Referee's Guide to Pickleball Canada Sanctioned Events Open Age 2026

Pickleball Canada sets referee requirements by sanctioned tournament tier:

• Major Championship (Provincial/Territorial): all medal matches must be officiated by Level 2 or Certified Referees. Officiating non-medal matches is encouraged.
• Tier 1 (Premier): all medal matches must be officiated by Level 2 or Certified Referees. If none are available, Level 1 Referees or Verified Trainees may be used at the Tournament Director's or Head Referee's discretion. Non-medal matches are encouraged to be officiated.
• Tier 2 (Associate): medal matches must be officiated by Level 1 or higher. If no Certified Referees, Level 2s or Level 1s are available, Verified Trainees may be used at the Tournament Director's or Head Referee's discretion. Non-medal matches are encouraged but not required.
• Tier 3 (Affiliate): referees are encouraged but not required.

All sanctioned tournaments must follow the format and rules in the Official Rulebook.

Source: https://pickleballcanada.org/tournaments/sanctioned-tournaments/

Pickleball Canada's sanctioned tournament page says Tournament Directors should follow its Officiating Program minimum payment guideline. The current minimums listed are:

• $7 for Level 1 referees or Verified Trainees
• $10 for Level 2 referees
• $15 for Certified Referees

The page does not state the unit (for example per match or per hour). Referees can submit an expense claim through the online Expense Claim Form on the Officiating Program page.

Sources: https://pickleballcanada.org/tournaments/sanctioned-tournaments/ and https://pickleballcanada.org/officiating/demo-officiating-program-information/

Before the match:

• Check supplies (balls, scoresheets, pencils, timing device) and court conditions (cleanliness, lighting, net height, markings, hazards).
• Meet the players at the court to inspect paddles against the paddle specifications, point out approved rule modifications and court abnormalities, and explain who makes line calls (the Tournament Director's pre-match instructions can satisfy this).
• Use a fair method (such as a coin toss or choosing the number 1 or 2 on the back of the scoresheet) to decide who chooses serve, receive or end first. Once made, the choice cannot be changed.
• In doubles, make sure each team's starting server wears the required identification.

During the match:

• Confirm the correct server, receiver and positions.
• Call the score to start each rally after confirming the server has the ball, call "point" after each point, "second server" after the first server's team loses a rally in doubles, and "side out" when a singles player or second server loses the serve.
• Annotate the scoresheet after each rally and time-out, recheck the net if disturbed, call faults and replays, and enforce time-outs.
• Monitor player conduct and apply warnings, technical fouls and forfeits.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Section 17, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf

The Tournament Director decides which matches use line judges, and a match may be officiated by a referee with or without them.

• Referee, always: service foot faults, short serves and non-volley zone faults, plus all procedural and judgment calls, including score, point, second server, side out, hinders, distractions, damaged balls and replays.
• Without line judges: players make "out" calls for the baseline, sidelines and centre service line on their end of the court.
• With line judges: line judges call "out" or "service foot fault" for their assigned line, showing the out signal (outstretched arm pointing in the out-of-bounds direction), and assist with other calls when asked. Players call only the service court centreline on their end.
• Hinders: you must validate a hinder called by a player. If valid, replay the rally. If not validated, it is a fault against the player.
• Distraction: you decide when a player has distracted an opponent about to hit the ball. It is a fault against the distracting player.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Sections 17, 19 and 20, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf

Only rally-ending shots can be appealed, and any player may appeal. The appeal must be made before the ball is hit to make the next serve. For a match-ending shot, it must be made before the scoresheet is initialled. Before appealing, a player may ask an opponent's opinion on a call the player is responsible for. After appealing or asking, that player and their partner lose the chance to make the line call, except to override in the opponent's favour.

Your options:

• You may overrule any line call by a player or line judge on appeal, and must overrule if you saw the ball land "in". Overruling a player's "out" call is a fault against that player or team. If you overrule a line judge's "out" call as "in", the rally is replayed unless the benefiting side concedes it.
• Without line judges, make the call if you clearly saw where the ball landed.
• If you cannot make the call without line judges, the player's call stands (or the opponent's, if they were asked and made a definitive call). If neither players nor you can make a call, the ball is "in".
• With line judges, if you cannot make the call, the line judge's call stands. If line judges and referee cannot make a call, replay the rally.
• If a line judge shows the "blocked/blinded" signal, make the call immediately if you clearly saw where the ball landed. Otherwise canvass the other officiating team members.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Section 19, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf

A player may override an official's line call, their partner's call, their own call, or any "in" ruling when the override favours the opponent.

• Override of an official's "out" call that favoured the player: the rally is replayed, unless the player concedes the rally to their opponent.
• Override of an official's "in" ruling that favoured the player: the opponent wins the rally.
• Player line calls are otherwise not valid when line judges are used, except for the service court centreline and overrides in the opponent's favour.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Rules 19.C and 19.I, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf

Officiating decision challenge: players may appeal any officiating decision to the Head Referee or Tournament Director.

• If the Head Referee or Tournament Director agrees with your ruling, you assess a technical warning and charge a standard time-out against the challenging player or team (a technical foul if no standard time-out is available).
• If they do not agree, you must reverse the ruling or order a replay of the rally, as appropriate.
• A player may rescind the request after it is acknowledged, but is charged a standard time-out (or a technical foul if none is available).

Removal: when all players agree, they may petition the Tournament Director to have a referee removed. You may remove and replace a line judge for any reasonable cause based on your own observation or the unanimous request of the players. If you disagree with the players' request, you must summon the Tournament Director for a final decision. The Tournament Director has final authority to remove and replace members of the officiating team and resolves player appeals concerning officiating rulings; those decisions are final.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Rules 16.J, 16.O and 20.J-20.L, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf

• Standard time-outs: two per player or team for each 11-point or 15-point game, three for a 21-point game. Not available before the match starts. Any player may call one between rallies before the next serve, audibly or by hand signal, directed to the opponents and the referee. Each lasts a maximum of one minute. Calling one after the serve is hit is a fault against that player.
• Resuming play: announce a 15-second warning, then call "time in" and the score when players are ready.
• End change: a one-minute time-out in single-game and tie-breaker games when the first side reaches 6 (11-point game), 8 (15-point) or 11 (21-point). The same server continues.
• Between games: a maximum of two minutes.
• Medical time-out: one per player per match, not available before the match starts, maximum 15 minutes from when medical help arrives. The referee immediately summons on-site medical personnel (or the Tournament Director if there are none). If the player cannot continue after 15 minutes, the match is retired. If no valid medical condition exists, the referee assesses a technical warning and charges a standard time-out (a technical foul if none is available).
• Referee time-out: the referee may call one for a potential medical situation or other extenuating circumstances. When a player is bleeding or blood is on the court or a player, stop play at the end of the rally and do not resume until the blood is cleaned up and the bleeding controlled.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Section 21, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf

The referee can assess these any time during a match while players are near the court, including before it starts. Play is not stopped: the assessment is applied after the rally ends, with a brief explanation.

• Verbal or technical warning (minor unsportsmanlike conduct): objectionable language, profanity, aggressive arguing that disrupts play, ball abuse, delay of game, excessive line call appeals, receiving coaching from anyone other than a partner outside time-outs and between games, and other minor behaviour. Only one verbal warning may be given to each player or team per match. A warning does not lose a point or change the server.
• Technical foul (extreme unsportsmanlike conduct): reckless paddle or ball throwing, extremely objectionable language, threats, a second technical warning in a match, and other extreme behaviour. One point is deducted from the offender's score (if their score is zero, one point is added to the opponent's). A technical foul does not change the server.

Behaviour after the match, while a player is still near the court, must be brought to the Tournament Director, who may apply a warning or foul to that player's next match.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Section 22, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf

Game forfeit (referee imposes):

• Any combination of one technical warning and one technical foul, or three technical warnings, in a match.
• A player who fails to report within 10 minutes after the match is called, unless the Tournament Director grants a delay. In a one-game match this is a match forfeit.

Match forfeit (referee imposes):

• Dangerous paddle or ball abuse that strikes someone or damages property.
• A non-compliant paddle discovered during play (the match results stand if it is only discovered after the match ends).
• Deliberately aggressive physical contact with another person.
• A second technical foul in a match, or a technical warning or foul after a game forfeit that came from warnings and fouls.
• In a multiple-game match, failing to report within 15 minutes after the match is called, unless the Tournament Director grants a delay.

A forfeited game or match is scored 0 for the forfeiting side (for example 11-0). The Tournament Director may impose a match forfeit for refusing to wear required starting server identification or to change inappropriate apparel, failing to follow venue rules, improper conduct between matches or abuse of facilities. The Tournament Director is authorized to eject a player from the tournament or expel them from the venue (for example for slurs, injurious paddle or ball abuse, spitting or coughing on another person, or not giving best effort). The referee may recommend ejection.

Source: 2026 Official Rulebook, Sections 16, 17, 18 and 22, https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Official-Rulebook-EN.pdf