Can you put pickleball lines on a tennis court?
Yes, with the owner’s agreement: a tennis court with the room around it that the ITF recommends is 120 × 60 ft, which holds 4 pickleball courts at USA Pickleball’s 60 × 30 ft minimum playing surface but only 1 at its recommended 64 × 34 ft. Tape works for a trial, and the tennis net is 2 in higher at the center than a pickleball net.
The two courts and their nets
| Tennis (ITF Rule 1) | Pickleball (USA Pickleball Rule 3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Court | 78 ft long, 27 ft wide for singles, 36 ft for doubles | 44 ft long, 20 ft wide |
| Net at the center | 36 in | 34 in |
| Net at the edge | 42 in at the posts | 36 in at the sidelines |
Around the court, the ITF recommends 21 ft behind each baseline and 12 ft beside each sideline, as a guide for international play. That gives the 120 × 60 ft area we use below. Measure your own fence to fence.
How many pickleball courts fit
We divided that area by each of the checker’s three footprints, court plus run-off, turned whichever way fits more:
| Footprint | Along the 120 ft | Across the 60 ft | Courts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended, 64 × 34 ft | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rulebook minimum, 60 × 30 ft | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Tight backyard, 52 × 26 ft (ours, not official) | 4 | 1 | 4 |
Four minimum footprints sit side by side with 10 ft between neighboring sidelines. This packing is our arithmetic, not an official layout, and the tennis net and its posts would stand inside the run-off of the middle two courts, so four courts mean taking the tennis net down.
The checker places one footprint at a time and finds the recommended one fits. Set it to two courts and it uses the ASBA manual’s 65 × 64 ft for two, which needs more than the 60 ft width.
The USTA suggests up to two blended pickleball courts per tennis court, one on each side of the net, running across it. A 44 ft court across 60 ft leaves 8 ft at each end, the baseline clearance the USTA cites.
Tape or painted blended lines
For temporary lines the USTA says to use painter’s tape, which will not damage the acrylic surface. PickleballCentral says its cloth court tape can leave residue, so test a small area first.
Painted blended lines, in the USTA’s guidance, are textured paint one shade lighter in the court’s color family, 1½ in wide, stopping 3 in short of the tennis lines. That is narrower than the rulebook’s 2 in pickleball lines.
The tennis net is 2 in too high at the center for pickleball. A portable pickleball net on each court leaves the tennis net alone.
Who to ask first
On an HOA, park district or club court, ask whoever maintains it before you tape or paint. Ask whether the court hosts sanctioned tennis: in the USTA Southern Section, courts with both sets of lines cannot host sanctioned play. Ask whether portable nets are allowed and whether the tennis net may come down. The USTA advises blended lines only at sites with two or fewer tennis courts.
Tape and nets
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Line tape
Outdoor Cloth Court Tape
200 ft by 2 in per roll, in red, white or yellow. A court takes about 198 ft of line, so buy two rolls. The seller suggests replacing it after 45 to 60 days outdoors.
Price checked 2026-10-25.
Specs, price and source
No manufacturer’s list price is published for this tape. PickleballCentral sells it unbranded.
Specs from PickleballCentral’s page.
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Portable net
Rally Deluxe Portable Net System
Steel frame, 22 ft regulation width, carry bag included, about 5 minutes to set up.
Price checked 2026-10-25.
Specs, price and source
Manufacturer's list price, checked 2026-10-25: $189.95.
Specs and price from the manufacturer’s page.
Rally is PickleballCentral’s own brand, so its store is the manufacturer’s page.
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Portable net, lighter
Selkirk QuickSet Net
Steel frame, 21 ft 11 in wide, tool-free setup, about 9 lb.
Price checked 2026-10-25.
Specs, price and source
Manufacturer's list price, checked 2026-10-25: $120.
Specs and price from the manufacturer’s page.
Sources and what we left out
- 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Rules 3.A and 3.B. Read 2026-10-06.
- ITF, 2026 Rules of Tennis, Rule 1: court and net. Read 2026-10-26.
- ITF, court size: space around the court. Read 2026-10-26.
- USTA, Statement of Guidance: facilities approach to tennis and pickleball (undated): blended lines and tape. Read 2026-10-26.
- USTA Southern, tennis lines policy. Read 2026-10-26.
- PickleballCentral, outdoor cloth court tape. Read 2026-10-26.
- ASBA and USA Pickleball construction manual, 2nd edition (2020), public copy: courts side by side. Read 2026-10-06.
We left out resurfacing and lighting. We found no source on lowering a tennis net to pickleball height, so we do not suggest it. Other USTA sections may have their own rules on lines.