the Hamptons
Court fencing, windscreens and lighting in the Hamptons: what they cost and which town allows the lights
Court fencing costs $5,000–15,000 nationally at the recommended 8 feet (10 feet is pickleball’s backstop rule); lighting $2,000–6,000; a backboard $5,000–10,000; a net $200–300; lines $300–600; ball machines $799–4,850 at retail. The towns decide the rest: the Town of East Hampton caps residential fences at 4 feet in front and side yards and 6 in the rear, the Town of Southampton at 6 feet, Southampton Village’s 2026 court guidelines cap an acoustic barrier at 10 feet and forbid lighting for night play, and East Hampton Village’s Design Review Board sees any fence in its historic districts.
Last updated · Reviewed by South Fork Courts
The fence
A tennis enclosure is 360 linear feet of fence, and the national guides put it at $5,000–12,000 or $5,000–15,000 for vinyl-coated chain link at the recommended 8 feet, with 10 feet the pickleball backstop minimum. The Hamptons rules do not know about 8 feet. The Town of East Hampton’s building department caps fences at 4 feet in front and side yards and 6 feet in the rear; the Town of Southampton needs a permit above 4 feet, caps residential fences at 6 and forbids deer fencing above that except on farm parcels; Southampton Village caps fences at 4 feet in front and 6 elsewhere, forbids deer fencing altogether, and, for a court, allows an acoustic barrier to 10 feet where noise mitigation requires it, continuous to the ground, STC 32 and NRC 0.85 or better, in black, dark green or an earth tone the Planning Board approves. Outside East Hampton Village’s historic districts a fence 50 feet or more from the street may go to 8 feet without design review; inside them, every fence goes to the Design Review Board. A court fence is therefore a variance or a site-plan condition in most of the Hamptons, and the builder’s first job is knowing which.
The lights
Lighting a court costs $2,000–5,000 or $2,000–6,000 nationally, and in Southampton Village it is not permitted: the August 17, 2026 court guidelines forbid outdoor artificial lighting for playing courts except as codes or safety require, with no lighting designed for night play, and any permitted fixture fully shielded. Elsewhere the noise code is the practical limit, because a lit court is a court in use at 9 p.m., and the Town of East Hampton allows 50 dBA at a residence after 7. We say which applies before a quote includes a single pole.
The rest (2026, national)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Backboard | $5,000–10,000 |
| Net | $200–300 |
| Line painting | $300–600 |
| Windscreens | one guide lists $100–400 without saying per what — ask for a price per linear foot |
| Ball machine | $799 (entry) to $4,850 (top) at retail; $1,079–2,299 mid-range |
| Viewing pavilion | no published figure; a small building with its own permit |
Windscreens
On the ocean side of the fork a windscreen is not an accessory. It cuts the breeze that runs 8–10 mph on land on a summer afternoon and more on the beachfront, keeps blown sand off a clay court, and it is what the sunken-court and screening rules in the villages mean when they ask for a dark, continuous barrier. It also loads the fence in a nor’easter, which is why the posts on a beachfront court are set deeper than the national fence price assumes.
FAQ
Common questions
Do I need a permit for a tennis court in the Hamptons, and can I light it?
Yes, everywhere: East End land-use counsel says a building permit and a certificate of occupancy are required for playing courts in every municipality here, and a court is an accessory structure with its own setbacks. The Town of Southampton names tennis courts in its rear-yard coverage (20%) and side-yard rules; the Village of East Hampton doubles the accessory setback for playing courts, expressly for noise, as its code is summarised; Sagaponack keeps the ordinary setback only for a court sunk four feet; and Southampton Village’s guidelines of August 17, 2026 require a sunken court, an acoustic analysis, a 10-foot barrier cap, screening, play from 8 a.m. to dusk and no lighting for night play. Lights elsewhere run into the noise codes and the review boards. Permits take 16–20 weeks in the Town of East Hampton and 2–4 in the Village.
Read the full answer →Can I convert my tennis court to pickleball in the Hamptons?
Physically, easily: a pickleball court is 20 by 44 feet on a 30 by 60 pad, any hard surface will do, and about four fit on a tennis footprint, so on a sound court the job is lines ($300–600), a colour change ($500–1,000) and nets, with backstops at least 10 feet high if you fence them. Legally, it depends on the neighbours and the village. The paddle makes a sharp pop that counsel puts above tennis noise; the Town of East Hampton allows 65 dBA by day at a residence; North Haven weighed rules in 2023 that would bar play in July and August; and Southampton Village’s guidelines of August 17, 2026 treat a conversion as a new court, sunk four feet, acoustically analysed, screened, unlit and played 8 a.m. to dusk. Ask before you paint.
How does South Fork Courts work?
You tell us about the project once: where the lot is, what you want built, resurfaced, lit, fenced or looked after, the surface if you know it, and when. We put you in touch with one licensed, insured court builder who does that work in your town, and they call you within one business day. From there it is their site visit, their quote, their schedule and their warranty. It is free for homeowners; participating builders pay us a referral fee for the introduction. We are not a builder, a tennis club or a coaching business, and we do not sell your details; the one company we send you to is the only one that gets your number. We cover 9 South Fork towns and 6 kinds of court work.
Related
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New Tennis Court Construction
A new court from $45,000 to $80,000 nationally by the surface you choose, the 7,200 square feet it needs, the setbacks, coverage caps and permit clocks the towns and villages add, and the season it takes.
Har-Tru & Clay Courts
The South Fork’s surface: what Har-Tru is, why it plays in light rain, the $60,000–90,000 build and $2,000 a year after it, the weekly routine, two tons of spring top-dressing, and irrigation.
Court Resurfacing & Repair
Resurfacing at $8,000–12,000, an acrylic recoat at $4,000–10,000, an asphalt overlay at $20,000–40,000, cracks from $400, drainage fixes to $8,000, the 30–60-day cure, and why nobody publishes an interval.
Pickleball & Multi-Sport Courts
A pickleball court is 20 by 44 feet on a 30 by 60 pad, about four to a tennis footprint: what a conversion, a new court and a sport court cost, the 10-foot backstop, the noise, and Southampton Village’s 2026 rules.
Court Maintenance & Seasonal Care
What a court needs every week, spring and year: the Har-Tru routine and its two tons of top-dressing, the hard-court wash and algae treatment, the $1,800-a-year average and $2,000 for clay, rain and the season.
Book a court builder for lighting & fencing
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