Padel court dimensions: the court, and all the space a project needs around it

The court: 20 × 10 m, and what the glass takes

Both the LTA and the International Padel Federation (FIP) define the playing area as 20 m long by 10 m wide, 200 m² (2,153 sq ft). The FIP allows 0.5 % either way on the interior. Padel is played in a box, so these are interior measures: the glass and the posts sit outside them.

That is why builders quote slightly larger numbers for the structure. The LTA's table puts the external size of a single court at 20.8 × 10.8 m (68.2 × 35.4 ft). A&S Landscape, a UK canopy maker, gives a minimum outdoor space of about 11 × 21 m (36.1 × 68.9 ft). It recommends 13 × 23 m (42.6 × 75.5 ft). Shelter Structures, which has a US office, says 21 × 11 m. These are all the same box, with a different margin for the person walking round it.

Element	Metric	Feet
Playing area	20 × 10 m	65.6 × 32.8 ft
End walls	4 m: 3 m glass, 1 m mesh	13.1 ft: 9.8 ft glass, 3.3 ft mesh
Side walls, most common in the UK ("Variant 1")	From each end: a first step 3 m high over 2 m of length, then a second step 2 m high over 2 m. Metal mesh completes the enclosure, up to 3 m high along the middle and up to 4 m at both ends	9.8 ft over 6.6 ft, then 6.6 ft over 6.6 ft; mesh up to 9.8 ft, and 13.1 ft at the ends
Side walls, "Variant 2"	The same layout, 4 m high throughout	13.1 ft
Net	10 m long, 0.88 m at the centre, 0.92 m at the ends	2.9 ft, 3.0 ft
Glass	12 mm minimum for UK installations	0.47 in

Source: LTA data sheet (side walls) and construction guidance note (net). The data sheet says Variant 1 is the majority in Great Britain. It also says that building a padel court is development that needs consent from the local authority, on a new site or over an existing tennis court. Glass or mesh fencing 3 to 4 m high and floodlight posts are among the things it names. That is the LTA's note, not a height test: check with your local planning authority whatever the height.

Markings. The FIP puts the two service lines 6.95 m (22.8 ft) from the net on each side. A central service line splits the area between the net and each service line, and it must extend at least 20 cm (7.9 in) beyond the service line. All lines are 5 cm (2 in) wide, white or black for contrast with the surface. The SAPCA code of practice says 20 cm for the crossing and white lines, while the LTA data sheet and guidance note say 10 cm (3.9 in). Ask your builder for 20 cm, which meets the FIP and the code of practice.

A "panoramic" court changes no dimension. It uses a framed end wall without intermediate steel posts, and its glass still has to be 12 mm. Do not plan a different footprint for it.

What one court takes on the ground

The LTA's 2025 guidance note gives the minimum external area for one to six courts. It includes a nominal 400 mm ring beam and a 1.5 m gap between courts. It does not include any outer play area, which is the part builders' brochures leave out.

Courts	Length × width (m)	Length × width (ft)	Floor area
1	20.8 × 10.8	68.2 × 35.4	225 m² (2,418 sq ft)
2	20.8 × 22.3	68.2 × 73.2	464 m² (4,993 sq ft)
3	20.8 × 33.8	68.2 × 110.9	703 m² (7,567 sq ft)
4	20.8 × 45.3	68.2 × 148.6	942 m² (10,142 sq ft)
6	20.8 × 68.3	68.2 × 224.1	1,421 m² (15,292 sq ft)

Source: LTA. Floor areas and feet are our arithmetic on its table. Each court after the first adds 11.5 m (37.7 ft) of width. That is the least a lease or a plot has to hold. Reception, changing rooms and a bar come on top, and no public source gives a standard figure for them.

Circulation and run-off: the part that decides the plan

Three rules in the LTA documents move the footprint beyond that table.

• Wheelchair access. The spacing between the net post and the enclosure must be at least 1.2 m (3.9 ft) on either side, so sports wheelchairs can reach both ends. The LTA says hinged gates are the usual way to deliver it.
• A roof with sides. If the structure is fully enclosed, now or later, the code of practice asks for 1.2 m of clear corridor between courts for Building Regulations Part M in England. Court base plates do not count towards it. A canopy with fitted sides also needs more space for emergency exits.
• Out-of-court play. For higher levels of play, each side of the net gets an area 8 m long by 2 m wide (26.2 × 6.6 ft) outside the glass. No obstacle may stand in it, and it needs at least 4 m of height. Competition asks for 3 m instead of 2 m. Between two courts that means a side run of at least 4 m (13.1 ft) instead of 1.5 m. For competition it is 6 m (19.7 ft), since each court needs its own 3 m on both sides.

The LTA notes that the out-of-court area "only needs to be considered where elite level tournaments are planned". Its code of practice says to ask the LTA which level you need. For a commercial club, the question is whether you ever want to host a competition. Space left out of the first plan is hard to add later. The code of practice says the same of roofs: courts covered later need more footprint.

A rough count, ours, on the LTA's dimensions. One court with 2 m of out-of-court area on each side is about 14.8 × 20.8 m (48.6 × 68.2 ft), 308 m² (3,313 sq ft). Two courts with a 4 m run between them and 2 m outside each are about 28.8 × 20.8 m (94.5 × 68.2 ft), 599 m² (6,448 sq ft). The width is the table's 22.3 m, less its 1.5 m gap, plus 4 m between and 2 m on each outside. That is about 29 % more floor than the table for the same two courts. For competition, with 3 m on each side, two courts need about 32.8 × 20.8 m (107.6 × 68.2 ft), 682 m² (7,344 sq ft). The width is the table's 22.3 m, less its 1.5 m gap, plus a 6 m run between and 3 m on each outside. That is about 47 % more floor than the table. Ask what your builder measures from before you divide a hall by it.

How many courts fit in a hall or on a plot

Take the LTA's widths and the rule is simple: 22.3 m (73.2 ft) holds two courts side by side, 33.8 m (110.9 ft) three, 45.3 m (148.6 ft) four. One row is 20.8 m (68.2 ft) deep, two rows end to end 41.6 m (136.5 ft) before any gap behind the end walls.

Three checks before a lease is signed:

1. Measure inside the obstacles. Columns, sprinkler runs and roof haunches in an existing hall rarely fall where a court block needs them. The columns of a multi-court canopy sit between courts, not at the edges.
2. Add the access you will need. A hall that fits the table to the centimetre fits no corridor, no wheelchair route and no out-of-court area.
3. Ask for the structure's overall size. The LTA's figure is a nominal minimum. A builder's actual enclosure can be wider.

Outdoors the question is mostly the plot. The LTA's guidance note advises measuring the site early, with an online distance tool or a tape measure on the ground, before a business plan or a quote. Building over an existing tennis court needs the existing gradients and surface tolerance surveyed first. In England, Biodiversity Net Gain asks for a 10 % gain in biodiversity value. It has applied to major developments since 12 February 2024 and to small sites, which a single club is likely to be, since 2 April 2024. The LTA ties it to greenfield land, but GOV.UK does not limit it so: unless exempt, it applies. Exemptions include sites of 0.2 hectares or below inside the red line (from 6 August 2026). Developments touching under 25 m² of on-site habitat are exempt too. Neither applies where priority habitat is affected. Ask a planning consultant which applies to your plot.

Ceiling height: 6 m is the rule, 8 m is optional

For a hall, this is the number that rules out most buildings. The three documents agree on 6 m. They do not agree on how firmly they ask for 8 m.

Source	Minimum clear height	On 8 m for new facilities
LTA data sheet	6.0 m (19.7 ft) above the playing area, to fit floodlights attached to the structure	Recommended: 8.0 m (26.2 ft)
SAPCA / LTA code of practice, September 2025	6.0 m, including to the underside of any lighting that overhangs the court	8.0 m "as a secondary option", only if feasible for planning approval and cost; maximise the height above the net line
FIP rules	6 m throughout the court, with no obstructing element such as a spotlight	Suggested: 8 m

Builders say the same. Shelter Structures measures its 6 m (19.7 ft) to the lowest obstruction such as lights and cross beams, and says tournament play may need more than 8 m. A&S Landscape quotes 6 to 8 m for indoor or covered courts, and Playtomic says indoor courts usually need ceilings of around 6 m or more.

Three practical points follow:

• The measure is to the lowest thing. A beam, a duct, a sprinkler head or a luminaire. (An example: a hall listed at 7 m under the roof can offer well under 6 m under its lowest light.)
• The net line matters more than the perimeter. Lobs peak over the middle of the court. The code of practice says to maximise the height above the net line, and the FIP asks for 6 m throughout.
• A canopy is built to this shape. The LTA describes a typical modular canopy: 6.0 m eaves, an 11.0 m span, nominally 8.0 m at the centre line and a little over 6.0 m along the sides. Its clear span version covers a block of courts, "orientated with the highest point above the net line". If you plan more than one court under a canopy, ask which of the two the quote is.

Whether a building is a canopy or a building also changes the paperwork. The LTA says a covering with sides and ends fixed to the ground is deemed a building and must comply with UK Building Regulations. SAPCA also asks for a UK structural engineer to design any canopy or hall for the wind and snow loads of the site. We found no public figure for heating or ventilation of a padel hall.

Lighting: how many lux, and where the posts go

The LTA minimums are the same indoors and out, measured on the ground:

Level of play	Average lux	Uniformity
Regional competition, school, recreational, indoor	300	0.5
National and international competition	500	0.7

Design to 10 % above the minimum (a 0.9 maintenance factor), on a calculation grid of 1 m by 1 m or finer, centred on the net line. The data sheet's checklist quotes 0.7 uniformity at 300 lux where its own table says 0.5, so write the figure into your tender rather than quoting the checklist. For television or filming, the FIP asks for 1,000 lux of vertical illumination, a different measure.

Where the lights go decides the plan as much as how bright they are:

• On extended posts. The enclosure's own posts rise and carry one or two luminaires, set 4.0 m (13.1 ft) in from the back wall along the sides. The LTA calls this the preferred option, and it keeps columns out of the walkways between courts.
• On stand-alone columns outside the enclosure, at the same 4.0 m from the back wall. Better where neighbours need tighter control of spill and glare.
• Never in the court's air. Fittings must leave 6 m of clear space above the court. The FIP puts the lower edge of a projector at least 6 m from the ground. For new facilities it suggests 8 m when lights are inside the court. Light poles must stand outside the court. If they fall in the safety area, out-of-court play is not allowed.

If an outdoor court may be covered one day, the LTA says to design it to the indoor standard or provide the cabling and switchgear for the upgrade. Planning will ask for a lighting data pack, and the LTA also asks designers to show the tilt angles of the fittings so glare for neighbours can be judged.

Ground, noise barriers, parking and the building around the courts

These take space and money, and the title's "all the space" includes them.

• Base and drainage. The LTA's UK sub-base is a free-draining, frost-resistant aggregate about 250 mm (9.8 in) deep with 65 mm (2.6 in) of porous asphalt in two layers. The fall is no more than 1:100. A drain runs out through the ring beam. The LTA data sheet calls the poured concrete slab common in continental Europe generally unsuitable for the UK climate. A structural engineer designs the ring beam, base and drainage, and the LTA says to hire one at the start.
• Tolerance. SAPCA asks for the formation to be levelled to +25 mm/-50 mm and the surface to ±6 mm under a 3 m straight edge. Over an existing tennis court, survey the gradients and surface tolerance first.
• Noise barriers. Where homes are 30 to 50 m away, SAPCA says the assessment may call for acoustic fencing or barriers, or that the council asks for the court to move. A barrier is more land and another planning item.
• Power. SAPCA says LED court lighting needs a single-phase supply, typically 1.2 to 2.4 kW per court, with the court as close to the supply as possible. A multi-court layout may need three-phase. The LTA's tender template asks the contractor to price connecting the electricity. We found no figure for the supply of the rest of a building.
• The floor of a hall. The sub-base and porous asphalt above are for outdoor courts. We found no published slab, load or flatness figure for a court inside a hall, so ask the builder what it needs and have a structural engineer check the floor.
• Delivery and cranes. We found no public figure. The LTA's tender template lists access to the site and welfare among the contractor's preliminaries, so ask for it priced.
• Spectators, toilets and storage. We found no public figure. The LTA names spectators only as a load the structural engineer designs for.
• Noise inside a hall. The noise guidance we read is about neighbours. We found no figure for ball noise or acoustic treatment inside a hall.
• Parking. We found no Sport England, LTA or SAPCA figure for spaces per court. The council sets it from its own parking standards, so ask for it before you buy a plot.
• The rest of the building. We found no public UK or US figure for the total building per court, reception, changing rooms and bar included.

Outdoors: orientation, neighbours and noise

The FIP recommends that the long axis of an outdoor court runs north to south, accepting anything between north-north-east and north-north-west. The LTA documents we read give no orientation figure.

Neighbours decide more projects than the sun. The LTA's guidance note says a home within 50 m of the court probably means noise and light surveys. The code of practice puts the distance at 30 to 50 m. It also says SAPCA and the LTA know of padel courts closed after environmental health complaints, even where a noise assessment was agreed at planning. Our view, not a finding: with houses within 50 m, give the noise survey more weight than the axis. Courts have been closed over noise, and the FIP accepts a range of axes anyway.

What the documents say, and what builders sell

The federations give minimums for a court that can be played and safe. Builders sell a structure, and their pages quote the box plus a 0.5 to 2 m margin. Read the two side by side.

• "Minimum space" in a builder's sheet is the box plus a margin of 0.5 to 2 m (Shelter Structures, A&S Landscape). It is not the LTA's wheelchair route, out-of-court area or inter-court corridor.
• "Ceiling height 6 m" is the rule. 8 m is optional: the LTA data sheet recommends it, the FIP suggests it, and the code of practice makes it a secondary option subject to planning and cost.
• Single (solo) courts are not covered by the LTA documents we read. We found no published UK or US specification, so do not plan for one from a brochure alone.
• Feet in US pages are conversions of metric figures. Playtomic prints 66 × 33 ft, Shelter Structures 66 × 33 ft, while the exact conversion of 20 × 10 m is 65.6 × 32.8 ft. Use metres for the order, and feet for the conversation with a US contractor.

The US. US sources in this guide are builders and a booking platform, so treat their margins as vendor figures. The binding rules are federal and local. The Access Board's guide to the ADA Standards says an accessible route must connect each court and directly connect both sides of it, so nobody crosses another court. The US padel federation pages we read (padelusa.org) give the court size and no lighting, height or building figure. We found no US lighting level, so the LTA's 300 lux is the only one here. For an indoor hall, take four questions to your local building department this week:

1. Occupancy classification. Which class does a padel hall fall in, and does a change of use from the building's current one apply?
2. Sprinklers. Is the hall sprinklered, and do the heads leave the 6 m (19.7 ft) clear height above each court free of obstruction? That height comes from the federations, not from a US code.
3. The accessible route. The ADA Standards need one to both sides of each court, so a corridor between courts, as in the worked example below.
4. Exits and sign-off. Which exits the layout needs, and who signs off the structure.

Ireland. Planning sits with the local planning authority (the county or city council) under the Planning and Development Act 2000, with appeals to An Coimisiún Pleanála. In September 2025 Tipperary County Council ruled that two padel courts with boundary fencing and four floodlights were development and not exempted development. It gave the enclosures and lighting as reasons, and also that Class 33 of the regulations, the exemption for sports grounds, requires that no charge is made for admission. A court charged by the hour cannot use that exemption, with or without floodlights. We found no Irish court-size or building specification, so ask the council before you spend.

A worked example: four courts in a 24 × 45 m hall

An invented hall, 24 × 45 m (78.7 × 147.6 ft) of clear floor, with 7 m under the lowest light. We use the LTA table.

• Courts side by side. The 20.8 m depth fits the 24 m side. The 45 m side holds three courts (33.8 m) and misses a fourth (45.3 m) by 0.3 m.
• Two rows of two. Turn them: two rows end to end need 41.6 m, and two courts side by side need 22.3 m. That is 22.3 × 41.6 m, 928 m² (9,986 sq ft), inside 24 × 45 m, so four fit on the table's numbers.
• What it leaves. 1.7 m across and 3.4 m along. Give the two courts of a row the LTA's 4 m side run and the row needs 22.3 − 1.5 + 4 = 24.8 m. The hall has 24 m. It fits club play, not out-of-court play.
• The corridor. A hall is fully enclosed. The code of practice then asks for 1.2 m (3.9 ft) of clear corridor between the two courts of a row, not counting exposed base plates. The table's gap is 1.5 m, which leaves 0.3 m for posts and plates. We found no published width for them, so ask the builder. If they take more than 0.3 m, the 1.7 m left across can widen the gap to as much as 3.2 m (10.5 ft). It is the same 1.7 m: spend it once. Along the hall, the 3.4 m between the two rows is clear of the limit.
• The gates. They sit beside the net post on a long side. The code allows them on both sides or on one side only, and asks for hinged gates so sports wheelchairs can pass. Put them on the inner sides, opening on the corridor, which then serves all four courts along its 41.6 m. The outer sides would have 0.85 m each if the 1.7 m were split.
• Height. 7 m clears the 6 m minimum and falls short of the optional 8 m.

The numbers on this page are minimums and nominal sizes from the LTA, the SAPCA code of practice and the FIP, read on 28 October 2026. The GOV.UK, Access Board and Tipperary County Council pages were read on 29 October. Builders, councils and engineers have the last word on a given site.

The Poteau team