Pickleball Net Height: 36 Inches, 34 in the Middle

The numbers

	Rule
Height at the sidelines	36 in (91.44 cm), give or take ¼ in
Height at the center	34 in (86.36 cm), give or take ¼ in
Net length	at least 21 ft 9 in
Net depth, top to bottom	at least 30 in
Posts	22 ft apart inside to inside (±1 in), no more than 3 in across
Top edge	2-inch white tape over a cord or cable
Material	any mesh the ball can’t pass through

The net dips 2 inches toward the middle on purpose. That dip is why players aim their low, soft shots over the center.

Measuring it

Measure from the court surface straight up to the top of the net:

1. At each sideline, not at the posts. The posts sit about a foot outside the court, and the height that counts is where the net crosses the sideline: 36 inches.
2. At the center, halfway across: 34 inches.

A yardstick works, or cut a stick to 36 inches and mark 34 on it. Portable nets drift as they’re set up and moved, so check before a match.

The center strap

A strap in the middle that pulls the net down to 34 inches is optional. Many permanent nets have one; most portable nets are built to the right shape without it. If there is one, it’s in the middle, 10 feet from the outside of either sideline, and it counts as part of the net for the height.

Tennis nets

A tennis net is 36 inches at the center and 42 at the posts, too high for pickleball at both points. On a tennis court, use a portable pickleball net, or lower the tennis net to 34 inches in the middle and accept that it stays high toward the sides. More on that is on the court dimensions page.

When the ball hits the net

A ball that hits the net and still lands in the right place is in play, serve included: there are no let serves. A serve that hits the net post is a fault. The serve and return and faults pages have the rest.