Lone Tree residents sue over ‘unbearable’ pickleball noise

Several residents who live near pickleball courts are suing the city of Lone Tree and the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District for “intolerable conditions” caused by noise from the courts. The lawsuit, if the plaintiffs get what they want, could result in the closure of the courts or require soundproofing measures at an unknown cost.

Residents live in the neighborhood adjacent to the Lone Tree Recreation Center, a property owned by the city and operated by the park district. The outdoor pickleball courts were recently added to the facility.

The lawsuit, filed in Douglas County, alleges that the noise levels at trial “exceed all reasonable standards of Colorado state and local law and deprive plaintiffs and their neighbors of the ability to enjoy their homes and outdoor spaces without disturbance.”

Six pickleball courts on the southeast corner of the facility’s parking lot feature button-controlled lighting that allows players to play at night year-round, the district’s website says. The courts are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., it adds.

The lawsuit points out that hitting balls with pickleball rackets on the court creates “impulsive noises” every two seconds for up to 13 hours a day.

“No resident of this community should live under these conditions,” the lawsuit states.

Neither the city nor the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District declined to comment, saying they do not comment on pending litigation.

Many of the residents bought their homes primarily for the views from their patios, decks and porches, but can no longer enjoy the “outdoor space, scenic views and tranquility” of their homes because of the noise, the lawsuit states.

One family tried to muffle the noise during pickleball by setting up a fountain, installing speakers on their patio and wearing headphones outside, but none of those methods worked, the lawsuit says.

Residents can hear the noise even when they are in their homes with all doors and windows closed, the lawsuit says. This has prevented at least one resident from working in his home, it says.

Colorado’s noise law sets the maximum allowable noise level for residential areas. For “periodic, impulsive, or high-pitched sounds” such as pickleball hits, the law specifies that the maximum allowable level is 50 dBA during the day and 45 dBA at night.

The lawsuit states that residents would have paid for a thorough investigation by the courts out of their own pockets.

“The noise study conducted in the municipality shows that the average maximum noise level from pickleball hits on the defendants’ courts is 62.1 dBA,” the complaint states, which is above the permissible level both during the day and at night.

The lawsuit states that residents have been demanding the courts be closed for the past seven months.

The lawsuit states that the district and the city had erected fences and green spaces around the courts to reduce noise. However, these measures had no effect on the noise level.

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