Pickleball Court Lines: What’s In, Out and Part of the Kitchen

A ball touching a court line is generally in. The exception is a serve landing on the Kitchen line: that is a fault. After the serve, a ball landing on the Kitchen line is in, just like one landing on a sideline or baseline. USA Pickleball’s rules summary states this distinction directly.

Keep two questions separate: Where did the ball land? and Where were your feet when you hit it? A ball can land legally on the Kitchen line while a player commits a fault by touching that same line during a volley—a shot hit before the ball bounces.

Know the four types of court line

Line	Where it is	What it does
Baseline	Across the back of each end, parallel to the net	Marks the back boundary; you serve from behind it
Sidelines	Along the two long edges	Mark the side boundaries
Centerline	From the baseline to the Kitchen line on each end	Separates the right and left service courts; it does not continue through the Kitchen
Kitchen line	Across the court, 7 feet from the net on each end	Marks the back edge of the non-volley zone, commonly called the Kitchen

These definitions come from Section 3.A.4 of the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook. For measurements, line width and surrounding playing space, see pickleball court dimensions.

Which lines count as in?

On a serve, the ball must land in the diagonally opposite service court:

• Its baseline, sideline and centerline count as in.
• The Kitchen line does not: a serve touching it, or landing inside the Kitchen, is a fault.
• Landing in the wrong service court is also a fault, even if the ball remains inside the overall court.

After the serve, the Kitchen line counts as in. The centerline no longer restricts where you may place the ball: either half of the opponent’s court is available in standard full-court play. These distinctions follow Rules 3.A.4.f, 7.E and 8.B–8.C.

For example, your crosscourt serve catches the centerline beyond the Kitchen: it is in. Later in that rally, your soft shot lands on the Kitchen line: that is in too.

What the lines mean for your feet

The Kitchen line belongs to the Kitchen, as do the sideline sections bounding that zone. Touching any of these during a volley is a fault. Your volley’s momentum also cannot carry you onto the line or into the Kitchen—even after the ball becomes dead.

You may enter the Kitchen at any time except during the act of volleying; you do not have to wait for a bounce before stepping in. You may hit a bounced ball while standing there. Before volleying afterward, however, both feet must contact the playing surface completely outside the Kitchen. Rules 3.A.4.c and 11.A cover these situations.

The baseline works differently: when you strike a serve, neither foot may touch it or the court inside it. Keep at least one foot grounded behind the baseline in the correct serving area. Any grounded foot must stay within that area, including its imaginary centerline and sideline boundaries. See Rules 3.A.4.g and 7.A and our serving guide.

Make close calls fairly

For play without officials, the 2026 rulebook’s Section 8 gives a straightforward approach:

• Call balls on your own end; either doubles partner may call.
• Call a ball out only when you clearly see space between the ball and the boundary line when it lands. If you are unsure, treat it as in.
• If partners disagree, the team’s call is in—not a replay.
• Call promptly. If you return the ball, make your out call before the opponent hits it or the ball becomes dead, whichever happens first.

A two-minute Kitchen-line practice

With a partner across the net, start just behind your Kitchen lines. Exchange gentle shots that bounce in the Kitchen. Step in when needed, then reset both feet completely behind the line before the next shot. Resetting is a practice habit, not a requirement before another bounced shot.

Checkpoint: pause between exchanges to check that both feet have contacted the surface outside the Kitchen and neither shoe touches the line. Build the habit of entering for a bounced ball, then establishing a legal position before taking a ball out of the air.