ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — With the warm weather months vastly approaching, people may consider putting a pickleball court in their backyard. Pickleball is now the fastest-growing sport in America, after multiple endorsements from high-profile athletes like Tom Brady and Lebron James.
Public court space can be scarce, so some consider building a pickleball court right in their yard, but before doing so, you should know a few things.
Depending on your municipality, you may need to get a permit if you’re doing any larger-scale construction like laying a base surface for a basketball or tennis court.
If you do build a court on your property and it requires permits, you may have to fill out some standard paperwork like an application for home construction/renovation, a building permit, zoning compliance, and potentially in some cases a construction license.
A local code officer has all the necessary information. For Winnebago County, you can find that information here.
If you are building an at-home pickleball court, you are going to want to follow some specific dimensions laid out by the USAPA.
- 20 feet wide (inclusive of lines)
- 44 feet deep (inclusive of lines)
- 48.4 feet diagonal (from corner to corner)
That is just the required space for the actual court, but in order to ensure enough room for players to chase down balls, you’ll need outside lines that are at least 30 feet by 60 feet wide, but the USAPA recommends that you leave room for 34 feet by 64 feet.
Pickleball court construction can drastically range in price depending on how extensive you’d like your court to be. Courts can be built with a range of materials like concrete, asphalt, or plastic tiles to name a few options. The addition of outdoor lighting for the ability to play at night, as well as fencing surrounding the area of the court, can also drive prices higher.
The overall cost to build a pickleball court in your backyard can range anywhere from $300 for the cheapest option all the way up to nearly $40,000.
