Pickleball Faults Explained: Common Rules Violations

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A fault in pickleball is a rule violation that ends the rally. Common examples include hitting the ball out, allowing it to bounce twice, committing an illegal serve, volleying from the Kitchen, or being hit by a live ball.

What happens after the fault depends on who committed it and which scoring format you are using. Under traditional side-out scoring, a fault by the receiving team gives the serving team a point, while a fault by the serving team advances the service sequence or creates a side out.

This guide covers the faults recreational players are most likely to encounter and explains the less obvious situations that often cause arguments on court.

Common pickleball faults at a glance

Situation	Fault?
Ball lands outside the court	Yes
Ball bounces twice before being returned	Yes
Receiver volleys the serve	Yes
Serving team volleys the return	Yes
Player volleys while touching the Kitchen	Yes
Volley momentum carries player into Kitchen	Yes
Serve lands on Kitchen line	Yes
Ball hits a player’s body or clothing	Generally yes
Ball hits the net but crosses legally during a rally	No
Player allows ball to bounce once before returning it	No

If you are still learning the overall game, start with our How to Play Pickleball guide first.

1. Hitting the ball out

The simplest fault occurs when your shot lands outside the appropriate court boundary.

A ball does not need to land completely inside the line. If it touches a boundary line that is part of the legal court, it is generally considered in.

The important serving exception is the Non-Volley Zone line. A serve must clear the Kitchen completely, so a serve touching that line is a fault.

You can see the complete layout in our Pickleball Court Dimensions guide.

2. Letting the ball bounce twice

A player must return the ball before it bounces twice on their side of the court.

If the ball bounces once and you reach it before the second bounce, you can return it normally.

If the second bounce occurs first, the rally is over.

This is often called a double-bounce fault, but it should not be confused with the two-bounce rule that applies at the beginning of every rally.

3. Breaking the two-bounce rule

The serve and the return of serve are special.

1. The receiving team must let the serve bounce.
2. The serving team must let the return bounce.
3. After those two required bounces, either team may volley or play the ball after a bounce.

If the receiver volleys the serve before it bounces, that is a fault.

If the serving team volleys the return before it bounces, that is also a fault.

This rule is why the serving team normally stays near the baseline immediately after serving instead of rushing directly toward the net.

4. Kitchen volley faults

The Kitchen is officially called the Non-Volley Zone.

You commit a fault if you volley while touching the Kitchen or its boundary line.

Remember that the rule applies specifically to volleys. You are allowed to step into the Kitchen and hit a ball after it has bounced.

For a complete explanation, including reaching over the zone and re-establishing your feet, see our Pickleball Kitchen Rules guide.

5. Momentum carrying you into the Kitchen

Being outside the Kitchen when you contact the ball does not automatically make a volley legal.

If the momentum generated by your volley causes you to step or fall into the Non-Volley Zone, it is a fault.

This can remain a fault even if the ball has already become dead before you finally lose your balance and touch the Kitchen.

For example:

1. You volley from several inches behind the Kitchen line.
2. Your opponent cannot return the shot.
3. You continue stumbling forward.
4. You step onto the Kitchen line because of that volleying momentum.

You have still committed a Non-Volley Zone fault.

6. Illegal serves

A serve can produce several different faults.

Common examples include:

• stepping on or beyond the baseline at contact;
• serving from outside the correct serving area;
• using an illegal volley-serve motion;
• illegally propelling the ball on a drop serve;
• serving into the wrong service court;
• landing the serve in the Kitchen or on the Kitchen line;
• failing to serve within the required time after the score call.

Because serving has several rules of its own, we cover them separately in Pickleball Serving Rules.

7. Hitting the ball into the net

Hitting the net itself is not necessarily a fault.

If your shot clips the top of the net, crosses to your opponent’s side, and otherwise remains legal, the rally continues.

The fault occurs when your shot fails to cross the net and ultimately lands on your own side.

This distinction matters because a ball that touches the tape can still roll or drop legally onto the other side.

8. Being hit by the ball

A live ball that strikes a player instead of being legally returned can result in a fault against the player who was hit.

This matters even when the ball appears to be heading out.

For example, if your opponent drives the ball long but it hits your body before touching the ground, you cannot simply claim that it would have landed out. The ball contacted you while it was still live.

This is why experienced players try to move out of the path of balls that are clearly sailing beyond the baseline rather than catching or touching them.

9. Catching or stopping a live ball

Do not catch a ball simply because you believe it is going out.

If the ball is still live, intentionally catching or stopping it before it becomes dead can cost you the rally.

The safe habit is simple:

If you think the ball is going out, let it bounce out.

That removes uncertainty about whether the ball would actually have landed beyond the line.

10. Touching the net during a live rally

Players cannot use the net system as support while the ball is live.

Reaching toward the net for a difficult shot does not give you permission to touch the net, net post, or opposing court as part of an otherwise illegal movement.

This most often becomes relevant during aggressive play near the Kitchen line, especially on Ernes and sharply angled balls.

11. Hitting the ball before it crosses the net

Normally, you must wait until the ball has completely crossed the plane of the net to your side before hitting it.

You cannot simply reach across the net and intercept your opponent’s shot before it reaches your side.

There is an unusual exception when a ball first bounces on your side and then spin or wind carries it back over the net without being touched. In that situation, the rules allow a player to reach across the plane to make the return after the ball has crossed back.

For normal rallies, though, the beginner rule is easy: let the ball cross to your side before you hit it.

12. Carrying the ball on the paddle

A legal pickleball shot should strike the ball rather than catch and carry it on the paddle.

If the ball visibly rests on or is carried along by the paddle instead of being struck, that can result in a fault.

Normal paddle contact can sometimes feel longer on soft shots, but deliberately scooping, catching, or carrying the ball is not the goal of a legal stroke.

Does every mistake automatically mean a fault?

No. This is where pickleball rules can become more complicated than a simple list of violations.

Score errors, player-position errors, wrong-server situations, questionable line calls, hindrances, and certain officiated-match situations have their own correction, replay, challenge, or fault procedures.

That means you should not automatically treat every procedural mistake as “you lose the rally.”

For ordinary recreational play, the most useful approach is to learn the major live-ball faults first and consult the current USA Pickleball Rulebook when an unusual procedural situation occurs.

What happens after a fault?

A fault ends the rally, but the scoring consequence depends on the scoring system.

Traditional side-out scoring

• If the receiving team commits the fault, the serving team scores a point.
• If the serving team commits the fault, it does not score. In doubles, the serve may pass from Server 1 to Server 2 or produce a side out.

Our Pickleball Scoring Rules guide explains the service sequence in more detail.

Rally scoring

In a rally-scoring format, the rally itself can produce a point regardless of which team served, so the scoring consequence differs from traditional side-out scoring.

Always confirm the scoring format before an organized game or tournament.

Five faults beginners make most often

If you are just starting, you do not need to memorize every unusual situation in the rulebook. Focus on these first:

1. Hitting the ball out.
2. Letting the ball bounce twice.
3. Volleying before the two-bounce sequence is complete.
4. Volleying while touching the Kitchen.
5. Making an illegal serve.

Once those rules become automatic, the more unusual fault situations become much easier to learn.

Quick fault checklist

During a rally, ask yourself:

• Did the ball land in?
• Did it bounce fewer than two times?
• Were the serve and return both allowed to bounce?
• If I volleyed, was I completely outside the Kitchen?
• Did my momentum remain outside the Kitchen?
• Did the ball cross the net legally?
• Did I avoid touching the live ball with my body or clothing?
• Did I avoid touching the net while the ball was live?

If the answer to those questions is yes, you have already eliminated most of the faults recreational players encounter.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a fault in pickleball?

A fault is a rules violation that ends the rally. Examples include hitting the ball out, allowing a double bounce, committing an illegal serve, or volleying while touching the Non-Volley Zone.

Is stepping in the Kitchen automatically a fault?

No. You may step into the Kitchen. It becomes a fault when you volley while touching the Kitchen, or when your momentum from a volley carries you into it.

Is hitting the net a fault?

Not automatically. A ball can touch the net and continue legally if it crosses to the opponent’s side. If your shot fails to cross and ultimately lands on your side, you lose the rally.

What happens if a ball hits you before going out?

If the ball is still live and hits you before bouncing out, the contact can create a fault against you. Do not catch or touch a ball simply because you think it is going out.

Is a double bounce always a fault?

Allowing the ball to bounce twice on your side before returning it is a fault. This is different from the two-bounce rule, which requires one bounce on each team’s side at the beginning of the rally.

Sources & Further Reading

• USA Pickleball — Official Rulebook
• USA Pickleball — How to Play Pickleball
• USA Pickleball — What Is the Kitchen in Pickleball?