Pickleball starts with an underhand serve, both sides must let the ball bounce once before anyone volleys (the two-bounce rule), and nobody can volley from the 7-foot no-volley zone by the net, known as the kitchen. In traditional scoring only the serving side can win a point, and games usually go to 11, win by 2.
This is the rulebook answer, taken from the commonly published rules as set out in pickleball.com's complete rules guide, as of November 2026. Sanctioned events follow the USA Pickleball rulebook, so if you're entering one, that's the document that counts. If you're brand new and want to know how to get started rather than what the rules are, my beginner's guide to pickleball is the better first stop.
The serve: volley or drop
There are two legal ways to serve. A volley serve is hit out of the air, and it comes with a set of conditions:
- The stroke is underhand.
- The paddle meets the ball below your waist, which the guide defines as navel level.
- Both feet are behind the baseline.
- At least one foot is on the playing surface at contact, so no jumping.
- The ball goes diagonally, cross-court, into the opposite service box.
- You get one attempt. There's no second serve.
A drop serve is the other option. You drop the ball naturally from any height and let it bounce before you hit it. It can't be thrown up or bounced by you. In exchange, there are no restrictions on arm swing, contact point or paddle position.
Either way, the serve has to clear the kitchen and land in the correct box. A serve that lands in the kitchen, or on the kitchen line, is a fault.
The two-bounce rule in four steps
- The serving side serves.
- The receiving side must let the serve bounce before returning it.
- The serving side must let that return bounce before hitting the third shot.
- From then on, either side may volley the ball out of the air or play it off the bounce, as long as nobody volleys from the kitchen.
Volleying before both bounces have happened is a fault, even if the return looks short enough to attack.
The kitchen: where you can stand and when
The kitchen, or non-volley zone, is the 7-foot area on each side of the net. You can't volley while standing in it or touching its line, and that includes your clothing and your paddle. You can step in to play a ball that has bounced.
The momentum fault catches plenty of people. If you volley cleanly from outside the kitchen and your follow-through carries you into it, or onto its line, it's still a fault, even if the ball is already dead. A dropped paddle, hat or anything you're wearing that falls into the kitchen during a volley counts too.
One legal shot that looks illegal: the Erne. A player who gets outside the sideline without stepping through the kitchen can volley a ball near the net post, as long as they don't touch the kitchen or its line.
Scoring: side-out, rally and the three numbers
| Format | Who can score | Usual game length |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional (side-out) | Only the serving side | 11, win by 2; tournament games often go to 15 or 21 |
| Rally scoring | Either side, on any rally | 15 or 21, win by 2 |
In traditional doubles, both players on a team serve before the serve passes to the other side (a side-out). The exception is the first service turn of each game, which has only one server. That's why the score is called as three numbers before every serve: serving team's score, receiving team's score, then server number 1 or 2. So 4-3-2 means the serving team has 4, the receivers have 3, and the second server is serving. Every game starts at 0-0-2, because the first turn is treated as if the second server is already up.
Where you serve from follows the score: an even score serves from the right, an odd score from the left. In doubles that's the team score. Singles is simpler. You call two numbers only, there's no 0-0-2 start, and a fault is an immediate side-out.
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Faults at a glance
| Fault | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Illegal serve | Not underhand, or contact above the waist on a volley serve |
| Serve into the kitchen | The serve lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line |
| Out | The ball lands outside the court |
| Net | The ball goes into the net |
| Double bounce | The ball bounces twice before it's hit |
| Kitchen volley | A volley while in the kitchen or touching its line, including momentum after the shot |
| Early volley | A volley before the two-bounce requirement is met |
| Touching the net | Player, clothing or paddle touches the net or posts while the ball is in play |
| Hitting an object | The ball hits a permanent object before landing, or hits the net post |
Two things that sound like faults but aren't. Around-the-post shots are legal and don't have to clear the net height, as long as the ball lands in. And you can reach over the net, but only after the ball has crossed to your side.
Line calls, lets and the 2021 change
During a rally every line is in. The single exception is the kitchen line on a serve, which is a fault. So the kitchen line counts as the kitchen when you volley, counts as in during a rally, and only counts against you on the serve. If you're not sure whether a ball was in or out, the benefit of the doubt goes to your opponent: call it in.
The rule some recreational groups still play the old way, out of habit, is the let. Since 2021, a serve that clips the net and lands in the correct box is simply a legal serve, and play carries on. Lets now apply only to outside interference, like a ball rolling on from the next court, and both sides have to agree to replay. If your group still replays net serves, it's playing an out-of-date house rule.
Paddle and ball limits for sanctioned play
You won't need these for a friendly, but for sanctioned play the paddle can be no more than 17 inches long, and its length plus width can't exceed 24 inches. The ball is a perforated polymer sphere with 26 to 40 holes, a diameter of 2.874 to 2.972 inches and a weight of 0.78 to 0.935 ounces. Indoor balls have larger holes; outdoor balls have smaller holes and are harder. If you're choosing kit, my pickleball paddle picks cover that side of things.
My verdict for new players
I'd teach three rules before anyone picks up a paddle: serve underhand into the diagonal box, let it bounce twice, and stay out of the kitchen when you volley. Everything else makes sense once those are second nature. I'd play side-out to 11 and call the three numbers out loud from day one, because that's the habit that saves arguments. I'd skip the equipment measurements and the rally scoring debate until someone in the group wants to enter an event. And if you're still deciding between this and padel, I've compared padel and pickleball side by side.
Frequently asked questions
How many points is a pickleball game?
Usually 11, win by 2, in traditional scoring. Tournament games often go to 15 or 21, and rally scoring games typically go to 15 or 21, win by 2.
Can you step in the kitchen?
Yes, to play a ball that has bounced. You can't volley while standing in the kitchen or touching its line, and momentum carrying you in after a volley is also a fault.
Is a serve that hits the net a let?
No. Since 2021 a serve that clips the net and lands in the correct box is a legal serve. Lets now apply only to outside interference.
What is the two-bounce rule?
The return of serve must bounce, and the serving side's third shot must bounce, before anyone may volley. After that, either side can volley from outside the kitchen.
