Cupertino Sets New Pickleball Court Hours

Cupertino is moving ahead with a pilot program that will cut back free drop-in pickleball hours at Memorial Park after years of complaints from nearby residents about noise. A Parks and Recreation memorandum dated April 30 said the city plans to limit play to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and ban pickleball on Mondays during the trial period. The city tied the change to “noise and other concerns related to court use,” while still saying it wants to preserve free public access to sports courts. Players and neighbors have split over the plan as the start date approaches. ### Which courts are affected, and what are the new hours? Memorial Park is the site at the center of the dispute. The new schedule applies to the publicly accessible pickleball courts there, according to the city memorandum and local reports on the policy. Under the pilot, free drop-in play would be allowed only from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday, with no pickleball on Mondays. (cupertino.gov) July 7, 2026, is the date the new hours are set to begin. The city said the trial would run through February 7, 2027, giving staff several months to test whether reduced hours and related measures lower the impact on nearby homes. (cupertino.gov) ### Why did Cupertino decide to restrict play now? Rachelle Sander, Cupertino’s director of Parks and Recreation, said in the April 30 memo that staff was recommending “time reduction, no play one day a week, and a request for quiet pickleball equipment at all times” to address complaints. The memo said Cupertino has historically favored free, first-come, first-served access to public courts, but staff concluded that changes were needed to alleviate noise and other concerns. (cupertino.gov) Nearby residents told local media that the repetitive sound of paddles and balls had become a persistent problem. NBC Bay Area reported the city was acting “in hopes of quieting the complaints,” while San José Spotlight cited a homeowner near Memorial Park saying the sound could be heard inside the house and was different from tennis. (cupertino.gov) ### What other noise measures is the city using? Cupertino has already asked players to switch to quieter equipment during sensitive hours. A city Q&A says players are requested to use USA Pickleball-certified quiet-category paddles and balls from dawn to 9 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day, and says the goal is to reduce noise “especially in areas near homes.” (nbcbayarea.com) San José Spotlight reported the city is also exploring a sound wall near the courts. The April 30 memo described the hours change as part of a broader trial rather than a permanent policy. ### What are pickleball players saying? Zoey Tran, a Cupertino resident, told San José Spotlight that the Memorial Park courts have been important to her family and community life. (cupertino.gov) She said the proposed restrictions would cut into access for people who rely on early morning or evening play because of work schedules, family obligations or heat. (sanjosespotlight.com) Cathy Chiu, identified by San José Spotlight as a leader of the Cupertino Pickleball Club, said volunteers had helped build and maintain the courts and that players had already tried to reduce noise by promoting quiet paddles and shifting some early games farther from homes. Chiu said the open drop-in system matters because players can show up when their schedules allow. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### How is the city describing the balance it is trying to strike? Cupertino’s athletic fields page says the city supports “flexible and inclusive use” of fields and courts while preserving neighborhood quality of life. The city’s quiet-gear Q&A says Cupertino still supports pickleball and notes that the Memorial Park specific plan includes pickleball courts in possible future park improvements. (sanjosespotlight.com) The city has not described the pilot as a ban on the sport. Instead, the April 30 memo frames it as a trial aimed at keeping public access in place while reducing the hours and equipment-related noise tied to the complaints. (cupertino.gov) ### What happens next? February 7, 2027, is the scheduled end of the pilot laid out in the April 30 memorandum. Cupertino Parks and Recreation said posted schedules and court information will be part of how access is managed, and the city has directed residents to its parks materials and e-notification system for updates on court use and related changes. (cupertino.gov)