Pickleball Rules Explained: The Complete 2025 Guide
This is the definitive plain-language guide to pickleball rules. Whether you're brand new or you've been playing rec ball for years and want to clear up a specific rule, you're in the right place. We cover every major rule — serve, kitchen, scoring, faults, and the 2025 changes.
1. Serving Rules
The serve starts every rally. It must be hit underhand — paddle contact must be made below the navel and the paddle head must not be above the wrist at contact. The serve goes diagonally cross-court into the opponent's service box.
Serve Checklist
- ✅ Serve underhand (contact below the waist)
- ✅ Serve diagonally cross-court
- ✅ Ball must clear the kitchen and land in the service box beyond
- ✅ Both feet must be behind the baseline
- ✅ One foot must be on or behind the centerline extension on the correct side
- ❌ No second serves (unlike tennis) — faults immediately end the server's turn
For a complete breakdown of legal and illegal serves, see our pickleball serve rules guide.
2. The Two-Bounce Rule (Double-Bounce Rule)
After the serve, the ball must bounce once on each side before either team may volley.
- The receiving team must let the serve bounce before returning
- The serving team must let the return bounce before hitting their third shot
- After these two bounces, either team may volley freely (subject to the kitchen rule)
This rule prevents the serve-and-volley dominance you see in tennis and keeps the game more balanced at all levels.
3. The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone) Rules
The non-volley zone is the 7-foot area on both sides of the net. The boundary line is considered part of the kitchen. The rules here are strict:
What you CAN do in the kitchen:
- Stand in the kitchen before, during, or after a rally — as long as you're not volleying
- Hit a ball that has bounced in the kitchen while standing inside it
- Stand in the kitchen while your partner hits the ball
What you CANNOT do:
- Volley while standing in or touching the kitchen line
- Step into the kitchen as a result of momentum from a volley (even if the ball is already dead)
- Have your hat, paddle, shirt, or any object fall into the kitchen during a volley
4. Scoring Rules
Pickleball uses rally-scoring only for some formats, but the traditional recreational rule is:
- Only the serving team scores — if you win a rally while receiving, you earn the serve, not a point
- Games are played to 11 points, win by 2 (tournaments sometimes use 15 or 21)
- In doubles, the score is called as three numbers: serving team score – receiving team score – server number (1 or 2)
- The first server of the game starts as "server 2" — this gives the receiving team a fair start
See our full pickleball scoring guide for examples and the three-number call system explained.
5. Faults
A fault ends the rally. If the serving team faults, they lose the serve (or in singles, the point goes to the opponent). If the receiving team faults, the serving team scores.
| Fault | Description |
|---|---|
| Out of bounds | Ball lands outside the court boundaries (lines are in) |
| Ball hits net | Ball doesn't clear the net (including the top tape) |
| Kitchen volley | Volleying while in or touching the NVZ |
| Two-bounce violation | Volleying before the first two shots have bounced |
| Ball bounces twice | Allowing the ball to bounce twice on your side |
| Illegal serve | Overhand serve, serve doesn't clear kitchen, foot fault |
| Ball touches player | Ball hits you or your clothing (other than paddle hand below wrist) |
| Ball hits permanent object | Ball hits ceiling, wall, or any structure before landing in |
6. Line Calls
In recreational play, each team calls the lines on their own side. In tournament play, officials or line judges make the calls. Key rules:
- All lines are in — if the ball touches the line, it's good
- The kitchen line is in on most shots, but the serve must clear it (land beyond it). If a serve lands on the kitchen line, it's a fault
- If there's doubt about a line call, the ball should be called in (benefit of the doubt goes to the hitter)
7. Lets
A "let" is a serve that hits the net but still lands in the correct service box. In recreational play, most players replay the point (call it a let). However, as of the 2021 rulebook update, USA Pickleball officially does not have a let rule — a serve that clips the net and lands in is live and in play. Check your local rec group's house rules, as many still play the traditional let.
8. 2025 Rule Changes
USA Pickleball updates its rulebook each year. Key changes and clarifications effective for 2025 include:
- Spin serves: Pre-spun serves using the non-paddle hand are illegal. You may only use one hand to release the ball for the serve.
- Drop serve clarifications: The drop serve is permanently in the rulebook and applies at all levels of play.
- Provisional play: Ongoing clarifications around provisional rules for tournament situations.
Always check USA Pickleball's official rulebook for the most current version.