–The research described in this Acoustics Lay Language Paper may not have yet been peer reviewed–
Pickleball, a paddle sport played with hard paddles and a plastic ball, has grown rapidly across the United States. In 2024 alone, more than 18,000 new courts were built nationwide. The noise is loud, impulsive, and often constant throughout the day. As more courts are constructed, the sharp, repetitive sounds of play are creating problems for nearby residents. This has led to widespread community conflicts, thousands of complaints, and an estimated 200 legal claims across the country.
Decision-makers responsible for approving the location of new pickleball courts are generally aware of the sport’s social and health benefits, but may not be aware of the possible negative effects that pickleball noise may have on the surrounding community.
This survey explores how people living near pickleball courts are affected by the noise in their daily lives. It aims to guide better decisions about where new courts are built and how noise can be reduced. We received 440 responses from 264 communities impacted by pickleball noise. Some of the key results are as follows:
*Almost three out of four people living within 1000 feet of courts say they can hear pickleball noise inside their homes.
*Nearly half report they have been harassed by pickleball players.
*Nine out of ten describe the noise as repetitive popping—more than the six out of ten who say it’s “loud”.
Eight out of ten respondents say that the noise constantly or almost always interferes with their ability to enjoy their home or relax.
More than half have moved or are considering moving away because of the noise. Many have lived in their homes for 20 or 30 years, often near parks that were previously peaceful.
Health concerns are widespread. 92% of respondents reported some type of health effect related to the noise.
Seven out of ten reported concerns about unusually strong physical or emotional reactions to pickleball noise in their homes—ranging from anxiety, tension, or irritability to elevated heart rate.
Nearly six out of ten people are concerned about “phantom pops”, hearing the noise even when no one is playing—sometimes waking them up at night or occurring weeks after they’ve moved away.
Both of these responses suggest a possible trauma-like response in some residents living near courts. More research is urgently needed.
The results show that pickleball noise is having a strong impact on residents living nearby:
People—even those more than 500 feet from courts—report being unable to enjoy their homes,
consistent with a noise nuisance.
Many describe health concerns linked to the body’s stress response to chronic impulsive noise.
Community relationships are being strained, with conflicts and harassment between neighbors.
Using the decibel alone is not enough to convey the impacts of pickleball noise. It is the quality of the sound, its repetitiveness, its ability to be heard over long distances, and its duration. The setback between courts and homes may need to exceed 500 feet. Communities are encouraged to support pickleball recreation while also safeguarding residents’ health and well-being. Evidence-based guidelines for siting and noise control are needed to support this effort.
Quiet Communities, Scientific Advisory Board, The Robert and Nalini Lasiewicz Foundation, BOISE, ID, 83703-1000, United States
Daniel Fink – DJFink@thequietcoalition.org
Program Chair, The Quiet Coalition
A program of Quiet Communities, Inc.
60 Thoreau Street Suite 261
Concord, MA 01742
Popular version of 4aPP1 – Pickleball noise – A qualitative description of the psychological and physiological effects on nearby residents
Presented at the 188th ASA Meeting
Read the abstract at https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0038039
–The research described in this Acoustics Lay Language Paper may not have yet been peer reviewed–
New research shows that pickleball noise appears to raise major health concerns for residents living near courts. Pickleball is a racquet sport like tennis, but is played on smaller courts with hard wood or fiberglass paddles and hard plastic balls similar to whiffle balls. Instead of the softer “ping” heard during tennis, pickleball play makes a piercing “pop” sound. Pickleball started increasing in popularity during Covid, and many residents living near courts have now had several years of daily exposure to the popping noise.
How does pickleball noise affect the neighbors? Image source: Nicholas Klein, Istock photo 1746673904, 2023
Our study found that disrupted sleep, cardiac, and neurologic issues were the most common self-reported physical symptoms from nearby neighbors as shown in Figure 1. Hearing phantom pops appears to be a new type of phenomenon that can’t be completely explained yet, but may represent changes in brain processing systems.
Figure 1: Self-reported physical symptoms from pickleball noise exposure.
Self-reported psychological symptoms included mental health problems, mentions of trauma, and “red flag” complaints including severe distress, mention of torture, and suicidal thoughts as shown in Figure 2. An example of a comment that was classified as “severe distress” is: “No one would choose to live this way. It is physically and emotionally debilitating”.
Figure 2: Self-reported psychological symptoms from pickleball noise exposure.
Why do those living near pickleball courts feel this way?
The piercing “pop” comes from a sudden, loud burst of sound called impulse noise. Impulse noise is characterized by short duration with a sharp rise and decrease, as shown below in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Pickleball noise sound pressure trace. Image courtesy of Lance Willis, Spenderian and Willis, Tucson, AZ.
Listen to this audio below to hear the sound generated by 4 pickleball courts.
An acoustic study of one neighbor’s experience found up to 2800 pickleball pops per hour, for a total of 21,208 pops in one day as shown in Figure 4. That’s a lot of disruptive impulse noise to endure. And to make it even worse, the frequency of the “popping” sound (about 1200 Hertz) is the same as back up alarms for vehicles.
Figure 4: One day, 4 courts, hourly distribution of 21,208 total pops. Image courtesy of Noise Net Operations US, Inc.
It’s not unusual for those living near pickleball courts to be exposed to this repetitive impulse noise more than 90 hours/week. That might be more than 100,000 pickleball pops a week! Figure 5 demonstrates a day for busy courts open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Figure 5: A typical day of pickleball noise exposure for a neighbor near busy courts.
While some workplace studies have examined impulse noise and hearing loss, our study is the first to explore its health effects on the general public. Long-term exposure to impulse noise wasn’t a public concern until pickleball courts were built near homes. In some cases, the popping is even heard inside people’s homes.
We used a research method called content analysis to analyze public comments in news reports, legal filings and social media, spotting early trends by grouping and counting similar comments. While not definitive, this method helps identify problems, guide research, and spark discussion.
Local noise ordinances often focus on average sound levels (decibels) and don’t regulate repetitive impulse noise like pickleball. Unfortunately, most noise studies don’t consider all the factors that affect how people actually perceive such noise, especially the repetitive impulse noise hours a day from pickleball play. As pickleball noise expert and referee Bob Unetich told NPR in 2023, “You can’t take pop, pop, pop for 12 hours a day every day and remain sane.”
We need more research on how long-term impulse noise affects the health of people living near pickleball courts. Future studies could look at what makes pickleball noise unique, how this kind of noise impacts people’s minds and bodies, how far courts should be from homes, and how well different noise-reducing methods work.
So far, we aren’t aware of any courts within 100 feet of homes that have been successfully quieted. Until more is known, we recommend that courts not be placed within 100 feet of homes and that courts within 1,000 feet of homes receive close attention. Sound evaluations by engineers should look at more than just how loud the sound is. All the factors that affect how humans perceive sound should be considered.
There is no doubt that pickleball is lots of fun for those who play, but it raises major health concerns for those living near the courts.
Pickleball, a paddle sport played with hard paddles and a plastic ball, has grown rapidly across the United States. In 2024 alone, more than 18,000 new courts were built nationwide. The noise is loud, impulsive, and often constant throughout the day. As more courts are constructed, the sharp, repetitive sounds of play are creating problems for nearby residents. This has led to widespread community conflicts, thousands of complaints, and an estimated 200 legal claims across the country.
Figure 2: Self-reported psychological symptoms from pickleball noise exposure.
Figure 3: Pickleball noise sound pressure trace. Image courtesy of Lance Willis, Spenderian and Willis, Tucson, AZ.
Figure 4: One day, 4 courts, hourly distribution of 21,208 total pops. Image courtesy of Noise Net Operations US, Inc.
Figure 5: A typical day of pickleball noise exposure for a neighbor near busy courts.