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City planning previews draft zoning amendment to regulate outdoor pickleball courts
Summary
City planning staff presented a draft zoning ordinance amendment that would define outdoor pickleball courts, require site plans, set minimum separation distances (prohibiting courts within 300 ft of residential uses), require noise studies for 301–600 ft, cap sound at 47 dB at the nearest property line, limit hours for closer courts to 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., and exempt parks and schools; the proposal is scheduled for a joint workshop July 1 and public hearings in July–August.
City planning staff presented a draft amendment to the zoning ordinance at the June 18 Tennis and Pickleball Commission meeting that would create a new regulatory framework for outdoor pickleball courts in the city.
Ben Newman, director of planning for the City of Murfreesboro, told commissioners the amendment responds to a recent development application for 11 pickleball courts sited roughly 40 feet from nearby residential structures and a lack of existing zoning language to govern separation, noise and hours for private or commercial installations. Newman said the draft aims to allow courts while ensuring compatibility with adjacent residential uses.
Planner Steven Anthony summarized the draft’s main elements: add definitions for outdoor pickleball courts and for park as a use; exclude pickleball from the recreation-field definition; require site plans for all outdoor pickleball courts; and add outdoor pickleball courts as a distinct use in the zoning chart with a mix of by-right and special-use-permit (Board of Zoning Appeals) pathways depending on district.
The amendment’s operational notes would measure separation from the playable surface to the nearest residential property or zone, prohibit courts within 300 feet of residential zones/uses, and require a noise-impact assessment prepared by a qualified professional for sites between 301 and 600 feet from residential uses. For courts 600 feet or less from residential property/uses, the draft would limit operation to 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. and would require that site designs not generate sound exceeding 47 decibels at the nearest property line. Parks, public or private schools, and publicly owned recreational facilities would be exempt from the distance and hours requirements under the draft.
Newman said the 47-decibel figure was informed by other jurisdictions’ studies — staff cited Centennial, Colorado — and noted that %u201Cmeasuring pickleball%” differs from measuring steady sources like music or construction because pickleball noise occurs as short, repeated spikes. Commissioners asked whether quieter paddle/ball technologies, time-of-day allowances or graduated decibel thresholds could be considered to balance playability and residential peace; staff said such refinements and additional reports could be incorporated during the public-review process.
Staff told the commission existing pickleball courts would be grandfathered (not retroactively subject to the new rules) unless a site expands, and that planned developments would be evaluated case-by-case with likely sound studies where appropriate. The proposed schedule: joint conceptual workshop with council and planning commission on July 1, a planning commission presentation July 15 and a planning commission public hearing on August 5, after which the item would proceed to city council.
No formal vote on the draft was taken at the commission meeting; staff asked for feedback and public comment in the upcoming review steps.
