How long does it take to build a pickleball court in St. Louis?

Last updated: October 10, 2026

A backyard pickleball court in St. Louis takes about six to ten weeks from signed contract to first game: one to four weeks for city permits (more if an HOA reviews it first), about a week of site work and slab in good weather, a 28-day cure for concrete, and two to four dry working days above 50°F for the coating and lines. The best time to sign is late winter for a late-spring court; the last comfortable date to pour concrete for same-year play is early September.

The calendar, step by step

A published Midwest range for construction is three to five weeks for asphalt and five to seven for post-tension, groundbreaking to completion including curing, not counting approvals. Why post-tension takes longer is explained in the slab guide.

Why concrete needs 28 days

Fresh concrete holds a lot of water and keeps hardening for weeks. Acrylic coating manufacturers require new concrete to cure at least 28 days before the first coat so moisture and alkalinity in the slab don't cause the coating to blister or lose its bond. One manufacturer asks for 30 days on new asphalt for similar reasons. Skipping the wait to finish sooner is a shortcut that shortens a court's life.

The St. Louis coating window

Acrylic court coatings need air and surface temperatures of at least 50°F and rising during application. The numbers for St. Louis (NOAA, 1991–2020 normals at Lambert):

On normals, afternoons clear 50°F comfortably from early April to early November, but April and October mornings start in the 40s, which leaves a narrower workday. That's why we treat mid-April to mid-October as the dependable coating window.

The National Weather Service's average freeze dates for St. Louis (1991–2020) are April 2 for the last spring freeze and November 2 for the first fall freeze. Fall is often the steadier season to finish: September and October are drier than April and May. Once it's built, the maintenance guide covers getting a new court through its first winter.

Rain and clay: the spring problem

April and May are St. Louis's two wettest months on the normals. Clay that's saturated can't be compacted properly — it pumps and ruts under equipment — and building a base on it is how courts end up settling. A good crew waits for the subgrade to dry. Plan for weather days in a spring start; they're not a sign anything is wrong.

Working backward from a target date

Want to play by Memorial Day? Work backward from the coating:

• Coating in mid-to-late May, on a dry stretch above 50°F.
• Pour by mid-to-late April, to allow 28 days of cure.
• Excavation and base in early-to-mid April, weather permitting.
• Permits approved by early April.
• HOA approval by mid-March.
• Signed quote by late February.

Want to play by Labor Day? Pour by late July or early August, sign in spring.

Want this year's court and it's already September? Pour by early September and you can usually coat by early-to-mid October. Pour later than that and you'll likely coat in spring — the slab cures over winter, and you play in April.

What slows projects down

• HOA review cycles. Committees often meet monthly.
• Commission review. Some cities send courts to a planning commission or architectural board; those run on meeting calendars. The permits guide lists which ones.
• Stormwater plans. In cities like Kirkwood, the drywell or rain garden needs its own design.
• Utility locates. Buried lines have to be located and marked before digging.
• Concrete scheduling. Spring is busy for every concrete crew in the region.

Related guides

• Why concrete curing and freeze-thaw matter so much here: post-tension vs asphalt vs concrete
• Which approvals you'll need: pickleball court permits in St. Louis
• After it's built: maintenance in freeze-thaw country

Frequently asked questions

What's the fastest a court can be done? On a simple site with no HOA and a quick permit, roughly six weeks, most of it the concrete cure. Asphalt still waits about a month before coating.

Can you pour concrete in winter? With cold-weather measures, concrete can be placed in cool weather, but the coating can't go on until it's 50°F and rising. Most winter pours wait until spring for surfacing.

Is fall a good time to build? Yes, if the slab goes in by early September. Fall is drier than spring in St. Louis on the 1991–2020 normals.

When should we sign to play next spring? Late winter. That leaves time for approvals and lets the crew start as soon as the ground is workable.

Get a quote

Tell us when you want to play. We'll give you a realistic calendar with the written quote. See backyard pickleball courts, or get a quote.