the Hamptons
Building a tennis court in the Hamptons: what it costs, what the lot has to allow, and how long it takes
A new tennis court costs $45,000–80,000 nationally (average $65,000; $25,000 at the low end, $150,000 high), with the surface deciding the range: grass $20,000–75,000, asphalt $40,000–80,000, post-tensioned concrete $45,000–80,000, Har-Tru clay $60,000–90,000, cushioned acrylic $65,000–100,000; labor alone runs $30,000–35,000. The court needs a 120 by 60 foot envelope, 7,200 square feet, which the Hamptons’ coverage caps, doubled setbacks and, in Southampton Village since August 2026, a four-foot sunken-court rule all measure. No Long Island builder publishes a price; Hamptons quotes sit above the national table.
Last updated · Reviewed by South Fork Courts
What a court is
A tennis court is a 78 by 36 foot playing area inside a recommended 120 by 60 foot enclosure, 7,200 square feet of graded, drained, fenced ground, which on a Hamptons lot is a swimming pool’s footprint several times over. North of the 37th parallel, which the whole South Fork is, it should run north–south for the sun. The base is the court: post-tensioned concrete, asphalt, or the crushed stone under a clay surface, and it is the base that decides whether the court still drains and plays in year ten.
What it costs (2026)
| Line | Range | Source type |
|---|---|---|
| Full court, national average | $65,000; most projects $45,000–80,000; $25,000 low, $150,000 high | one national cost guide (2025) |
| Singles vs doubles enclosure | singles (130×55 ft with run-off) $45,000–80,000; doubles (130×70) $65,000–90,000 | same guide |
| Blended average, all court projects | $14,889 ($5,776–24,002) — includes small backyard jobs and resurfacing, not a new full court | the other national guide (2026) |
| Grass | $20,000–75,000 | both guides (one dataset) |
| Artificial turf | $25,000–80,000 | both guides |
| Asphalt | $40,000–80,000 | both guides |
| Post-tensioned concrete | $45,000–80,000 | both guides |
| Har-Tru clay | $60,000–90,000, plus about $2,000 a year in maintenance | both guides |
| Cushioned acrylic | $65,000–100,000 | both guides |
| Labor vs materials | labor $30,000–35,000; materials $10,000–50,000 | one guide |
| Indoor court or bubble | $70,000–150,000 | both guides |
Two cautions the sheet carries. The two national guides publish the same by-surface table to the dollar, so it is one dataset, not two confirmations; and their blended averages disagree by a factor of four because one counts every small court job. The Long Island figure does not exist: Hamptons Tennis Company, building here since 1985, and every manufacturer we could read quote by the site, and Har-Tru sells its budget planning as a consulting service. The builders we refer quote above the national table, for the reasons below.
What the Hamptons adds
Room. In the Town of Southampton a court counts against the 20% rear-yard coverage limit and may not sit in a required side yard, and accessory structures keep setbacks of 110 feet from the street and 50 from the side and rear lines on five-acre CR200 lots down to 40 and 8 on R10 lots (the Town’s zoning booklet). The Village of East Hampton doubles its accessory setback for playing courts, expressly for noise, as its code is summarised; East End land-use counsel says the same doubled setbacks usually apply to courts in every municipality here, and the Town of East Hampton’s clearing limit, 15% of the lot or 20,000 square feet with a 2025 proposal to cut it to 7% plus 1,500, makes a 7,200-square-foot court a third to three-quarters of what a lot may clear.
Depth. Sagaponack settled a 2012 fight over court noise by letting a court sunk at least four feet below grade keep the ordinary setback while a court at grade meets 150% of it, and stakeholders then put the cost of sinking at about $100,000; Southampton Village’s new guidelines of August 17, 2026 make four feet below grade the presumption for any new or converted court wherever the site allows, with an acoustic engineer’s analysis, a 10-foot barrier cap, screening and no lighting for night play.
Water. No structure within 150 feet of a wetland in the Town of East Hampton, 125 feet in the Town of Southampton with no relief for accessory structures; Southampton Village asks a court to retain a two-inch storm on site; and the water table near the bays and ponds sits 2–8 feet down, which is a base-design problem before it is a drainage one.
Time. A building permit and a certificate of occupancy are required for a playing court everywhere on the East End; the Town of East Hampton’s permit desk ran 16–20 weeks behind its 15-day clock in 2026, the Village of East Hampton issues in two to four weeks.
How long it takes
Site preparation, excavation, backfill and grading, runs a few weeks to a month; a hard court then cures 30 to 60 days before the acrylic colour goes on, and cures again before play. No builder we could read publishes a start-to-finish figure, so the honest floor is two to three months of construction after the permit, with the village construction-hour rules (no Sundays anywhere; Saturday noon to four in East Hampton Village in season) deciding how many working days a week that is. Add the permit clock in front.
FAQ
Common questions
How much does a tennis court cost to build in the Hamptons?
More than the national guides say, and they say $45,000–80,000. A new court averages $65,000 nationally, from $25,000 at the low end to $150,000 at the high, with the surface setting the range: grass $20,000–75,000, asphalt $40,000–80,000, post-tensioned concrete $45,000–80,000, Har-Tru clay $60,000–90,000, cushioned acrylic $65,000–100,000; labor alone is $30,000–35,000. Fencing adds $5,000–15,000, lighting $2,000–6,000 where a village allows it, a backboard $5,000–10,000. No Long Island builder publishes a price, and the Hamptons adds what the national guides never see: a court sunk four feet below grade for the setback rules, which stakeholders in Sagaponack put at about $100,000 extra in 2012, a base designed for a water table a few feet down, and a permit clock that ran 16–20 weeks behind in the Town of East Hampton in 2026.
Read the full answer →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 →How long does it take to build a tennis court in the Hamptons?
Longer than the construction. Site preparation, excavation, backfill and grading, runs a few weeks to a month; a hard court then cures 30 to 60 days before the acrylic colour is applied and cures again before play; no builder we could read publishes a start-to-finish figure, so two to three months of construction after the permit is our floor, not a quote. In front of that sits the permit: the Town of East Hampton ran 16–20 weeks behind its 15-day clock in 2026, the Village of East Hampton issues in two to four weeks, and a sunken court, a variance or a board appearance adds its own calendar. The villages cap the working week too, no Sundays anywhere and Saturday noon to 4 in East Hampton Village in season. Book the builder in the fall for a court in July.
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
Other services
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 Lighting, Fencing & Windscreens
Fencing at $5,000–15,000 and 8 feet high, lighting at $2,000–6,000 where allowed, backboards, nets, windscreens and ball machines, and the rules that cap the fence, ban the lights and send the barrier to the board.
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 new courts
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