Assess Your Situation
The first step in taking action is to answer key questions to assess your situation. These answers will help you identify assistance needed and will help guide your action plan.
- What is the status of the pickleball court(s)?
Is it early in the pickleball court planning process?
Is pickleball court construction underway?
Are pickleball courts actively in use?
2. Who owns the pickleball court(s)?
Pickleball courts may be built by parks & recreation organizations, government agencies, private clubs, homeowner’s associations (HOA), private homeowners, etc.
If you don’t know who owns the property where the courts are built/planned, ask a neighbor or check your local property parcel map. Zillow.com may also provides useful information.
Knowing who owns the property where the courts are/will be sited is important to ensure that the correct responsible party is contacted regarding your concerns.
3. Who else is affected by the noise?
Check in with people living close to existing/planned court(s) - up to 1000 feet.
Start with neighbors next to current/proposed courts. They will take the brunt of the noise pollution and will be most negatively affected by the noise.
If you don't know your neighbors, start with the neighbors you know. They will likely know other neighbors and can help you make connections.
Working together with other affected neighbors to fight pickleball noise increases your chance of success.
4. Which laws or rules apply to your situation?
Identify the local government that regulates your property (city, township, or county).
Find out if your local government has a noise nuisance ordinance and review it.
Check for local zoning and/or specific ordinances covering pickleball courts and/or sport courts.
Determine whether HOA (or similar private community) rules apply to your situation.
Documents may seem complicated or may not adequately address your situation. People often need assistance from a legal professional to evaluate how laws and rules apply to the situation.
5. Who can help you?
Now that you have basic information about your situation, proceed to Get Help for ideas about building a team of people who can help you form your plan and take action.
Report Your Hot Spot to put it on the Pickleball Noise Relief community's radar screen (It's easy!)