Pickleball Land Use Regulation Survey

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Pickleball Popularity

According to the USA Pickleball Association 2021 Pickleball Fact and Media Sheet, pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington by three dads--Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum--who wanted to entertain bored kids. Pritchard’s wife stated she started calling the game pickleball because “[t]he combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” McCallum, however, claims the sport is named after the Pritchards’ dog Pickles who would retrieve errant balls and run away with them.

While the origin of the name is not decided, one thing is certain: pickleball is rising in popularity, as evidenced by the pickleball community in the greater Park City area. Nationwide, according to the USA Pickleball Association 2021 Pickleball Fact and Media Sheet, “[p]ickleball grew in 2020 to 4.2 million players in the US, an incredible growth rate of 21.3% from 2019 per the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) 2021 Topline Participation Report, released in Feb. 2021.”

To accommodate this rise in popularity, the Park City Recreation Department and Recreation Advisory Board (RAB) are evaluating temporary and permanent public indoor and outdoor courts to meet the increased demand (City Council November 18, 2021 Staff Report; Minutes, p. 5).

Land Management Code Amendments to Mitigate Pickleball Impacts

While some community input to City Council has been in support of more pickleball facilities, some concerns have been raised about pickleball impacts. The USA Pickleball Association describes the sport as follows:

A pickleball court is 20’ x 44’ for both singles and doubles. The net is hung at 36” at the ends and hangs 34” in the middle. A non-volley zone extends 7’ back from the net on each side, commonly called “the kitchen.”

The sport is played with wooden or composite paddles and a perforated plastic ball, which has led to noise complaints. Studies by acoustical engineers found that pickleball noise ranges from 39 dBA (Scottsdale, AZ) to 80 dBA (Spendiarian & Willis Acoustics & Noise Control LLC). When looking at the tonal signature of a “sharp” hit, studies found that the frequency of the peak was seen to vary between roughly 1,000 and 2,000 Hz. The unique noise has led to conflicts in communities nationwide. Due to the unique impact of pickleball courts and increased interest in constructing them on private residential lots, staff has looked to other communities to establish best practices.

Pickleball is an increasingly popular sport and public input is clear: more pickleball courts are wanted in Park City to meet the growing demand. With the growing demand for public pickleball courts, an interest in constructing outdoor pickleball courts on residential lots has arisen. Under the Land Management Code (LMC), outdoor pickleball courts in residential areas are considered Private Recreation Facilities, and regulated as Allowed or Conditional Uses pursuant to the use tables of individual zoning districts.

Outdoor pickleball can be noisy. Due to the unique noise produced as part of pickleball play, staff recommends LMC amendments for private outdoor pickleball courts on residential lots to require compliance with the Municipal Code of Park City Noise Ordinance. On March 23, 2022, the Planning Commission voted 5-1 to forward a positive recommendation on proposed Land Management Code Amendments that regulate outdoor pickleball courts in residential areas:

1. Requiring a Conditional Use Permit

  • Public notice will be sent to property owners within 300 feet of the proposed site
  • The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing
  • The Planning Commission may condition the approval to address site-specific impacts

2. Establishing a minimum lot size of one acre (43,560 square feet)

3. Requiring a minimum 600-foot setback from lot lines of adjacent residential properties for pickleball courts with no noise mitigation

4. Allowing for reduced setbacks that are no less than 150 feet from adjacent residential property lines when a property owner demonstrates the outdoor pickleball court will comply with the noise ordinance

  • Property owners will be required to submit a site-specific noise study completed by a certified acoustical professional
  • Property owners must demonstrate that mitigating features, including noise-mitigating barriers, will be effective

5. Requiring Homeowner Association notification for properties that are part of a Homeowner Association registered with the City

6. Limiting hours of play to 8 AM - 8 PM

  • The Planning Commission may establish different hours of operations upon findings that corroborate the appropriateness of alternative times of use

7. Prohibiting outdoor lighting of residential courts

8. Requiring guest parking to be provided on-site and requiring that outdoor Pickleball Courts are for use of the residents and up to no more than four guests at a time

9. Requiring additional landscaping for noise and visual mitigation measures


On March 23, 2022, the Planning Commission forwarded a positive recommendation on the proposed amendments for the City Council's consideration on April 7, 2022.


We Want to Hear From You!

Staff appreciates public input as it helps inform staff recommendations to the Planning Commission and City Council.

Public input can be emailed to planning@parkcity.org.


To Review the Planning Commission Packets and Audio Recordings To Date, Use the Links Below:

February 23, 2022: Planning Commission Packet (Regular Agenda Item 7.B), Meeting Audio

March 23, 2022: Planning Commission Packet (Regular Agenda Item 6.B), Meeting Audio

Pickleball Popularity

According to the USA Pickleball Association 2021 Pickleball Fact and Media Sheet, pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington by three dads--Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum--who wanted to entertain bored kids. Pritchard’s wife stated she started calling the game pickleball because “[t]he combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” McCallum, however, claims the sport is named after the Pritchards’ dog Pickles who would retrieve errant balls and run away with them.

While the origin of the name is not decided, one thing is certain: pickleball is rising in popularity, as evidenced by the pickleball community in the greater Park City area. Nationwide, according to the USA Pickleball Association 2021 Pickleball Fact and Media Sheet, “[p]ickleball grew in 2020 to 4.2 million players in the US, an incredible growth rate of 21.3% from 2019 per the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) 2021 Topline Participation Report, released in Feb. 2021.”

To accommodate this rise in popularity, the Park City Recreation Department and Recreation Advisory Board (RAB) are evaluating temporary and permanent public indoor and outdoor courts to meet the increased demand (City Council November 18, 2021 Staff Report; Minutes, p. 5).

Land Management Code Amendments to Mitigate Pickleball Impacts

While some community input to City Council has been in support of more pickleball facilities, some concerns have been raised about pickleball impacts. The USA Pickleball Association describes the sport as follows:

A pickleball court is 20’ x 44’ for both singles and doubles. The net is hung at 36” at the ends and hangs 34” in the middle. A non-volley zone extends 7’ back from the net on each side, commonly called “the kitchen.”

The sport is played with wooden or composite paddles and a perforated plastic ball, which has led to noise complaints. Studies by acoustical engineers found that pickleball noise ranges from 39 dBA (Scottsdale, AZ) to 80 dBA (Spendiarian & Willis Acoustics & Noise Control LLC). When looking at the tonal signature of a “sharp” hit, studies found that the frequency of the peak was seen to vary between roughly 1,000 and 2,000 Hz. The unique noise has led to conflicts in communities nationwide. Due to the unique impact of pickleball courts and increased interest in constructing them on private residential lots, staff has looked to other communities to establish best practices.

Pickleball is an increasingly popular sport and public input is clear: more pickleball courts are wanted in Park City to meet the growing demand. With the growing demand for public pickleball courts, an interest in constructing outdoor pickleball courts on residential lots has arisen. Under the Land Management Code (LMC), outdoor pickleball courts in residential areas are considered Private Recreation Facilities, and regulated as Allowed or Conditional Uses pursuant to the use tables of individual zoning districts.

Outdoor pickleball can be noisy. Due to the unique noise produced as part of pickleball play, staff recommends LMC amendments for private outdoor pickleball courts on residential lots to require compliance with the Municipal Code of Park City Noise Ordinance. On March 23, 2022, the Planning Commission voted 5-1 to forward a positive recommendation on proposed Land Management Code Amendments that regulate outdoor pickleball courts in residential areas:

1. Requiring a Conditional Use Permit

  • Public notice will be sent to property owners within 300 feet of the proposed site
  • The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing
  • The Planning Commission may condition the approval to address site-specific impacts

2. Establishing a minimum lot size of one acre (43,560 square feet)

3. Requiring a minimum 600-foot setback from lot lines of adjacent residential properties for pickleball courts with no noise mitigation

4. Allowing for reduced setbacks that are no less than 150 feet from adjacent residential property lines when a property owner demonstrates the outdoor pickleball court will comply with the noise ordinance

  • Property owners will be required to submit a site-specific noise study completed by a certified acoustical professional
  • Property owners must demonstrate that mitigating features, including noise-mitigating barriers, will be effective

5. Requiring Homeowner Association notification for properties that are part of a Homeowner Association registered with the City

6. Limiting hours of play to 8 AM - 8 PM

  • The Planning Commission may establish different hours of operations upon findings that corroborate the appropriateness of alternative times of use

7. Prohibiting outdoor lighting of residential courts

8. Requiring guest parking to be provided on-site and requiring that outdoor Pickleball Courts are for use of the residents and up to no more than four guests at a time

9. Requiring additional landscaping for noise and visual mitigation measures


On March 23, 2022, the Planning Commission forwarded a positive recommendation on the proposed amendments for the City Council's consideration on April 7, 2022.


We Want to Hear From You!

Staff appreciates public input as it helps inform staff recommendations to the Planning Commission and City Council.

Public input can be emailed to planning@parkcity.org.


To Review the Planning Commission Packets and Audio Recordings To Date, Use the Links Below:

February 23, 2022: Planning Commission Packet (Regular Agenda Item 7.B), Meeting Audio

March 23, 2022: Planning Commission Packet (Regular Agenda Item 6.B), Meeting Audio

  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Pickleball Survey

    This survey is closed. Thank you to the 601 community members who completed the survey! 

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