Pickleball Net Rules: Touching, Reaching Over and Around the Post

Net rules at a glance

Situation	Ruling	Rule
You, your paddle or your clothing touch the net or posts during the rally	Fault on you	13.G
You touch your opponent or their side of the court during the rally	Fault on you	13.H
You hit the ball before it fully crosses to your side	Fault on you	13.F
Your paddle crosses the net after you hit the ball, in the same stroke	Legal	13.I.1
Any part of you crosses the net before you hit the ball	Fault on you	13.I.1.a
You cross the net and don't hit the ball	Fault on you	13.I.1.b
Your shot goes around the outside of the net post	Legal	13.C
Your shot goes between the net and the post, or under the net	Fault on you	13.D, 13.E
Ball clips the top of the net during a rally	Still in play	13.A
Net system malfunctions during a rally	Replay	13.J

Touching the net

Rule 13.G is short: a player, or anything worn or carried by the player, must not touch the net or the net support system while the ball is live. The penalty is a fault against that player. That covers your paddle and anything you wear. The rulebook counts net posts, including connected wheels, arms and legs, as permanent objects.

Timing matters. The rule only applies while the ball is live. Once the rally has ended, touching the net is not a fault.

Reaching over the net

You can't reach over to hit the ball early. Rule 13.F requires the ball to entirely cross the plane of the net to your end before you hit it. Rule 13.I then sets out when you may cross the plane:

• After hitting the ball: you may cross immediately after contact, but only as part of that stroke and its follow-through (13.I.1).
• Before hitting it, or without hitting it: fault (13.I.1.a and 13.I.1.b).
• Ball bounces back over the net: if the ball bounces on your side and comes back to your opponent's side without being hit, you may go over, under or around the net to hit it, but only after it has crossed back (13.I.2).

Even when crossing the plane is legal, you still can't touch the net (13.G) or your opponent's court (13.H).

Around the post, between, and under

A shot doesn't have to go over the net. Rule 13.C allows a ball to be returned around the outside of the net post. A ball hit between the net and the post, or under the net, is a fault (13.D and 13.E).

A returned ball that hits the net support system on your own side before crossing is a fault (13.B.1). If your return crosses the net and then hits a crossbar or other part of the support system inside the court, the rally is replayed (13.B.2).

When the ball touches the net

During a rally, a ball that touches the net or the cord at the top and goes over stays in play (13.A). A replay is called if a returned ball that crosses gets caught in the net, hits net material draped on the ground, or hits a deflecting net (13.A.1). For serves that clip the net, see our guide to what happens when a pickleball serve hits the net. A served ball that touches the net support system, such as a post, is a fault on the server (13.B.1).

Official net height

Measurement	Requirement	Rule
Height at the sidelines	36 inches (±0.25 in)	3.B.6
Height at the center	34 inches (±0.25 in)	3.B.7
Distance between posts (inside to inside)	22 feet (±1 in)	3.B.2
Minimum net length	21 feet 9 inches	3.B.3
Minimum net depth, bottom to top	30 inches	3.B.3

The center measurement includes the center strap, if one is used (3.B.7). Net-area play is also where kitchen questions come up; our guide on whether the pickleball kitchen line is in or out covers that zone.