New Tennis Court Construction in Water Mill, NY

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.

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.

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.

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.