The rules, as the governing body writes them
Pickleball rules
The rules in the order a rally happens: the serve, the two bounces, the non-volley zone, the faults and the score. Every rule below is quoted from USA Pickleball’s own rules summary, read 2026-09-09, so you can check this page against the governing body line by line.
Start here
The five that decide most rallies
- Serve underhand and diagonally
Arm moving upward, one attempt, crosscourt into the far service box.
- Two bounces before anyone volleys
The return must bounce, and so must the serving side’s next shot.
- No volleys from the kitchen
The seven-foot zone beside the net. You may stand in it; you may not volley from it.
- Only the serving side scores
Win a rally while receiving and you win the serve, not a point.
- Games go to 11, win by 2
Tournament games may be to 15 or 21, still win by 2.
Everything below is detail on those five.
The serve
The serve
The serve is underhand by construction. The rule is written as a requirement about the arm, not about the height of the ball, which is what catches out players arriving from tennis.
- The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc when the ball is struck.
- At the time the ball is struck, the server’s feet may not touch the court or outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or centerline and at least one foot must be behind the baseline on the playing surface or the ground.
- The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court.
- Only one serve attempt is allowed per server.
- A “drop serve” is also permitted in which case none of the elements above apply.
In rally order
The rest of the rules
Open the one you came for. Each fold is the governing body’s own wording, with a line from us on what it means in play.
Serving in doubles
This is the part newcomers find hardest, and the reason doubles scores are called as three numbers rather than two. Both partners serve before the ball goes over, with one exception at the start of a game.
- Both players on the serving doubles team have the opportunity to serve and score points until they commit a fault (except for the first service sequence of each new game).
- The first serve of each side-out is made from the right-hand court.
- If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the server initiates the next serve from the lefthand court.
- When the first server loses the serve the partner then serves from their correct side of the court.
- Once the service goes to the opposition (at side out), the first serve is from the right-hand court.
In singles it is simpler: in singles the server serves from the right-hand court when his or her score is even and from the left when the score is odd.
The two-bounce rule
This is the rule that makes pickleball its own game rather than small tennis. It is why a big serve wins far less here than you would expect.
- When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces.
- After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).
- The two-bounce rule eliminates the serve and volley advantage and extends rallies.
The non-volley zone, or kitchen
Seven feet from the net on each side, running the full width of the court. See the court dimensions for where it sits. You may stand in it. You may not volley from it, and the rule reaches further than most players realise: your own momentum can fault you after the ball is dead.
- The non-volley zone is the court area within 7 feet on both sides of the net.
- Volleying is prohibited within the non-volley zone. This rule prevents players from executing smashes from a position within the zone.
- It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone, including the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them or anything they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone including the associated lines.
- It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-volley zone, even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens.
- A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a ball.
- The non-volley zone is commonly referred to as “the kitchen.”
Faults, and the lines
A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation. A fault by the receiving team gives the serving team a point; a fault by the serving team loses the serve. It is a fault when:
- A serve does not land within the confines of the receiving court
- The ball is hit into the net on the serve or any return
- The ball is volleyed before a bounce has occurred on each side
- A ball is volleyed from the non-volley zone
- A ball bounces twice before being struck by the receiver
- A player, player’s clothing, or any part of a player’s paddle touches the net or the net post when the ball is in play
- A ball in play strikes a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying
On the lines, the summary says two things:
- A ball contacting any line, except the non-volley zone line on a serve, is considered “in.”
- A serve contacting the non-volley zone line is short and a fault.
Scoring, in brief
Points are scored only by the serving team. Games are normally played to 11 points, win by 2, and tournament games may be to 15 or 21, win by 2. Which side you stand on follows the score: when the serving team’s score is even, the player who served first for that team is in the right-side court; when it is odd, they are on the left.
The three-number call, the server number and rally scoring are on the scoring page.
Every rule on this page is quoted from USA Pickleball’s rules summary, read 2026-09-09. The summary is not the whole rulebook: the Official Rulebook governs, and it is the document to check for anything a match turns on. We quote the summary because it is a page we can fetch and re-check; the rulebook is published as an ebook we cannot archive, and this site does not publish from a source it cannot re-read.
Questions
Questions people ask
What are the basic rules of pickleball?
Serve underhand and diagonally. Let the ball bounce once on each side before anyone volleys. Do not volley from the seven-foot zone beside the net. Only the serving side scores. Games are normally to 11, win by 2. Everything else is detail on those five.
What are the rules for doubles pickleball?
Both partners get to serve before the serve passes over, except in the first service sequence of a game where only one does. The first serve of each side-out comes from the right-hand court, and the server switches sides after each point their team wins. Otherwise doubles and singles share the same rules.
What are the serving rules in pickleball?
The arm must move in an upward arc, at least one foot must be behind the baseline, the serve goes diagonally crosscourt, and you get one attempt. A drop serve is also allowed, and if you use it none of those elements apply.
Can you volley in pickleball?
Yes, once the ball has bounced once on each side. Before that the two-bounce rule applies. You may also never volley while standing in the non-volley zone, or while your momentum carries you into it afterwards. That is a fault even if the ball is already dead.
Is a ball on the line in or out in pickleball?
In, with one exception. USA Pickleball puts it as "A ball contacting any line, except the non-volley zone line on a serve, is considered in." A serve that touches the kitchen line is short, and a fault.
How do you win a point in pickleball?
Only the serving side scores. You win a point when the receiving team faults: the ball goes into the net or out, bounces twice, is volleyed too early or from the kitchen, or touches a player. Games are normally played to 11 points, win by 2, and tournament games may go to 15 or 21.
Somewhere to use them
Rules are easier to learn on a court than off one
This site holds pickleball venues whose court counts, lights and addresses each carry the source they came from and the date they were checked. Start with the directory, or read how to play pickleball if you are starting from the beginning.