National Task Force:
Pickleball Noise

Wildly popular, pickleball continues to expand with more than 4000 new locations and more than 18,000 new courts in 2024. The benefits are clear--It provides healthy activity and social community for the players (1).

Pickleball helps create social connection. Relatively easy to play on a small court, the game allows people of all ages and skills to play together, creating friendships and a strong sense of community. Regular play helps reduce loneliness and helps improve mental well being with social connection, and laughter (2,3).

The game is inclusive, accessible and also encourages intergenerational mixing.  For some, it provides a sense of purpose (especially post-retirement) with regular schedules and opportunities for mentoring. 

Pickleball also provides healthy exercise that improves heart health, balance, coordination, and strength while being easier on the joints than many court sports. The small court and doubles format keep players moving without excessive strain, making it accessible for a wide range of ages and fitness levels. And because it’s fun and social, people tend to play regularly, which helps them stay active and maintain overall physical health (4).

USA Pickleball, 2025
Pickleball and Social Isolation, Kurth 2025
Pickleball and Mental Health, Cerezuela 2023 
Pickleball and Physical Health, Stroesser 2024

1. Measuring pickleball noise can be tricky.  There are several components to consider.

2. Pickleball is impulsive . Each pop is very short and loud, lasting less than 0.02 seconds (20 milliseconds). Studies show that  impulsive sounds are more annoying than steady state noise and that an automatic physical stress response occurs after just 50 minutes of exposure.  For these reasons, acoustic professionals recommend that pickleball noise, like other impulsive noise, is given an extra 5–12  decibel penalty for its impact (1,2,3,4).

3. Pickleball is repetitive. A busy set of four pickleball courts can create 30,000 pops/day. One tennis match creates about 500 impacts. (This assumes 5 hits per rally, 100 points per match). Research shows the more times a noise happens, the more people are affected by it (5,6). 

4. The pitch of pickleball pops (about 1000-1200 Hz) catches our attention. Our brains are wired to notice that pitch or frequency—this is why vehicle alarms use that range and why pickleball pops are so noticeable (7).

5. Long term exposure is a problem. Eight in 10 surveyed neighborhoods are exposed to more than 50 hours of pickleball noise per week.  Although it is commonly believed that people get used to noise over time, research shows that long-term exposure can actually make some noises more bothersome (8,9).

6. Pickleball is at least four times louder than tennis. Sound studies estimate the pops are roughly 20-30 decibels louder than tennis. Because decibels are logarithmic, every 10 decibel increase roughly doubles the perceived loudness.  

7. Accurate measurements of decibels are important. Decibel measurements should indicate the distance from the source and the averaging time period used. The pickleball pop lasts a very short time; if the measured sound level is averaged over a longer time period, the reading will be falsely low. (For more information, see Recommendations). 

8. Lowering the sound level may not always resolve the issue after long term exposure to persistent, unpleasant noise. This may help explain why sound barriers may not work very well for people already exposed to the noise. Even quiet sounds, like a dripping faucet, can become extremely irritating when they repeat over and over (10).

1. Centennial, CO report, Spenderian and Willis, 2023         
2. Penalty for Impulse Noise, Rajala, 2020
3. Impulse Noise and Stress Effects, Radun, 2022
4.Penalty for Pickleball Impulse Noise, Storm, 2024
5. 79 Sound Studies Analyzed, Leahy, 2024
6. Number of Events/Annoyance, Quehl, 2006  
7. SAE Auto Engineering Labs
8..Pickleball Survey of 264 Communities, Romito, 2025
9. Longer Noise Exposure Increases Sensitivity, Lefevre, 2020 
10. Lower Sound Levels May Not Help, Genuit, 2018

1. Pickleball noise can be heard inside nearby homes. A survey of 264 communities with pickleball courts found that almost 3 out of 4 residents living near courts could hear the sound inside their homes., with many expressing an inability to escape the noise. When people can hear noise inside their home, it has a greater impact (1,2).

2. Residents are not able to enjoy being at home. More than 8 in 10 surveyed neighbors report that they are frequently or always unable to converse, find peace, or concentrate in their homes because of the pickleball noise. Some report leaving their homes for hours at a time when people are playing. When daily activities are affected, the human impact from noise is much greater (1,2).

3. Pickleball noise is creating health concerns. Chronic noise exposure can increase the chances of heart disease, sleep disruption, memory loss, and mental health issues. This happens because chronic noise activates our  unconscious fight-or-flight response, setting off a harmful cascade of events in our body (3,4).

4. The health concerns are serious. More than 9 in 10  surveyed neighbors reported having a health concern related to pickleball noise. Concerns include: severe psychological distress, disturbed sleep, trauma and PTSD-like reactions, and hearing phantom “pops" when no one is playing. A few people have reported suicidal thoughts related to the noise. These concerns suggest that the unconscious stress response to the sound is turned on to a high level, without an "off button" (1,4).

5. People are having to move because of the impact of the noise. About half of surveyed residents reported having to move or wanting to move because of the noise (1).

1. Pickleball Survey of 264 Communities, Romito 2025
2.  ISO/TS 16755-1. “Acoustics — non-acoustic factors influencing the perception, interpretation and response to environmental sounds — Part 1: Definition and conceptual framework” (ISO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2025).
3. Noise as Health Hazard American Public Health Assoc. Statement, 2021
4.Health Effects from Pickleball Noise, Romito 2025

1. Pickleball noise complaints require valuable municipal resources:  time, personnel, and money.  Pickleball is now the top trend demanding attention from Parks and Recreation departments nationwide. City and town councils are devoting hours to contentious public hearings.  Municipal legal teams are increasingly pulled into the fray; reportedly there have been more than 200 cases across the US (1,2).

2. Chronic noise can be particularly harmful for certain groups of people. It affects how well children learn in school and can cause agitation and lost sleep in people with dementia. Other vulnerable groups of people include the elderly, people working night shift, people with chronic illness, and people with certain cognitive or neurologic issues like autism. 90% of surveyed neighbors said they were concerned that pickleball noise could be harmful for veterans or people with PTSD (3,4,5,6).

3. Pickleball noise is causing conflict between players and neighbors. More than 4 in 10 surveyed neighbors report actually being harassed for raising concerns about the noise. And more than 7 in 10 reported being afraid of being harassed. This conflict increases how neighbors are impacted by the noise and can require police and municipal resources to resolve (6,7).

4. Poor communication between local decision makers and affected neighbors can contribute to how noise impacts the neighbors. Communities report being ignored, losing trust, and having their concerns minimized by leaders.  This can lead to more stress and also more conflict (7). For example, when one Parks and Rec leader told a group that "their petition just did not matter",  it increased anger, broke down trust, and eventually led to a successful lawsuit against the City (8). 

1. Trends in Parks and Recreation, Jan 2026, p 36 
2. Hillsborough County Commission, Josh Wostal 1:49:36
3. Noise and Learning in Schools ,Bronzhaft, 1981
4. Noise and Dementia, Janus, 2021  
5. Vulnerable Populations, Van Kamp, 2013 
6. Pickleball Survey of 264 Communities, Romito, 2026
7. Non-acoustic Factors in Pickleball , Knudson, 2025 (in press. 
8. Dougherty v. Boise 2025

1. Setbacks: Early guidance (2023), based only on sound levels, recommended not placing courts within 100 feet from homes, even with sound barriers. When acoustic professionals began to account for the human impact of  impulsive noises (2024), they recommended at least 250 feet of setback. As recent research increasingly shows harm occurring up to 1000 feet away (2025),  health professionals and many cities are recommending larger setbacks.

Recent research shows most concerns are from neighbors within 500 feet, though some residents up to 1,000 feet away still report serious problems, even with sound barriers in place.  

Larger setbacks may also be needed where terrain carries sound—such as valleys or water—or near multi-story homes  or where courts are located near schools, hospitals, or homes for older people. (1,2,3,4).

2. Sound barriers: Mass-loaded vinyl barriers—(e.g. Acoustifence, Acoustiblock) have quickly become a popular choice and they perform well in indoor lab tests. But they appear to work less well in the real world. Almost 90% of surveyed neighbors, living from 10-1000 feet from courts with thick vinyl  sound barriers reported the barriers did not help. Noise can travel over or around barrier edges and barriers do not address the repetitive or impulsive popping characteristics of the noise (3,5).  

3. Quiet balls and racquets: Although USA Pickleball has quiet equipment categories, the criteria for classification are not publicly available. Some of the recommended quiet equipment on the USA Pickleball website is noted to produce more than 80 db of sound (6,7).

Early research suggests that recommending use of quiet balls and racquets is not effective. When strictly required and enforced, some neighbors report improvement specifically with the Librarian foam ball and OWL paddle. This has worked at two sites within 200 feet of homes (Eisenhower, Denver and a private HOA).  But, when no one is enforcing the  use of quiet racquets and balls, most players continue using louder equipment (5).

4. Shorter hours: Early research shows that limiting open hours at the courts is not resolving concerns. Social conflict between players and neighbors increases and neighbors are still challenged by the noise in their homes for many hours a week(3).

5. Why does mitigation fail? Sound barriers require close attention for correct installation and often aren't maintained over the long term. Enforcement of quiet equipment is often not possible. A full analysis is available below (9).

1. Mitigation Pickleball Noise, Weyerman, 2023 
2. Centennial , CO report, Spenderian and Willis, 2023 
3. Pickleball Survey of 264 Communities, Romito, 2025
4. Vulnerable Populations,  Van Kamp, 2013
5. Managing Pickleball Through Zoning, Leahy, 2025  
6. USAPickleball: Quiet Category Equipment, accessed March 3, 2026
7. USAPickleball:  About Equipment Evaluation, accessed March 3, 2026
8. Pickleball Noise Relief Facebook group
9. Mitigation Failure Analysis, Leahy, 2025  (in press)

Checklist:

☐ Evaluate distance from nearby homes. 

☐ Conduct or review a sound study before siting. 

☐ Review anticipated impact on neighbors.

☐ Consider site orientation, hours of play, surrounding building and terrain.

Fact based guidance: 

1. Setbacks are the most effective way to prevent harm to neighbors, minimize social conflict, and avoid unnecessary use of municipal resources over the long term.

2. Within 350 feet of homes, courts are not recommended, unless completely enclosed. Rare exceptions may occur with required foam balls, OWL paddles, and strict supervision.

Checklist:

☐Start outreach early with public meetings. 
☐Provide clear information about plans and studies. 
☐Avoid ignoring or minimizing concerns. 
☐Staff reports should evaluate the potential human and community impact. 

Fact based guidance: 

1. Early, frequent communication with neighbors can reduce long term use of municipal resources. Meetings can be challenging; using a skilled facilitator may be helpful.

2. When concerns are minimized or ignored, conflicts tend to heat up, consuming municipal resources and increasing the stress responses to the noise.

3. The potential health impacts from repetitive, impulse noise, even at low decibel levels are serious and real.  They include severe distress, disturbed sleep, mental health concerns including trauma reactions, anxiety, hearing phantom pickleball pops, and heart problems.
 

4. Open communication leads to improved trust and can help to lower the stress responses to noise.  Once that trust in leadership is broken however, it is almost impossible to repair. 

5. The social conflict between avid players and concerned neighbors is disruptive and can contribute to the stress response to the noise.

Engineers continue to evaluate quiet paddles, balls, and sound barriers that may help in real world settings.

Researchers continue to study the impact on neighbors and vulnerable populations and to evaluate the factors that lead successful implementations. 

Policy leaders are exploring how to update ordinances and regulatory frameworks for new types of noise.

This website will be updated periodically, as new research and tools become available.