Pickleball facility construction
Building indoor pickleball courts comes down to three things: enough room for every court, the floor you play on, and the building around it. At US average prices, a single painted concrete court on its own costs about $12,400 to $31,900. That price does not yet cover the building, lighting or fencing around it.
How much space does each indoor court need?
A court's painted lines measure 20 by 44 feet. Players also need room to move outside the lines.
This extra space is called run-off. With run-off, each court needs about 30 by 60 feet.
| Style of play | Court with run-off included |
|---|---|
| Recreational and open play | 30 feet wide and 60 feet long |
| Competitive or tournament play | 34 feet wide and 64 feet long |
These sizes come from ClearSpan's guide to indoor facilities. The guide also gives the net height at the sidelines as 36 inches.
You may want to turn a warehouse or another existing building into courts. If so, the roof columns should stand more than 26 feet apart. That leaves enough room for a court to fit between them.
How much does an indoor pickleball court cost?
An indoor court is built on an asphalt or concrete slab. A slab is the flat, hard base the court sits on. The price starts with that base.
These prices come from our price tool, using US average prices. Each court gets its own pad, 30 by 60 feet, and the courts sit side by side. A pad is the flat area the court is built on.
These prices cover ground prep, the slab, the playing surface, the lines and the nets. Ground prep means clearing and shaping the ground. The building itself is priced separately.
| Number of courts | Interlocking tiles over concrete | Cushioned acrylic over concrete | Painted concrete surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | $18,700 to $60,700 | $15,100 to $37,300 | $12,400 to $31,900 |
| Two | $37,400 to $121,400 | $30,200 to $74,600 | $24,800 to $63,800 |
| Four | $74,800 to $242,800 | $60,400 to $149,200 | $49,600 to $127,600 |
In our tool, lighting costs $5,000 to $10,000 for each court. With lights and fencing included, 4 painted concrete courts cost $73,200 to $180,200 in total.
If you already have a slab in good shape, you may not need a new one. You can choose resurfacing, which is a fresh top coat on an old court. Or you can add an overlay, which is a new layer laid over an old surface. Either one costs $5,000 to $15,000.
Costs also change from state to state. For 1 painted concrete court, Iowa is the cheapest at $11,600 to $29,800. Hawaii is the most expensive at $13,200 to $34,100.
Building, surface and lighting choices
Many indoor facilities use insulated metal panels for the outside walls. These are metal wall panels with insulation inside.
For indoor courts, the recommended coating is 100% acrylic. Acrylic is the paint-like coating that gives a court its color and grip.
LED lights are the usual choice. They are bright lights that use little power.
Your players may want a surface that is easier on their knees. If so, choose cushioned acrylic. This is the same coating with soft rubber layers under it. It costs a little more than plain paint.
You can also turn an old tennis court into pickleball courts. Our tool says turning 1 tennis court into 4 pickleball courts costs $5,000 to $20,000.
Will your area support a facility?
Before you build, write a simple plan of what the facility will earn and spend each year. This step tells you whether the courts will pay for themselves.
Figures from JDC suggest an area can support about 20 indoor courts for every 100,000 people. JDC also says players usually drive 22 minutes to play.
Fees matter too. JDC found that players start to care more about price at about $5 per person. So your plan should test fees near that level.
The opening stretch
JDC says the first 90 days can make or break a facility. That is when your schedule takes shape.
You can plan many kinds of play. These include open play, drop-ins, round robins, leagues, tournaments, clinics and private lessons.
When you choose how many courts to build, think about which of these you want to offer in those first 90 days.
Know roughly how many courts you want? Send your plans with one short form. Builders who work in your state will reply with their own quotes. Then you can plan around real numbers.