20 by 44 foot court with a tennis-type net, as singles or doubles. It singles out three features:
- The serve goes diagonally to the opposite service court.
- The two-bounce rule: the receiver must let the serve bounce, and the serving side must then let the return bounce, before either side may volley.
- The non-volley zone reaches 7 feet from the net on each side, and a player may not volley the ball while in it (Rule 3.A.4.c).
The court and the net (Section 3)
| Feature | 2026 rulebook | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Court | 20 ft (6.10 m) wide by 44 ft (13.41 m) long, for singles and doubles alike, measured to the outside of the lines | 3.A.1, 3.A.2 |
| Playing surface | At least 30 by 60 ft (9.14 by 18.29 m); 34 by 64 ft recommended for new construction and tournament play, more for stadium courts | 3.A.3 |
| Non-volley zone | 7 by 20 ft on each side of the net; its lines are part of it, and it does not extend above the surface | 3.A.4.c |
| Centreline | Runs from the non-volley zone line to the baseline, dividing right and left service courts | 3.A.4.d |
| Lines | 2 in (5.08 cm) wide, one colour that contrasts with the surface | 3.A.4.e, 3.A.4.f |
| Net height | 36 in (plus or minus 0.25 in) at the sidelines; 34 in (plus or minus 0.25 in) at the centre | 3.B |
| Posts | 22 ft apart, inside to inside; at most 3 in in diameter | 3.B |
| Net | At least 21 ft 9 in long and 30 in deep, with a 2 in white binding along the top | 3.B |
A tennis court can carry pickleball lines; what the USTA and a USTA section say about that is on the shared courts and facilities page.
Standard scoring: side-out (Rule 4.A)
Under the standard method only the serving side scores, by winning a rally. The server keeps serving, switching service courts each time, until the serving side loses a rally. Games are typically played to 11 points and must be won by two.
In singles the server serves from the right-hand service court when their score is zero or even and from the left when it is odd. When the server loses a rally, the serve passes to the opponent: a side out (Rules 5.A.1 to 5.A.3).
Rally scoring: a provisional rule in 2026 (Rule 14.A)
Rally scoring sits in the rulebook as a provisional rule, not as the standard method. Under Rule 14.A whoever wins a rally scores a point, the score is called as two numbers, and in doubles only one player per team serves before a side out (Rules 14.A.2 to 14.A.5).
The 2026 Change Document (entry 20, "Rally Scoring Winning Point") records one change. Under the 2025 provisional rule the game-winning point could only be scored while serving; from 2026 the receiving side can also win the game on its rally. USA Pickleball says it made the change on third-party research and on polling at USA Pickleball, APP and other tournaments, and that it will decide in 2027 whether to extend the provisional period, make rally scoring permanent or drop it.
Tournament scoring (Rule 15.C)
- Standard scoring options: best two of three games to 11; best three of five to 11; one game to 15 or 21; or one game to 11 for round robins of six or more teams. All are won by two, except that team play may use win by one (Rules 15.C and 15.C.1).
- Rally scoring options (provisional Rule 15.C.2): one game, best of three or best of five, to 11, 15 or 21 points. Rally scoring is not allowed in double-elimination doubles events, at 2026 Golden Ticket events or at the 2026 USA Pickleball National Championships.
Other 2026 changes
The 2026 Change Document's contents include entries titled "Net Post Winner", "Prompt Line Calls" and "Game Potentially Won by a Technical Foul". Secondary coverage, from the paddle maker Selkirk and from Pickleball Union as summarised in search results, links these to Rule 8.F.3 (prompt line calls) and Rule 10.C.5 (a ball that strikes the net post after landing in). Those rule numbers were not checked against the Change Document text for this page.
Formats (Section 15)
- Event categories: men's and women's singles and doubles, mixed doubles, wheelchair singles and doubles, adaptive standing singles and doubles, and hybrid doubles (Rule 15.A).
- Mixed doubles pairs one male and one female player. In skill-rated doubles the higher-rated partner sets the team's level; in adult age events the younger partner sets the age bracket; junior events are for players 18 and under (Rules 15.A.3 and 15.A.4).
- Mini-singles (Rule 14.B) is a half-court variation of singles.
- Team play may combine gender singles, gender doubles and mixed doubles, with standard or rally scoring (Rule 15.B.7).
Wheelchair, adaptive standing and hybrid doubles play have their own section of the rulebook; see wheelchair and para play. Paddle and ball approval are on the pickleball paddles and approval and pickleball balls pages.
Sources
- USA Pickleball, 2026 Official Rulebook (copy hosted by Pickleball Canada)
- USA Pickleball, 2026 Rulebook Change Document (copy hosted by Pickleball Canada)
- USA Pickleball, Official Rulebook (official copy)
- Selkirk (paddle maker), 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook changes (search-result summary)
- Pickleball Union, USA Pickleball 2026 rule changes (search-result summary)
- The Dink, One sport, two standards (27 March 2025)