Can You Get Ticketed for Playing Pickleball at Night?

A pickleball story went viral this week for all the wrong reasons: more than 20 police officers reportedly rolled up to a public park in Long Beach, California, and wrote roughly 40 citations to a group playing late-night pickleball. I’m Jason Regan, USA Pickleball Ambassador for New England — and because half the internet is now asking “wait, can you actually get ticketed for playing pickleball?”, let’s clear up exactly what happened and, more usefully, how to make sure it never happens to you.

What actually happened in Long Beach

Shortly after 11 p.m. on a Tuesday, Long Beach police issued around 40 tickets at the DeForest Park pickleball courts. According to the Long Beach Post, the action came after residents complained about loud activity in the park after hours, including loud music. The story was picked up widely, including by The Dink.

What made it blow up wasn’t just the ticket count — it was the optics. One person who got cited called the response “excessive,” noting that at least 20 officers showed up, the court lights were still on, and the gate was open. When the lights are on and the gate’s unlocked, it’s easy to assume you’re allowed to be there.

Wait — were they ticketed for noise?

This is the part most of the hot takes get wrong. The citations weren’t “noise tickets.” DeForest Park closes at dusk, so the tickets were for being in a public park after it had closed — effectively an after-hours or loitering violation. The loud music and late-night play is what generated the complaints that brought police out; the citations themselves were about the park being closed.

That distinction matters, because it tells you exactly where the real risk is: park hours, not decibels. You’re far more likely to get a ticket for playing in a closed park than for a noise ordinance — though in some towns, persistent noise complaints can lead to fines too.

Why pickleball and noise keep colliding

Pickleball has a genuine acoustic problem, and it’s physics, not attitude. The hard paddle striking the hard plastic ball produces a sharp, high-pitched pop — around 70 decibels at close range — and that specific frequency carries and irritates in a way that a muffled tennis thwock doesn’t. Stack that onto courts built close to homes and games that run into the evening, and you get exactly the flashpoint that’s now producing lawsuits, court closures, and, apparently, 20-officer ticket sweeps.

Can you actually get ticketed for playing pickleball at night?

Yes — but almost always for where and when, not the sport itself. It comes down to two things your town controls:

• Park hours. Most public parks and courts have posted hours, commonly dawn-to-dusk or a set closing time. Play past them and you’re in a closed park, lights or no lights.
• Noise ordinances. Many towns have quiet hours (often 10 or 11 p.m.). Repeated complaints can bring warnings or fines, especially near homes.

The lights-on, gate-open situation in Long Beach is a real trap: an open, lit court is not the same as an open court. The posted hours are what count.

How not to be the next citation

The good news is this is entirely avoidable, and none of it takes the fun out of the game:

• Know your court’s hours before you go. They’re usually posted at the gate or on the town’s parks page — every venue in our New England court directory is a good place to start, and if a listing’s hours look off, tell us and we’ll fix it.
• Kill the music after dark. A Bluetooth speaker at 11 p.m. is what turns “a few people playing” into “a noise complaint.” The paddles are loud enough on their own.
• Play quieter gear — this is the biggest lever. A quiet pickleball ball softens the pop, and there are now paddles engineered to be silent. The OWL by OWL Sport was the first paddle certified under USA Pickleball’s new Quiet Category — it wraps the face in a noise-dampening material called Acoustene that cuts the sound by more than 50%, dropping a strike below 80 decibels (versus the 85-plus of a standard paddle) and under 600 hertz, where the ear stops finding it grating. Best part: it’s still tournament-legal, approved for sanctioned play. If you play near homes or into the evening, that’s the difference between a game and a complaint. Not sure what else to swing? Our Paddle Finder can help.
• Be the good-neighbor group. A little on-court etiquette — keeping voices down late, not blocking neighbors’ driveways, wrapping up by posted close — is what keeps courts open for everyone.

The bigger fix towns are landing on

Here’s the encouraging part: the smartest municipal response isn’t tickets — it’s more and better-placed courts. Long Beach itself, per ABC7, has framed its answer to the noise problem as building additional courts (ideally sited away from homes, with sound barriers) rather than shutting the sport down. That’s the win-win: give the 36-million-and-growing player base places to play that don’t back up to someone’s bedroom window.

The Long Beach sweep is a cautionary tale, not a reason to stop playing. Learn your court’s hours, keep the noise down, play quiet gear, and you’ll never be the person explaining a citation to their doubles partner.

— Jason Regan, USA Pickleball Ambassador, North Central Massachusetts.

Frequently asked questions

Can you get a ticket for playing pickleball at night?

Yes, but usually for playing in a park after its posted closing time, or for violating a local noise ordinance — not for the sport itself. In the Long Beach case, the roughly 40 citations were for being in a park that had closed at dusk, not for noise directly.

Were the Long Beach pickleball players cited for noise?

No. Loud music and after-hours play brought the complaints, but the citations were for remaining in a public park after it had closed for the day.

Why is pickleball so loud?

The hard paddle striking a hard plastic ball creates a sharp, high-pitched pop — around 70 decibels up close — at a frequency that carries and annoys more than most sports. Courts built close to homes make it worse.

What is the quietest pickleball paddle?

The OWL by OWL Sport is the most notable. It was the first paddle certified under USA Pickleball’s Quiet Category, using a dampening material called Acoustene to cut noise more than 50% (below 80 decibels) while staying tournament-legal — the go-to for communities and HOAs with noise limits.

How do I avoid pickleball noise complaints?

Check and respect your court’s posted hours, turn off amplified music at night, use a quieter ball and paddle if you play near homes, and keep late-evening voices down. Quiet gear is the single easiest change.

What time do public pickleball courts usually close?

Many public parks are dawn-to-dusk or have a set closing time; some lit courts stay open later. The posted hours at the gate or on the town parks page are what govern — an open gate or lit court is not the same as an open court.