Is the kitchen line in or out? How the lines count
Short answer: The 2026 rulebook says all lines that bound the non-volley zone are part of the zone, so stepping on the kitchen line while volleying is a fault. For a serve, a ball that lands on the kitchen line is out.
For players
Rule 3.A.4.c defines the non-volley zone as the 7 by 20 foot area adjacent to each end of the net. Its boundary lines run parallel to the net, 7 feet away, between the two sidelines, and are part of the zone. The zone is two-dimensional, so it does not extend above the playing surface. A volleying player touching the line has contacted the zone; see the kitchen rule.
For serves
A served ball must clear the opponent's kitchen line to be in. A serve that lands on the non-volley zone line is out (rule 8.C).
For other shots
Any other ball landing on a line is in, because only a served ball has the special kitchen-line condition. See our line-calls guide.
Two questions with two different answers
Players ask whether the kitchen line is in or out, but the rulebook answers two separate questions. The first is about where you may stand when you volley. The second is about where a serve may land. The same line is treated differently in each case, which is why the answers sound contradictory when they are mixed up.
Question 1: standing on the line when you volley
Rule 3.A.4.c says all lines that bound the non-volley zone are part of the zone. Rule 11.A then says all volleys must be initiated outside the non-volley zone, and that a player, or anything in contact with the player, may contact the zone at any time except during the act of volleying a ball. Putting the two together: touching the kitchen line while you volley is touching the zone, which is a fault (11.A.1). The fault applies to the player and to anything in contact with them, including their partner.
Momentum counts too (11.A.2)
If a volleying player's momentum causes them to contact anything, including their partner, that is in contact with the non-volley zone, it is a fault against the volleying player, even after the ball becomes dead. The rulebook defines momentum as the property that makes a player continue moving after contacting the ball, and says the momentum from a volley ends when the player regains balance and control or stops moving toward the non-volley zone.
Leaving the zone before volleying (11.A.3)
After contacting the non-volley zone, a player who volleys before both feet are completely outside the zone commits a fault. You can step into the kitchen to hit a ball that has bounced. You just cannot volley until both feet are fully outside it again.
Question 2: where the serve may land
For serves, the line works the other way. A served ball must clear the opponent's non-volley zone line and land in the correct service court to be in (8.B). A served ball that lands on the non-volley zone line is out (8.C), and a serve that lands in the non-volley zone is a fault (7.E.2). So the kitchen line is part of the kitchen for the purposes of serving as well: it is not a safe landing spot.
Every other ball
For a ball returned by a player, the in-and-out test is whether it lands on the opponent's end of the court (8.B). The kitchen is inside the court. A dink that lands in the kitchen or on its line is in, as long as it lands inside the court boundaries.
Who can call it?
Players may call non-volley zone faults on an opponent (9.B.3), and they should be called as soon as they are detected, before the next serve is hit. If the teams disagree about the call, the rally is replayed (9.B.3.b). See faults, hinders and replays and line calls and the code of ethics.
Quick summary
- Volleying with a foot on the kitchen line: fault.
- Serve landing on the kitchen line: out.
- Dink landing on the kitchen line: in.
- Stepping into the kitchen to hit a bounced ball: legal, as long as you are not volleying.
More on the zone itself in the kitchen rule explained.
Frequently asked questions
Is the kitchen line part of the kitchen?
Yes. Rule 3.A.4.c says all lines that bound the non-volley zone are part of the zone.
Can I step into the kitchen?
Yes, at any time except during the act of volleying (rule 11.A). If you volley after touching the zone, both feet must first be completely outside it (rule 11.A.3).
Is a serve that lands on the kitchen line in?
No. It is out (rule 8.C).
Does momentum matter after I volley?
Yes. If momentum carries you into the zone, it is a fault even after the ball is dead (rule 11.A.2).
Sources
Sources checked 14 Oct 2026. Header photo: Pickleball courts with a blue playing surface and green surround, by GA Kevin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
