A padel court in your backyard: space, permits and cost.
A private court is the same court a club installs, on a smaller site with neighbors next door. Here is how much land it takes, what the town will ask for and what it costs.
Can you build a padel court in your backyard?
Yes, if you have a flat area of about 69 × 36 ft (21 × 11 m) for a doubles court, roughly 2,500 ft² or 0.06 acre. A singles court is narrower, about 69 × 23 ft. Expect a concrete slab, a permit for the 13 ft enclosure and often HOA approval. All in, a new court typically costs $85,000 to $120,000.
- 69 × 36 ft
- Flat area for a doubles court, with posts and access (21 × 11 m)
- FIP court size, our planning assumption
- 69 × 23 ft
- Flat area for a singles court, 20 × 6 m inside the walls
- FIP court size, our planning assumption
- 13 ft
- Height of the back walls: glass, then mesh (4 m)
- FIP Rules of Padel
- $85k–120k
- A new court all in: slab, drainage, lighting and permits
- Padel Backers cost breakdown, 2026
What a backyard court needs
| Item | What to plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flat area | 69 × 36 ft doubles, 69 × 23 ft singles | The court must sit on one level plane, with room for posts and the door. |
| Base | Reinforced concrete slab | Enclosure posts bolt into concrete. Grass, gravel or pavers will not hold them. |
| Drainage | A slight fall and an outlet | Turf drains through the sand, then off the slab. Standing water ruins it. |
| Orientation | Long axis roughly north to south | Players do not face the low sun at either end. |
| Permit and setbacks | Building permit, distance to the property line | The 13 ft enclosure is a structure, often taller than the fence height your zone allows. |
| HOA | Written approval before work | Many associations control structures, lighting and noise. |
| Lighting | Optional, shielded fixtures | Evening play needs light that stays on your lot. |
How much land a backyard court takes
A doubles court is 20 × 10 m inside its walls, about 66 × 33 ft. With the posts, the door and a strip to walk around it, plan 69 × 36 ft, roughly 2,500 ft² or 0.06 acre of flat ground, plus the setback your town requires from the property line.
If the lot is narrow, a singles court keeps the 20 m length and drops to 6 m wide. It needs about 69 × 23 ft. It plays well for two people and for coaching, but most padel is played as doubles, so check how you will use it before choosing.
Permits, HOA and the neighbors
The enclosure is 4 m (13 ft) high at the back walls. Many residential zones cap rear-yard fences well below that, so the court is treated as a structure: expect a building permit, setback rules and sometimes a variance.
Padel is louder than tennis because the ball hits glass. Distance to the nearest house, the orientation of the glass walls and playing hours matter more in a backyard than at a club. If you are in an HOA, get written approval before you order anything.
Permit and engineering costs typically run $2,000 to $12,000 and vary more by town than by project.
What a private court costs
The court system, meaning frame, glass, mesh, turf and net, costs $30,000 to $50,000, plus $5,000 to $15,000 to install. Those two lines do not change much because the court arrives in the same container wherever it goes.
What moves the total in a backyard is the ground: excavation, a reinforced slab and drainage run $25,000 to $50,000. Lighting adds $8,000 to $18,000 if you want to play after dark. All in, most new courts land between $85,000 and $120,000.
Send us your lot dimensions, a few photos and your town. We tell you whether a court fits, which layout and what the project costs.
How many padel courts fit in your space?
Enter the clear floor area. Add the clear height if the space is indoors.
1 padel court fits
1 × 1 grid, courts along the length.
Assumes a 20 × 10 m court plus a 0.5 m strip on every side for posts and access. A windmill or mixed layout can sometimes fit one more court. The site survey sets the final layout.
Get a layout and a quote for this spaceFrom backyard to court
- 1Before the quote
Site check
Lot size, slope, access for equipment, setbacks, soil and power for lighting.
- 2With the quote
Layout and price
Doubles or singles, orientation, and every site work on its own line.
- 3Before work starts
Permit and HOA
Building permit filed, HOA approval in writing, neighbors informed.
- 4On site
Build
Excavation and slab, then enclosure, turf, net and lighting.
Common questions
Not the question you had?
Tell us how many courts and where. You get a quote back, not a brochure.
01How much space do you need for a padel court at home?
About 69 × 36 ft (21 × 11 m) of flat ground for a doubles court, roughly 2,500 ft². A singles court needs about 69 × 23 ft. Add the setback your town requires from the property line.
02How much does it cost to build a padel court at home?
Most new private courts cost $85,000 to $120,000 all in. The court system is $30,000 to $50,000 plus $5,000 to $15,000 to install; the slab, drainage, lighting and permits make up the rest.
03Do I need a permit for a backyard padel court?
Usually. The 13 ft enclosure is a structure and is often taller than the fence height allowed in residential zones. Check zoning, setbacks and any HOA rules before you order a court.
04Can a padel court go on grass or pavers?
No. The enclosure posts need to be anchored into a reinforced concrete slab, and the turf needs a flat, draining base. Grass, gravel and pavers do not provide either.
05Is a padel court noisy for neighbors?
Louder than tennis, because the ball hits glass. Distance to houses, the orientation of the glass walls and playing hours all help, and they are worth settling before you build.
Other conversions
- Tennis court to padelOne tennis court takes one padel court as it is, three if widened. Two courts take four.
- Pickleball court to padelFour pickleball courts on a tennis footprint become one padel court as is, three if widened.
- Warehouse to indoor padelClear height first, then the column grid. Check how many courts your building takes.
- Padel court dimensionsCourt, net, walls and ceiling height in meters and feet, with a calculator for your space.
Sources
Figures are checked against the sources below on the review date. Your site survey replaces every estimate on this page.
We build your padel court. You pay for it monthly.
Tell us how many courts and where. You get a full quote, with court rent and groundwork shown separately, usually within one business day.