What are the serve rules?

Pickleball Canada follows the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook (section 7).

Position: at least one foot must be in contact with the correct serving area (behind the baseline) when you hit the serve. Neither foot may touch the court or the playing surface outside the correct serving area. Each of these is a fault.

Ball release: release the ball with one hand or the paddle only, with no manipulation or spin added before you hit it, and the release must be visible to the receiver. The receiver may call a replay (before returning the serve) if spin was added or the release was not visible.

Two legal serves:

• Volley serve: the paddle moves in a clear upward arc, the highest point of the paddle head is clearly not above the highest part of your wrist joint, and the ball is clearly no higher than your waist at contact.
• Drop serve: drop the ball from a natural height without propelling it, then hit it after it bounces. No limit on bounces or where it bounces first.

Either serve can be forehand or backhand.

Placement: serve diagonally to the opposite service court, clearing the opponent's non-volley zone (with or without touching the net). It is a fault if the serve lands outside the correct service court, lands in the non-volley zone, hits a permanent object, or hits the server or their partner. A serve that hits the receiver or their partner before landing is a fault against the receiver.

In singles, serve from the right when your score is zero or even and from the left when it is odd.