Pickleball Rules: Serve, Kitchen, Two-Bounce Rule and Scoring

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Your first time at open play, someone hands you a paddle and says “you’re with me, we’re serving, zero-zero-two.” Two rallies later, a friendly voice reminds you: “you were in the kitchen.” Pickleball is easy to pick up, but a few pickleball rules are unlike any other sport: the two-bounce rule, the kitchen and the three-number score. Here’s the whole game in plain words, based on the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, with what changes in tournaments, with rally scoring and in the pros.

New to the sport? Start with our pickleball hub.

The court, net, paddle and ball

• Court: 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, the same for singles and doubles. Each side has a right and a left service court, split by a centerline.
• Non-volley zone (the kitchen): 7 feet deep on each side of the net, across the full width. The lines are part of the zone.
• Net: 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches in the center.
• Paddle: length plus width can’t be more than 24 inches, and length can’t be more than 17 inches. There’s no limit on weight or thickness. The hitting surface can’t have rough texture, sandpaper or rubber. For sanctioned play, the paddle must be on the USA Pickleball approved list and carry its seal.
• Ball: a smooth plastic ball with holes, one color, from the approved list. Any approved ball is legal indoors or out. Indoor balls usually have bigger holes and outdoor balls smaller ones.

The serve

The serve is where most new players get called for faults. When you hit it:

• Feet: at least one foot on the ground behind the baseline, and neither foot touching the court or outside the imaginary extensions of the sideline and centerline.
• Volley serve: the paddle must move in an upward arc, the top of the paddle head can’t be above your wrist, and the ball must be no higher than your waist when you hit it. Forehand or backhand are both fine.
• Drop serve: drop the ball from a natural height (no throwing it down or tossing it up) and hit it after it bounces. It can bounce any number of times, anywhere.
• Release: one hand or the paddle only, no spin added on the release, and the receiver must be able to see it.
• Placement: diagonally into the opposite service court. The ball must clear the kitchen; a serve that lands on the kitchen line is out. A serve that clips the net and lands in is good (there are no “lets”).
• Timing: the whole score must be called before you serve, and you then have 10 seconds to serve.

The two-bounce rule

The serve must bounce before the receiver hits it, and the return must bounce before the serving side hits it. After those two bounces, anyone can volley (hit the ball out of the air) or play it off the bounce. A ball can never bounce twice on your side. This rule keeps the serving team from charging the net right away. It’s why the “third shot drop,” a soft shot into the kitchen, is such a big part of the game.

The kitchen (non-volley zone)

The kitchen rule is simple once it clicks: you can be in the kitchen any time, but you can’t volley while you’re touching it. It’s a fault if:

• you, or anything you’re wearing or holding, touches the kitchen (lines included) while you’re volleying;
• your momentum after a volley carries you into the kitchen, even after the ball is dead (a hat or paddle falling in counts too);
• you step into the kitchen and then volley before both feet are back outside it.

You can step in to play a ball that has bounced. The kitchen only covers the ground. It doesn’t extend up into the air, so reaching over the line with your paddle is fine as long as your feet stay out.

Scoring: side-out (standard)

In standard scoring, only the serving side scores. Games usually go to 11, win by 2.

• Singles: serve from the right when your score is even (or zero) and from the left when it’s odd. You keep serving until you lose a rally (a “side out”). The score is two numbers: server’s score, then receiver’s.
• Doubles: each partner serves before the side out, starting from the right side, and the server switches sides with each point won. The exception is the very start of the game, when only one player serves. That’s why the first call is “zero-zero-two”: the starting server counts as the second server. The score is three numbers: serving team, receiving team, then server number (1 or 2).
• Positions: the player who started the game serving is on the right when their team’s score is even and on the left when it’s odd. Before the serve you can ask the opponent who should be serving or receiving, and they must answer.

Rally scoring, and what changed in 2026

USA Pickleball allows rally scoring as a provisional (trial) option. In rally scoring, whoever wins the rally scores a point, serving or not. The score is called as two numbers. In doubles, only one player serves per side out, and the serve passes to the other team as soon as the serving team loses a rally.

The big 2026 change: under the 2025 rules, a receiving team at game point could win the rally but not the game, because game point could only be scored on serve. That “freeze” is gone. In 2026 a point is scored on every rally, including the winning point. USA Pickleball says it made the change after research and polling showed most players and spectators wanted it. Tournament directors can choose rally scoring, except in double-elimination doubles events, 2026 Golden Ticket events and the 2026 USA Pickleball National Championships. In rally scoring, games can go to 11, 15 or 21 points.

Line calls, faults and etiquette

• Line calls: in rec and most tournament play, you call the lines on your own side. A ball touching the line is in (except a serve on the kitchen line). Only call “out” if you clearly see space between the ball and the line. If you’re not sure, it’s in. Out calls must be made promptly, out loud or with a hand signal.
• Common faults: the ball goes out or into the net, it bounces twice, you volley before the two bounces are done, you hit the ball before it crosses to your side, you or your paddle touch the net while the ball is in play, or the ball hits you (anywhere except your paddle hand).
• Calling faults on opponents: you can only call kitchen faults and service foot faults on the other team. If the teams disagree, the rally is replayed.
• Not ready: before the score call starts, raise your paddle or free hand above your head, or turn your back to the net.
• Between rallies: you may quickly drink, towel off and adjust gear, as long as it doesn’t slow the game. Use that time to drink water on hot days.

Rules by level: rec, tournament and pro

Level	Scoring and format	Equipment and officials
Rec and open play	Usually one game to 11, win by 2, side-out scoring; groups may agree on rally scoring	Any paddle and ball; players call their own lines
USA Pickleball tournaments	Best 2 of 3 or 3 of 5 games to 11, or one game to 15 or 21 (all win by 2). Teams switch ends at 6 in a single game to 11. Each standard time-out is up to 1 minute.	Approved paddles and balls; referees in some matches; non-marking shoes required
Junior events	Same rules; junior events are for ages 18 and under	Same equipment rules
Wheelchair and adaptive play	Players in wheelchairs and some adaptive standing players may let the ball bounce twice; the second bounce can land outside the court	Rules for wheelchairs and assistive devices
Major League Pickleball	Co-ed team matches: men’s, women’s and two mixed doubles games, side-out to 11, win by 2; a tie goes to a “DreamBreaker” singles tiebreaker, rally scoring to 21	League rules (“MLPlay”)
PPA Tour (2026-27)	Best 2 of 3 games for every match except doubles and mixed doubles gold-medal matches at Majors and the PPA Finals	Tour rules and referees

For who runs each level, see pickleball leagues and associations. Coming from tennis? See our tennis guide, and kids’ versions are on our youth pickleball page.

What you need to play by the rules

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

For a group that’s just starting, the Franklin Activator 4-player set has four wooden paddles and four X-40 balls, all marked USA Pickleball approved, for about $49. If you’re playing outdoors, the Franklin X-40 is the same 40-hole approved outdoor ball sold in packs (about $29). Since four players share the net in doubles, add eye protection like the Tourna Clear glasses with a polycarbonate lens (about $17). Our pickleball gear guide covers paddles, balls and shoes in more depth.

Rules keep the game fair; your body keeps you in it. See pickleball injuries for staying healthy on the court, and our recovery tools guide for after.

Pickleball rules FAQs

Can you step in the kitchen in pickleball?

Yes. You can stand in the kitchen any time and play any ball that has bounced. What you can’t do is volley while touching the kitchen, or let your momentum carry you into it after a volley.

Why does a doubles game start at zero-zero-two?

At the start of each game, only one player on the serving team serves before the side out. The rulebook treats that player as the “second server,” so the first score call is zero-zero-two.

Can you score on the other team’s serve?

Not in standard side-out scoring. With rally scoring, yes: every rally is a point, and since 2026 that includes the game-winning point.

Is a serve that hits the net and goes in good?

Yes. A served ball may touch the net as long as it clears the kitchen and lands in the correct service court. There are no lets in pickleball.

Is a ball on the line in or out?

In, with one exception: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is out. If you can’t clearly see space between the ball and the line, the call goes to your opponent.

How high is a pickleball net?

36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The rulebook allows a strap at the center of the net to set that center height.