HOA pickleball court planning: a guide for boards

Last updated: October 10, 2026

An HOA adding pickleball courts should move in seven steps: survey residents, pick a site that's far enough from homes, estimate noise exposure, set a budget that includes resurfacing reserves, get approvals, send every bidder the same bid package, and adopt court rules before opening day. Skipping the siting and rules steps is how boards end up in the middle of neighbor disputes. This guide walks each step with St. Louis-area specifics and free templates.

Step 1: Survey residents

Before anyone draws a court, find out who will play, how often and when. A survey gives the board three things: evidence of demand for the vote, a court count, and an early read on the neighbors who live closest to likely sites.

Ask about current play (where, how often), expected use (weekday mornings, evenings, weekends), interest in lessons or leagues, concerns (noise, lights, parking, cost), willingness to fund it (reserves, special assessment, dues), and whether the respondent lives near the candidate sites.

Our free resident survey template has the questions ready to copy into a form tool.

Step 2: Pick a site

Most subdivisions have three kinds of candidate sites: an existing tennis court, a common-ground lawn, or a corner of the pool lot. Score each on:

• Distance to the nearest home. This is the most important number. See Step 3.
• Size. Each court needs at least a 30 × 60-foot surface, ideally 34 × 64. Two courts side by side need 60 × 60 feet at minimum or 68 × 64 at the preferred size; four need double the width.
• Orientation. A north–south long axis is recommended.
• Drainage. Where does water go in a storm? A low spot is a bad court site.
• Access and parking. A path that works for wheelchairs and strollers; a place for cars that isn't a neighbor's curb.
• Utilities. Power for lights, if allowed; water for cleaning.

If you have a tennis court, it's often the obvious site — it's already there, already fenced, already the place people expect play. One tennis court holds four pickleball courts. Have the slab assessed before you commit; the slab guide explains what cracks and heave tell you.

Step 3: Estimate noise exposure

Pickleball's paddle strike is sharp and repetitive, and it carries. St. Louis County's noise code allows 55 dB(A) by day in residential areas and lowers that 5 dB for impulsive noise. One published acoustics guideline measured a single game at 55–57 dBA about 50 feet from the court.

The region's cautionary example is four club courts in Kirkwood built about 60 feet from homes, which failed post-construction sound studies against the county standard and led to a lawsuit that ran from 2025 to 2026. The full story is in our noise guide.

For an HOA, the practical rules:

Those bands are adapted from a Colorado acoustics firm's published guidance. For a multi-court community site within a few hundred feet of homes, an acoustic study before the vote is worth pricing.

Also check your community's own noise code. Wildwood ends daytime at 7 p.m.; St. Charles County's code starts daytime at 8 a.m.

Step 4: Budget and reserves

Use published ranges to set a planning budget, then let bids replace it:

Multi-court projects cost less per court than single courts because mobilization and base work are shared.

Put the lifecycle in the reserve study. On published figures, most acrylic courts need resurfacing every 4–8 years and post-tension courts about every 8–10; asphalt courts typically need major rehabilitation after 15–20 years, while post-tension slabs are published at 30 years or more. A board that budgets the build but not the resurfacing is likely to need a special assessment later.

A worked reserve example (published ranges):

The conversion is cheapest by far — if the slab is sound and the location works for noise. When either is false, the comparison is really between the two new-build columns.

Add the soft costs: survey, acoustic study (if needed), permit fees, an attorney's review of any covenant amendments, signage, benches, a lock or access system.

Step 5: Approvals

Common ground is still subject to city zoning, fence, lighting, grading and stormwater rules. In some St. Louis-area cities, courts need commission or board review; several prohibit court lighting on residential land. Lighting may also be limited by your own covenants. Our permits guide has a jurisdiction table.

Check your governing documents too. Converting a tennis court or building on common ground may require a member vote, depending on your declaration and bylaws. Ask the association's attorney.

Step 6: Write one bid package and send it to everyone

Bids only compare if they describe the same project. A good package includes:

• site plan with the court location and dimensions;
• court count and size (30 × 60 or 34 × 64);
• slab type to price — ask for post-tension and asphalt as alternates;
• base: minimum compacted depth and material;
• surface system: acrylic, hard or cushioned, number of coats;
• fence: height (to the city limit), material, footing depth below 30 inches;
• windscreen and acoustic panels;
• lighting (if allowed), with spill limits and a timer;
• drainage: slope direction, receiving point, any stormwater practice;
• accessibility route;
• who applies for each permit;
• schedule, payment terms, warranty terms, exclusions.

Our quote comparison checklist lists every line so the board can score bids side by side, and the online quote comparison tool does the same thing on screen.

Step 7: Adopt court rules before opening day

Rules written after the first complaint feel like punishment. Rules written in advance feel like the deal. Cover:

• Hours (start no earlier than 8 a.m., end by dusk or a set time);
• Quiet equipment (USA Pickleball's Quiet Category paddles and balls, if noise is a concern);
• Reservations and time limits when people are waiting;
• Guests;
• Lights (on/off times);
• Care of the court (no bikes, skates, chairs with sharp feet, or ice melt);
• Enforcement and who to contact.

Start with our court-use rules template and adapt it.

Related guides

• Pickleball noise in St. Louis
• Post-tension vs asphalt vs concrete — why shared courts often justify post-tension
• Pickleball court cost in St. Louis

Frequently asked questions

How many courts should an HOA build? At least two, so one group isn't waiting on another. Let the survey decide whether you need four.

Should we convert our tennis court or build new? Convert if the slab is sound and the location works for noise. Build new if the tennis slab is failing or the tennis court is too close to homes.

Do we need a vote of the members? That depends on your declaration and bylaws. Ask your association's attorney.

What about liability? Talk to the association's insurer before opening. Posted rules and a maintained surface help.

Can residents pay to reserve courts? Many communities use free reservation systems. Fees can create their own questions; ask your attorney.

Get a quote

We'll walk candidate sites with your committee and price each option. See HOA and community courts, or get a quote.