The regulation padel court is 10 m × 20 m inside the enclosure.

The ruleset and court covered here

This page applies the International Padel Federation Rules of Padel, revision applicable 1 January 2026, especially the opening “The Court” specifications and Rules 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 and 16 where the fixed court affects a rally.

It describes the international doubles court used by FIP. A competition can add approval, surface, safety, broadcast or outside-play requirements, and a public facility must also comply with the building and accessibility law where it is installed. Those additional requirements do not change the FIP court's nominal 10 m × 20 m playing geometry.

Measure the inside, with the net at halfway

FIP's “Dimensions” section sets a rectangle 10 m wide by 20 m long, measured internally. The net divides it into two 10 m × 10 m halves. FIP permits a 0.5% tolerance, although the 2026 English rules do not state a separate method for allocating that tolerance; the safe specification is therefore the nominal dimensions, with formal compliance left to the relevant certifier or competition.

“Interior” matters. Measure between the inner playing faces of the enclosure—not between outside faces of glass, fence posts or structural frames. FIP repeats that all enclosure dimensions are from inside the court.

Only the service areas need painted lines

On each half, a service line runs parallel to and 6.95 m from the net. A perpendicular central service line divides the area between that service line and the net into two receiving boxes. It must continue at least 20 cm beyond the service line, towards the back of the court. The surface-and-line layout on the two halves must be symmetrical.

All painted lines are 5 cm wide and should contrast with the floor; FIP says white or black is preferred. There is no painted centre line running all the way to the net and no tennis-style baseline or singles sideline: the enclosure itself defines the outer limit.

A receiving-box line counts as good

FIP Rule 7 expressly counts the receiving service-box lines as good. A serve whose first bounce clips the correct box line is therefore not out for that reason. This does not make every later contact legal: the serve is still a fault if, after a good first bounce, it touches the metallic fence before its second bounce.

Do not confuse the receiver's painted box lines with the server's position. Under Rule 6, the server stands behind the service line between the sidewall and the imaginary continuation of the central service line. The server may not touch the service line or that imaginary centre line with a foot when serving.

The net is 4 cm lower at the centre

The net is 10 m long, 0.88 m high at the centre and 0.92 m at the ends. FIP allows a maximum height tolerance of 0.005 m (5 mm). The supporting posts may be no higher than 1.05 m, and their outside faces should coincide with the lateral court limits.

The net must fill the space between the posts and the floor without gaps at the ends, but it should not be pulled rigid. Its white top band measures 5.0–6.3 cm in place; any additional advertising band must not take the total above 11 cm or interfere with play.

The enclosure has prescribed wall and fence zones

Each 10 m end is 4 m high: the first 3 m is a wall and the top 1 m is metallic fence. “Wall” does not require glass; FIP permits a suitable transparent or opaque material, provided its playing face is hard, smooth and produces a uniform rebound.

FIP permits two side layouts. The stepped version has, at each end, a 3 m-high × 2 m-long wall section followed by a 2 m-high × 2 m-long section; fencing completes the side to 4 m near each end and 3 m over the central 6 m. The “Variant 2 Crystal” layout instead uses a 3 m-high × 4 m-long wall zone at each end without the step, with mesh completing the enclosure to 4 m over the outermost 2 m.

The 2026 rules require the current metallic fence to be square and electro-welded, with diagonal opening size from 5 cm to 7.08 cm. It must remain flat and vertical, and exposed welds must be protected.

One or both sides may have symmetrical access

Access may be on both lateral sides or on one side only, but it must be symmetrical about the net. FIP permits one or two openings per side, with or without doors. For one opening per side, each opening is 1.05–2.20 m wide and 2.00–2.20 m high. For two openings per side, each is 0.72–1.10 m wide and 2.00–2.20 m high.

If a doorway has no floor beam, the vertical projection of its fence frame marks the internal edge even if no line is painted there. Door handles must be outside and must not project into the court. FIP also warns that public installations remain subject to applicable access and disability requirements.

A doorway alone does not authorize a player to leave

Under FIP Rule 16, players may leave the enclosure to play the ball only when the court meets the “Safety Area & Out-of-Court Play” specification. Each side then needs two access points and an obstacle-free outside area at least 3 m wide, 4 m long on either side and 3 m high; FIP recommends 4 m width.

The three exposed sides of each access and the net post must carry securely fixed impact padding at least 2 cm thick. A light pole inside the safety area disqualifies the court from outside play. If those conditions are absent, the opening remains an entrance, not permission to chase the ball through it.

Six metres is mandatory; eight is a recommendation for new courts

The entire interior needs at least 6 m of unobstructed height. FIP recommends—not mandates—8 m throughout new facilities. Projectors installed over the court must likewise have at least 6 m clearance to their underside, with 8 m suggested for new installations.

This is both a facility specification and an in-play boundary. FIP Rule 14 says a shot that first bounces correctly in the opponents' court may then go out or hit the ceiling, lights or another unrelated object; the return was correct and the opponents have lost the point. A ball sent directly into a ceiling or light before bouncing in the opponents' court is not a correct return.

The surface is controlled by performance, level and drainage

FIP allows cement, synthetic material or artificial grass if it produces a regular bounce. Its preferred colours are green, blue and terracotta (or similar tones), uniform across the floor and clearly different from the wall colour.

The difference in surface level must be less than 3 mm under a 3 m straightedge. A surface without drainage may have a transverse drainage slope of no more than 1% from the centre towards the outer edges. Synthetic and artificial-grass courts are also subject to FIP's court-homologation annex, so this rule page alone is not a complete construction specification.

Premier Padel requires outside play on main-draw courts

The FIP baseline allows a compliant court without authorized outside play. Premier Padel is stricter: its men's and women's Official Rulebooks, version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026, require every main-draw court to allow outside play, to have a completely unobstructed safety area at least 3 m wide × 8 m long × 3 m high, and to provide full panoramic visibility. A width of at least 4 m is recommended for main courts.

That requirement belongs to Premier Padel, not to every club or national competition. Event organizers and players should check the appointed competition regulations as well as the FIP baseline.

A serve clips the central service line

Situation: the ball crosses diagonally and its first bounce touches the painted central line of the correct receiving box.

FIP 2026 ruling: the line counts as good under Rule 7, so this is not a service fault for location. Continue checking the serve's later path; metal-fence contact before the second bounce would still make it a fault.

The court has open doors but a nearby light pole

Situation: a player wants to run through an opening, but a light pole stands within the specified outside safety area.

FIP 2026 ruling: out-of-court play is not authorized on that court. FIP's illumination provision expressly disallows it when light poles occupy the safety area; open doors by themselves do not satisfy Rule 16.

A lob bounces in, then strikes a ceiling beam

Situation: the ball first lands correctly in the opponents' court and then hits an overhead beam before they return it.

FIP 2026 ruling: the return that produced the lob was correct under Rule 14; the beam is not part of the playable court, so the opponents cannot continue the rally. The required clear height reduces this situation but does not turn the ceiling into a playable wall.

How to check a court or a court-contact ruling

1. Name the ruleset. Start with FIP 2026, then check the event's current court regulations.
2. Measure the interior. Use the inner playing faces, not the outside of the structure.
3. Check symmetry and fixed dimensions. Court halves, service lines, central lines, line widths and net heights all have separate tests.
4. Identify the contact surface. Floor, smooth wall, metallic fence, net and unrelated overhead objects do not have the same effect.
5. For a serve, follow the sequence. Correct box and line first; wall, fence or doorway contact second.
6. For outside play, inspect the whole safety zone. Openings, clearance, padding and obstacles all matter.

Six claims that are too broad

• “A padel court is exactly 10 m × 20 m with no tolerance.” Those are the nominal interior dimensions; FIP states a 0.5% tolerance.
• “Measure from the outside of the frame.” FIP uses interior measurements.
• “The service line sits halfway to the back wall.” It is 6.95 m from the net, leaving 3.05 m to the nominal back wall.
• “Any serve on a line is out.” The receiving-box lines count as good, although the server may not step on the serving line.
• “Every new court must have 8 m clearance.” Six metres is the FIP minimum; eight metres is the 2026 recommendation for new facilities.
• “Open doors mean outside play is legal.” Rule 16 also requires two access points per side, the specified safety area, padding and no disqualifying obstacle.

Governing-body sources and effective versions

• International Padel Federation — Rules of Padel, revision applicable 1 January 2026: “The Court” and Rules 6, 7, 12–16
• FIP / Premier Padel — Official Rulebook, Men's Tournaments, version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026: section 11.6(A)(ii)
• FIP / Premier Padel — Official Rulebook, Women's Tournaments, version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026: section 11.6(A)(ii)

Checked on 27 August 2026 against the Rules of Padel PDF linked from FIP's current documents page. The FIP rulebook controls the international baseline; Premier Padel and other competition regulations may impose additional court approval, surface, safety and outside-play conditions. Local building and accessibility law also applies to facilities.