Step by step · Updated 2026
How to build a padel court
in 10 steps and 12 to 20 weeks
To build a padel court you need a 23 by 13 meter site, a permit, a flat reinforced concrete slab with footings for the enclosure posts, a court kit (steel frame, tempered glass, mesh, turf, net and lights) ordered 10 to 16 weeks ahead, and an installer who has assembled that kit before. The slab takes 2 weeks plus 28 days of cure; the court assembles in 5 to 10 days on top of it.
The sequence is the same for a backyard padel court and a 4 court club. What changes is the paperwork.
Key figures
- Site per court
- approx. 23 × 13 m (75 × 43 ft) including run-off and masts
- Slab
- 15–20 cm reinforced concrete, flat to 3 mm over 3 m, 0.5–1% slope outdoors
- Footings
- Engineered per post; 18 posts on a standard panoramic court
- Kit lead time
- 10–16 weeks from order to delivery
- Assembly
- 5–10 days per court with a 3–4 person crew and a telehandler
- Total timeline
- 12–20 weeks from permit to first game
- Cost
- $40,000–75,000 outdoors; $35,000–65,000 indoors plus building
- Permits
- Building permit for slab and structure; electrical for lights; zoning review
Free to cite with attribution and a link. Full set at courtbaseline.com/reference.
Fig. 01
How long does it take to build a padel court?
Twelve to twenty weeks from permit application to first game, and the kit lead time runs in parallel with the slab, so order the court before you pour.
Sequence
How to build a court: the ten steps
Every padel court, from a private padel court in a backyard to a club with eight, goes through these ten steps. Skipping the engineering in step 3 is the mistake that costs the most.
| # | Step | What happens | Who | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Site check | Confirm 23 × 13 m clear, access for a truck and telehandler, power within reach, soil type | Owner, builder | 1 week |
| 2 | Zoning and permits | Zoning review, building permit for slab and structure, electrical permit, HOA approval where applicable | Owner, builder | 2–8 weeks |
| 3 | Engineering | Stamped slab and footing design for the chosen kit and local wind speed | Engineer | 1–2 weeks |
| 4 | Order the kit | Frame, glass, mesh, turf, net, lights; 10–16 weeks lead; deposit 30–50% | Owner via builder | Day 1 |
| 5 | Site preparation | Strip, grade, compact, stone base, drainage, conduit for lights | Civil contractor | 1–2 weeks |
| 6 | Footings and slab | Post footings per the stamped design, 15–20 cm reinforced slab, flatness checked | Concrete contractor | 1–2 weeks |
| 7 | Cure | 28 days before the frame is anchored | 4 weeks | |
| 8 | Assembly | Frame erected and anchored, glass set, mesh fitted, masts raised | Court installer | 5–10 days |
| 9 | Turf and lines | Turf laid, seamed, sand-dressed, lines inlaid; net and posts fitted | Court installer | 1–2 days |
| 10 | Lights and sign-off | Fixtures wired, aimed and tested; inspection; warranty paperwork | Electrician, installer | 1–2 days |
What site do you need for a padel court?
A flat or gently graded area of roughly 23 by 13 meters per court, which is 75 by 43 feet, with vehicle access for a flatbed and a telehandler. Multi-court sites can share side run-off and masts, so two courts need about 23 by 24 meters rather than 23 by 26.
The 20 by 10 meter court sits in the middle. The extra 3 meters of length is for the gates and the back run-off; the extra 3 meters of width is for the masts and access. A site that is 23 by 13 to the inch leaves nowhere to stand a telehandler, so plan for a construction area larger than the finished one. Full dimensions are on padel court dimensions.
Orientation is north-south on the long axis where possible, and a line of sight to the nearest house or property line matters for the padel court noise and lighting review that follows.
Do you need a permit to build a padel court?
Yes, almost everywhere in the United States. A padel court permit is a building permit for the slab and the 4 meter structure, an electrical permit for the lights, and a zoning review for setbacks, height and impervious coverage. Padel court zoning is usually handled as an accessory structure for residential sites and as a recreation use for commercial ones.
The questions a zoning reviewer asks: how far is the enclosure from the property line (setbacks of 10 to 25 feet are typical); does the 4 meter wall exceed the accessory structure height limit (often 12 to 15 feet, which 13.1 feet usually clears); does the slab push the lot over its impervious surface limit; and do the lights spill past the line. Padel court permits take 2 to 8 weeks and sometimes require a site plan from a surveyor.
A padel court HOA review is a separate track. Most HOAs treat the court like a tennis court or a pool enclosure, with architectural review of the color, the fence height and the lighting hours. Start that conversation before the engineering, because an HOA that says no to 4 meters of glass ends the project.
Can you build a backyard padel court?
Yes, on a lot that can give up a 75 by 43 foot area, pass the setback and height rules above, and take a truck. A residential padel court costs the same $40,000 to $75,000 as a club court, because the kit and the slab are identical. A private padel court is a padel court for home use with the same engineering as a commercial one, and it is the one case where owners most often try to skip the engineer.
What a backyard build saves is the commercial permit process and the lighting requirement; what it adds is access. A padel court in garden space behind a house, with no side access for a flatbed, means glass panels carried by hand and a crane over the roof for the frame, which can add $5,000 to $15,000. The site check in step 1 is where that gets caught.
Tennis court conversion: an existing tennis slab in sound condition is the cheapest route to a backyard padel court, at $30,000 to $55,000. The slab is checked for flatness, footings are cored, and the court goes on top. See tennis court conversion.
Who builds a padel court?
Three trades: a civil or concrete contractor for the site and slab, the court manufacturer's installer or a certified independent crew for the assembly, and an electrician for the lights. A padel court builder is the company that coordinates all three and carries the warranty.
The assembly is the specialized part. A panoramic court has 18 posts, around 40 glass panels weighing 150 to 250 kg each, and a frame that must be plumb and square to the millimeter or the glass will not seat. Installers who have built the same manufacturer's court before do it in 5 days; a general contractor doing it from the manual takes 3 weeks and breaks glass. See padel court builders for how to find and vet one, and padel court kit for what the manufacturer ships.
FAQ
Building a padel court, answered
Can I build a padel court myself?
How long does it take to build a padel court?
How much space do you need to build a padel court?
Do I need an engineer to build a padel court?
Can a padel court be built on an existing concrete slab?
What does a padel court cost to build?
Start the build
Ready to build a padel court?
Send the site, the court count and whether it is indoor or outdoor and we will connect you with one builder covering your region. Free, no bidding pool.