Bloomfield Township residents concerned about pickleball noise got a formal hearing when the Planning Commission took up the issue at its Aug. 5 meeting.
The township approved at least two pickleball-related projects in 2025 alone, and neighbors say the sound is becoming hard to live with. Noise is the top complaint residents have raised about the courts, Downtown Publications reported Aug. 13.
The issue isn't just local talk. Researchers have found that a solid pickleball strike can register more than 20 decibels louder than the hardest tennis hit. The sound is classified as "impulsive," more comparable to a car backfiring than typical neighborhood noise, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Pickleball's footprint in the township has expanded quickly. The Board of Trustees approved a 32,250-square-foot indoor Ace Pickleball facility at 2285 Franklin Road in February 2025, according to township meeting records. In September 2025, the board greenlit a site plan for the Birmingham Athletic Club at 4033 West Maple Road that included converting a tennis court to pickleball courts.
The noise reputation preceded both approvals. Landscape architect Matt Mosher, appearing before the Bloomfield Hills Zoning Board of Appeals on Sept. 16, 2025, argued that a proposed padel court would not generate the same problem. "Padel is quieter than pickleball," Mosher told the board, adding that the court surface "would prevent it from being used for noisy sports like pickleball."
The board agreed.
Communities nationwide have tried various fixes. Glen Cove, New York, imposed a three-month moratorium on new courts in February 2026. Denver mandated sound-dampening balls. Laguna Beach, California, required quieter paddles or face a citation. Saratoga, California, set aside $100,000 for noise-reduction efforts. Carmel-by-the-Sea became the first California city to ban pickleball at public courts in November 2025.
Bloomfield Township hasn't gone that far. What specific solutions planners are considering has not been made public, and no timeline for recommendations has been announced.
How to weigh in
Andrea Szajnecki, director of Planning, Building and Ordinance for Bloomfield Township, oversees the review. Residents can submit comments by email at [email protected] or by calling (248) 433-7795.
