Carmel-by-the-Sea leaders plan temporary pickleball moratorium as council seeks sound-mitigation costs

Carmel-by-the-Sea officials said this week they will ask the City Council to consider a temporary moratorium on new pickleball play and to pursue measures to reduce noise levels at existing courts.

The topic surfaced during an internal update when one participant said, “We also had a pickleball meeting this week,” and another said the council will “come back with a couple of resolutions, slash urgency ordinance” to place a moratorium while exploring mitigation.

City leaders said the council will review two ordinances: one imposing a moratorium on pickleball and another to implement the Forest and Beach Commission’s recommendation, with the condition that staff “explore how to mitigate the sound levels down to an acceptable level.” The council asked for cost estimates and construction implications before final action.

Speakers said staff plan to gather more on-the-ground evidence: one official said they will take an audio recording at nearby courts and arrange small field visits so no more than two council members at a time can hear play during active use. Officials also discussed acoustic examples used elsewhere, noting that Pacific Grove and other jurisdictions…