Who wants to buy a home near a noisy pickleball court?
Cities and towns should not build pickleball courts close to residences.
About the pickleball noise near homes
Numerous reports and websites indicate people are not willing to purchase a property close to an outdoor pickleball court due to the noise issues. Remarkably, some pickleball players have also said that they would never choose to live near a pickleball court.
The pickleball noise comprises of two areas; high annoyance and loudness.
1 – High annoyance;
The duration, high pitch, and high impulse noise by a hard ball striking a hard paddle;
Open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., each court generates 900 or more intermittent ‘pops’ per hour. That can be 15,300 loud ‘pops’ every day on 1 court. With pickleball’s growing popularity and advocates per city actively sharing venues, that can add up to 119 hours of non-stop ‘pops’ every week, 10 to 12 months a year.
During the winter months, sometimes the outdoor courts are shovelled and play may continue in the rain. It’s extremely annoying inside a home with 1 court even if it’s 3 hours every day.
Every hit vibrates quickly, producing a high pitch sound at 1000 to 2000 hertz which is close to the most sensitive frequency range of human hearing. High-pitched sounds are more likely to reflect off of a surface, causing an echo. The sound waves are closer together, resulting in a shrill or sharp tone, at the top of the audible range i.e. high pitch scream or whistle.
The higher pitched ‘pop’ is more easily detected at a distance, more noticeable than tennis. Other descriptions include; being on constant alert, being threatening, unpleasant or harmful, like water torture, being unable to escape it which in turn is having an effect on some people’s health.
High impulse sound is more annoying than steady-state sounds. There is no other noise like pickleball in residential neighborhoods, it’s unnatural and a nuisance.
2 – Loudness;
When using a Class 1 sound level meter such as the NTI XL3, each pickleball high impulse ‘pop’ peaks around 80 to 120 decibels, depending on the type of shot. People are forced to listen to the loud annoying noise inside and outside of their property. By using a standard sound level meter pickleball noise levels are around 70 to 80 decibels and tennis is about 40 decibels at 100 feet, however it can be louder dependent on many variables like a brick wall amplifying it.
While pickleball is being played, stand a foot from any area on the property line to verify if the noise is audible, if it is, then that’s what the owners or renters hear on the property. If there is a 2nd floor or more, it may be louder there. If the property is a few hundred feet away and the windows are closed, the homeowners or renters likely hear the pickleball popping noise inside.
Some pickleball courts have some type of barrier or equipment to try and mitigate the noise impact however unfortunately not everything has worked as expected. Similar to a firecracker, the sound wave can bounce off branches, walls etc. or bend around obstacles or spread out through a small space or properly absorbed.
How many people want to live near an outdoor pickleball court?
By looking at the percent of players vs. non-players it may give some insight of how many people want to purchase their dream home and quite possibly the largest purchase and investment of their life near a pickleball court.
By viewing feedback from players, most have said they could never live near a pickleball court, their wrist watches are constantly warning them they are in a high noise environment. There are some reports which players say they love the popping noise, but so far none of them live near a court.
What % of the population currently plays pickleball? – Research USA and Canada
In the USA, there are two reports; one report says 7.3% and the second report says 17.8% that are pickleball players factoring in adults over 18, who can legally purchase a home.
That means the USA non-players are currently at 92.7% for the first report and 82.2% for the second report factoring in adults over 18, who can legally purchase a home.
In Canada, there is one report, 4.6% are pickleball players and 95.4% are non-players, factoring in adults over 18, who can legally purchase a home.
Result:
It turns out there may be a very limited number of people that would want to purchase a home near a pickleball court.
The percent of players that may purchase a home may be lower due to other factors, i.e. they already own a property, they’re not in the market to buy and they would never live near a pickleball court due to the constant noise issues.
The percent of non-players including those who cannot play, have probably heard about the noise problems. Some may not know anything about the game or heard the noise first-hand at an open house. They may believe it’s a bad investment that won’t benefit them or their family.
As a result, the pool of potential buyers may have reduced even further.
USA: Statistical Data
Population USA
Number of USA pickleball players
Players USA – Report 1:
7.3% play and can legally buy a home.
Players USA – Report 2:
17.8% play and can legally buy a home.
In most USA States, a person can purchase a home at age 18 and above. The number of players is mostly adults above age 18.*Report 2 uses a different methodology to calculate the number of players.
Canada: Statistical Data
Population Canada
Number of Canadian pickleball players
In most Canadian provinces and territories, a person can purchase a home at age 18 and above. The number of players is mostly adults above age 18.
Existing homeowners
Many existing homeowners are forced to listen to ‘pop’, ‘pop, ‘pop’ everyday inside their homes and they’re taking action to protect their property. They have likely suffered other losses including home values, square footage, enjoyment of their property and their health.
Some of the actions include contacting different agencies regarding; ‘bundle of rights’, ‘nuisance laws’, ‘various environmental noise laws’ i.e. ‘high impulse noise’, ‘civil conspiracy’, ‘property rights’ i.e. ‘peaceful enjoyment’, and ‘noise laws’.
Have you ever watched home shows on television where people find their ideal home in their ideal location and cry with joy because they found their forever home? They renovate the interior, create a backyard sanctuary, and make lots of memories. Cities have a responsibility to safeguard the welfare, health and safety of all citizens. They need to plan for the distinctive nuisance noise that pickleball produces. This is a serious matter, and the overwhelming evidence that is available cannot be denied.
Imagine being able to create any recreational activity that occurs thousands of times every day near any home, whether or not it’s in a park. It’s a high impulse impact that is extremely annoying and louder than background noise. Most people would not enjoy that.
In some cities more than 10 minutes of excessive dog barking is not allowed, in some cities an air conditioner at 55db is considered too loud for another neighbor’s back yard which is a steady state sound.
Best Solution
To make players and residents happy; cities should ensure they don’t construct pickleball courts close to homes. There should be a setback of 1000 feet or enclose this kind of activity in a building or dome. Cities should build hundreds of outdoor pickleball courts near loud areas like highways or industrial areas.
The pickleball noise and games continue to grow in popularity with the assistance of the pickleball advocates assigned to each city.
Do you think real estate deals will now need to include a disclosure statement about the financial and health risks of purchasing a home near continuous loud pickleball courts? If cities keep ignoring people’s genuine concerns, litigation may be filed regarding that as well.
Click here for more supporting news documents and videos about the pickleball noise issue.
Eliza Woods | R&D FYA | July 30, 2025