Pickleball Net Rules: Touching, Reaching Over, Net Cords
Can you touch the net in pickleball? No. A player, the paddle or anything you wear or carry can't touch the net or its posts while the ball is live, even after you've hit the ball (Rule 13.G). The ball itself can touch the net and stay in play (Rule 13.A). Every number below is from the 2026 rulebook, and the rules page has the rest.
What counts as the net?
The net, the cord or cable along its top, and the net support system: the posts and anything connected to them (Rules 13.A, 13.B, 13.G). "Anything worn or carried" includes your paddle and clothes. The net's height stays on the court dimensions page.
Net situations, one by one
Every row names the 2026 rule. Section 13 of the rulebook is the source, plus Rule 10.C.5 for the last row.
| Situation | Ruling | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Your paddle touches the net while the ball is live | Fault on you, even after you hit the ball | 13.G.1 |
| Your body or clothes touch the net or a post while the ball is live | Fault on you | 13.G.1 |
| Your momentum carries you into the net after your shot and the ball is still live | Fault on you | 13.G.1 |
| You touch the net after the rally is already dead | No fault. The rule only covers a live ball | 13.G |
| You grab the net to stop yourself stepping into the kitchen after a volley | Fault on you for touching the net. A kitchen fault may apply too | 13.G.1, 11.A.2 |
| You reach over the net to hit a ball that is still on the other side | Fault on you | 13.F.1, 13.I.1.a |
| You hit the ball on your side and your follow-through crosses the net | Legal, if nothing touches the net | 13.I.1, 13.G |
| The ball bounces on your side, spins back over the net, and you reach over after it has crossed back | Legal. Reaching before it has crossed is a fault, and so is never hitting it before it bounces once on their side | 13.I.2, 13.I.2.a, 13.I.2.b |
| The ball clips the net or its top cord during a rally and goes over | Still in play | 13.A |
| A returned ball that has crossed the net gets caught in the net, or touches net draped on the ground | Replay | 13.A.1 |
| A return hits a net post before it crosses, or you hit the ball between the net and the post, or under the net | Fault on the hitter. Hitting it around the outside of the post is legal | 13.B.1, 13.D.1, 13.E.1, 13.C |
| The ball bounces on your side and then hits a net post before you return it (new for 2026) | Fault on you. The hitter wins the rally | 10.C.5 |
Two rows need a second look. A follow-through over the net is fine only for the shot you are hitting, and crossing the net without hitting the ball is a fault (Rule 13.I.1.b). And the post rule changed in 2026: it used to go against the hitter, and now it goes against the player who didn't return the ball.
The posts stand 22 feet apart, inside to inside, one foot outside each sideline of the 20-foot court (Rules 3.B.2, 3.A.1). A ball around the outside of the post is legal (Rule 13.C). A ball squeezed between the net and the post, or hit under the net, is a fault (Rules 13.D.1, 13.E.1). The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches at the centre.
Mistakes that cost points
- Treating a ball that touches the net as dead. It's live (Rule 13.A).
- Thinking a follow-through over the net is a fault. It's legal if nothing touches the net.
- Touching the net after your shot while the ball is still alive. That's a fault.
- Reaching over a ball that hasn't crossed back yet.
Here is the second one in practice. You volley at the net, your follow-through carries the paddle over the net, and the ball is still live. No fault, because the paddle crossed the plane after the hit and touched nothing (Rule 13.I.1). If the tape of the net had brushed your paddle, it's a fault (Rule 13.G.1). And if the ball clips the tape, hops over and lands in, play on.
Common questions
What happens if the ball hits you?
It's a fault on the player it touches (Rule 10.C.3), unless it hits your paddle or your hand below the wrist while you hold the paddle. A ball you hit that touches your opponent before it lands is a legal return (Rule 10.C).
Does a serve that touches the net count?
Yes, if it clears the kitchen and lands in the correct service court (Rules 7.E and 13.A). The let page walks through four cases, and the serving rules cover the rest.
Next time you volley near the net, finish your swing and then check where your paddle is. Over the net is fine, touching it is a fault. The fault table lists every other way to lose a rally, and the kitchen rules explain the volley line. In the free browser game the referee calls net and kitchen faults as they happen.