How To Measure Lines For A Pickleball Court, Tennis Court, Or Basketball Court

If you’re in the process of striping your own court, here is a complete guide on the measurements and best practices.

Most lines are about 2 inches whether you’re striping for pickleball, tennis, or basketball. However, most people realize that those the width has to live somewhere, and every sport has a rule about which edge of the line the tape measures to.

Tennis and pickleball measure to the outside edge. Basketball measures to the inside edge on the boundaries and the outside edge on the lane and the arc. If a crew uses one convention for all three, the layout will be off by a line width and it will look completely normal while being completely wrong.

Here’s our guide to breaking down line measurements for your sports court.

How Do You Measure Pickleball Court Lines?

A pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long. Lines are 2 inches wide. All measurements go to the outside edge of the line, so the 20 by 44 includes the lines themselves.

• Baselines and sidelines: measure to the outside edge
• Non volley zone (the kitchen): 7 feet from the net, measured to the far edge of the kitchen line. The line is part of the kitchen, so it sits inside the 7 feet
• Centerline: 2 inches wide, centered on the midline of the service area, 1 inch on each side
• Recommended total playing surface including out of bounds runoff: 30 by 60 feet

The kitchen is the one that gets missed most often. If you measure 7 feet to the near edge of the line, your kitchen is 7 feet 2 inches deep.

How Do You Measure Tennis Court Lines?

A doubles court is 36 feet wide by 78 feet long. A singles court is 27 feet wide by 78 feet long. All measurements go to the outside edge of the line, and the dimensions include the lines.

• Baselines and sidelines: measure to the outside edge
• Service lines: 21 feet from the net, measured to the outside edge
• Doubles alleys: 4.5 feet wide
• Center service line and center mark: 2 inches wide and centered, 1 inch on each side of the midline
• Line width: most lines are 2 inches. The baseline is allowed to be wider, up to 4 inches
• Net posts sit 3 feet outside the doubles sideline

So a tennis court runs on two rules at once. Boundary and service lines read to the outside of the line. The center line splits down the middle.

How Do You Measure Basketball Court Lines?

This is the one that reverses on you.

Court dimensions are measured to the inside edge of the boundary lines. A 94 by 50 court measures 94 by 50 inside the lines. The boundary lines sit outside the playing area.

But within that same court:

• Free throw lane: measured to the outside edge of the lane lines
• Three point arc: the radius is measured to the outside edge of the arc
• Lines are 2 inches wide

Common dimensions:

• High school (NFHS): 84 by 50 feet, 12 foot lane, 19 foot 9 inch three point arc
• College (NCAA) and pro: 94 by 50 feet, wider lane, deeper arc
• Backboard: 6 feet from the baseline to the face of the board, rim at 10 feet
• Half court home setups usually run 47 by 50 or a scaled down version depending on the pad

Confirm your dimensions against the level of play the court is actually being built for. High school, college, and pro all differ, and the arc is the number that moves most.

What Do You Do On A Multi Sport Court?

Most residential and park courts we build in Nebraska and Iowa are shared. Tennis with pickleball overlaid. Basketball with pickleball. A driveway that needs to do three jobs.

When two sports share a slab, two measuring conventions share a slab, and they disagree. That gets settled on paper, not on the jobsite. Before anyone snaps a line, you need:

1. An anchor sport. Your primary sport drives the geometry. Everything else will be fit in after it.
2. A shared line plan. Decide which lines do double duty and which get their own paint.
3. A color hierarchy. When two lines want the same 2 inches of concrete, one wins. Pick which one now.
4. Slab size confirmed against the runoff you need, not just the court dimensions. A 20 by 44 pickleball court does not fit on a 20 by 44 pad.

Some Considerations for Striping on All Courts

Getting the lines in the right place is only half the job. Getting them to stay sharp and stay put for years is the other half, and that comes down to prep and paint discipline. Here is what we have learned:

Prep the surface before anything else. For a driveway, how you prep depends on what you are working with. A brand new slab usually just needs a good power wash to get rid of the dust and curing residue. Then you acid etch it. Etching opens up the surface so the primer and paint can actually grab and bond, instead of sitting on top and peeling later.

Our recommendation is two coats of primer followed by two coats of white paint. Two coats of each is what gives you the coverage and longevity.

Skip yellow for pickleball lines. Most pickleballs are yellow, lime, or a similar bright shade. Put yellow lines on the court and the ball can disappear into the boundary line right when a player needs to make an in-or-out call. Contrast is key.

USA Pickleball recommends white lines for dedicated courts, and the key is that the boundary lines contrast with both the surface color and the ball. A common rule of thumb is that colors opposite each other on the wheel read best, so a yellow ball plays clearest against a blue court.

Seal the tape edge before you paint the color. After we lay down the tape for lines, we take our line machine and run it over to press it down more firmly on the surface.

Pull the tape while the paint is still wet. Shortly after you put the final coat, remove the tape so that it doesn’t dry and pull up with the tape.

Watch your weather window. Lines need at least a few hours and up to a day to fully dry before you can use and walk on them. Temperature and humidity play a big part, so you can usually check the manufacturer specs for recommendations.

Who can stripe a Basketball, Tennis, or Pickleball Court in Omaha?

If you’ve read all this and decided it’s more work than you initially thought and would rather hire it out professionally, we also offer striping-only services for basketball courts, tennis courts, and pickleball courts in Omaha.

Give us a call at (402) 590-5600 or email build@endurancecourts.com