Great Falls Couple Launches a Petition to Gain Protection
from the Placement of a Pickleball Court Next to Their Home
Would You Want a Pickleball Court 100 Feet from your Bedroom?
The Issue
Would You Want a Pickleball Court 100 Feet from your Bedroom?
Fairfax County's zoning regulations are being applied in a manner that would permit outdoor pickleball courts on residential properties without adequate protections for nearby homes — a situation made possible because current zoning and noise ordinances fail to address the sport’s uniquely disruptive noise, leaving nearby homes vulnerable to constant disturbance.
Pickleball is here to stay. We support recreation but reject poorly planned development that harms residents.
We urge the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to act now
Unregulated pickleball noise is not just an annoyance—it’s a documented health and property risk. The science is clear. The community is united. It’s time for Fairfax County to lead by adopting zoning and noise standards that reflect the harmful characteristics and impacts of impulsive noise from pickleball. Protect neighborhoods. Protect health. Protect home values.
We, the undersigned residents of Fairfax County, respectfully petition the Board of Supervisors and the Park Authority to adopt and enforce stronger zoning regulations on the placement and operation of pickleball courts, based on the growing and well-documented evidence that pickleball noise constitutes a significant nuisance to residential communities.
Background and Rationale
Pickleball has seen explosive demand evidenced by a 293% increase in dedicated pickleball courts since 2021 at Fairfax County Park Authority parks, according to FCPA’s FY24 Sports Court Update. While recreation and community engagement are important, the expansion of this sport has introduced harmful and sustained noise into residential areas—noise that science, federal guidance, and local experience affirm as uniquely disruptive.
Highly Impulsive Noise Requires Correction:
The distinctive “pop” of pickleball is not like ordinary ambient park noise. Per EPA 1974 guidelines and ANSI S12.9-2005 Part 4, highly impulsive sounds such as those generated by pickleball paddles require an additional +12 dB correction due to their uniquely disturbing character. The 0.125s response time of digital meters further masks true noise impact, as most meters average out peaks instead of registering instantaneous spikes.
"The pickleball noise problem is real and significant, pitting pickleball players against residents, and potentially impacting pickleball businesses and community planning."
Peak Sound Levels Comparable to Industrial Hazards:
Studies estimate that the instantaneous peak of a pickleball "pop" can reach 120–130 dB, comparable to a chainsaw or rock concert (source: Pickleball Science). However, most sound meters average these values down to 70 dB, vastly underrepresenting the real disturbance. Averages are inadequate to measure annoyance or health impact. "The hollow interior of the paddle behaves in a manner similar to that of a drum shell, which amplifies the acoustic resonances."
Expert Consensus on Irritation: In a published news story, Fairfax County Park Authority Director Jai Cole was quoted about shutting down pickleball: “It’s unethical of me to force even one resident to endure the sounds that we ourselves have identified as being a nuisance.” According to sound engineer Bill Bulté, quoted in the New York Times (June 30, 2023), "pickleball noise is annoying to humans." Over 1,000 public comments on that article echoed the same.
Impact on Property Values: Independent analyses suggest that proximity to pickleball courts lowers home values, particularly when courts are within 200–300 feet of residential properties. Homeowners have expressed growing concerns about long-term equity erosion due to constant, unavoidable noise.
Failures in Current Regulation
Fairfax County’s current internal guideline of a 250-foot setback is not uniformly enforced. The FCPA FY24 report lists 17 parks where pickleball courts are within 33 to 129 feet of residential property lines, including Hollin Hall, Kendale Woods, and Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
Other localities such as Arlington County have faced lawsuit threats from civic associations and responded with fencing, buffering, and court relocation. Arlington now mandates acoustic barriers and a minimum 170-foot distance between courts and homes, showing that better solutions are available and necessary.
Petition Demands
We, the residents, call upon Fairfax County to take the following actions: Update its Zoning Ordinance to Prevent Poorly Sited Pickleball Courts and Update Standards for Noise Enforcement.
Specifically, we ask:
Setback from Residential Properties
Based on EPA guidance and acoustic studies, setbacks should range from a minimum of 250 feet up to 800 feet, depending on specific site conditions such as topography, the number of courts, and the absence of natural sound barriers. Any deviations from the minimum should follow the standards recommended by the Fairfax County Park Authority in 2024 and reflect a scientifically supported need to protect residents from harmful noise exposure. For proposed courts less than 1,000 feet from a residential property, an acoustic engineer conducts a noise impact assessment prepared by a qualified acoustic engineer in accordance with ISO 9613 and ANSI S12.62, demonstrating that impulsive noise would be attenuated to a level that cannot be discerned from background noise at all property boundaries.
Enforce a 250-Foot Minimum Setback from Fairfax County Park-zoned land
Align with the FY24 Fairfax County Sport Court Update pickleball mitigation requirements and the Spendiarian & Willis 2018 recommendation that any court within 350 feet of homes requires mitigation; courts under 150 feet need significant abatement design.
Mandate Acoustic Mitigation for Existing Courts For any pickleball courts within 250 feet of a residential property:
Install sound-absorbing barriers (not just reflective ones like Acoustifence). Limit hours of play to prevent early morning and late evening disruption. Require use of certified quiet paddles and balls only.
Include Community Input in Site Selection
- Require Board of Zoning public notification and a hearing before the siting or expansion of any court within 500 feet of homes.
- Adopt Impulse Noise-Based Metrics
- Revise measurement protocols to account for impulse noise per ANSI/EPA guidance and not rely solely on Leq or A-weighted dBA averages, which are scientifically inadequate for impulsive sounds.
- Suspend Court Additions in Residential Areas
- Until the above regulations are adopted, pause the construction or conversion of any new pickleball facilities within 500 feet of homes.
Conclusion
Pickleball is here to stay. We support recreation but reject poorly planned development that harms residents. The question is whether we plan for it or react to it. Currently, courts are being sited without considering their unique sound profile or the physical and psychological impacts of the sounds on neighbors. That’s not fair to players or residents.
Fairfax County has the opportunity—and the responsibility—to lead on this issue. By updating its zoning and noise ordinances, the County can ensure that this popular sport can continue to grow—without generating unnecessary conflict or harm.
Fairfax County must act now to protect quality of life, public health and property values.
Sign the petition. Contact your local Supervisor. Spread the word.
https://chng.it/cXYsNdgYyc
Let’s keep our neighborhoods livable — and our zoning smart.