What to Look for in a Building

Check a building in the order of how hard each thing is to change. Height and columns are permanent; zoning and occupancy take time; the rest costs money but can be fixed.

1. Clear height under the lowest beam, light or duct. About 18 ft for pickleball, 22–24.6 ft for community to club badminton. See the ceiling height guide.
2. Column grid. Measure the spacing both ways and where the lines fall from the walls. Draw it and test the court count. LaBella's architects put conversion-friendly grids at 30–60 ft on centre (March 2025). See how many courts fit.
3. Floor slab. Courts need a flat, sound floor. Look for cracks, level changes, drains and trenches. LaBella lists "Floor Condition: Is the Surface Play-Ready?" as one of its five checks.
4. Zoning. Is indoor recreation allowed on this site, or will it need a permit?
5. Occupancy, exits and restrooms. A sports use usually means more people than the building was designed for.
6. HVAC, noise and air movement. Heat, cooling, and how the sound carries.
7. Parking. About four spaces per court, as one rule of thumb.

A broker quoted on one Washington club put it plainly: "We hear from all kinds of groups who want to open indoor pickleball centers, but few understand the capital, compliance, and zoning challenges these conversions require." (South Sound Magazine.)

Retail conversions are real: a 23,000 sq ft former JCPenney in Burlington, WA was planned for 8 courts (Cascadia Daily, November 2025), and a 73,000 sq ft former Kohl's in Des Moines holds 13 enclosed courts (Business Record, February 2024). Warehouses are the other common route: a 42,300 sq ft former tobacco warehouse in Lexington, KY holds 17 courts.

Whatever the type, the same plan test applies: draw the outline and columns, add courts, and see what's left for the lobby.

Zoning can stop a project before it starts. A proposed site in Mashpee, Massachusetts was in an industrial zone that "does not allow for indoor recreational facilities" (Cape Cod Times, via AOL). A Nebraska project needed a special-use permit. Call the planning office with the address before you spend money on drawings.

Change of occupancy. "Most warehouses are designed for low occupancy, whereas sports facilities require more exits and restrooms" (LaBella, March 2025). Converting usually triggers a code review of the new use. Expect questions on:

• the number and position of exits, and the travel distance to them;
• restroom counts for the expected number of people;
• accessible routes, entrances and restrooms;
• fire protection for the new occupancy class, including whether sprinklers are needed (local codes differ).

We can't give you code numbers: they depend on your jurisdiction and its adopted code. A floor plan with the courts, exits and restrooms drawn to scale makes the conversation with the building department much faster.

Pickleball is loud. The paddle pop carries, and neighbours notice. A resident discussing a new indoor facility wrote: "I can't imagine what the pinging noise level might be with multiple courses being played indoors" (Talk of The Villages forum, October 2022). Check what's next door: offices, homes and recording studios are a bad mix. Inside, hard walls and a metal roof make it louder for players too.

Badminton hates drafts. A shuttle drifts in moving air. BWF-sanctioned events limit air movement over the field of play to 0.2 m/s, measured at 3, 6 and 9 m, with temperature between 18 and 30 °C (BWF facility specifications, 2019). A club doesn't have to meet event specs, but big ceiling fans and unit heaters blowing across the courts will annoy players. Plan the HVAC so air moves gently and away from play.

HVAC generally. Warehouses often have heat but no cooling. In one franchisor's 2025 cost model, the landlord hands over working HVAC as part of a "vanilla shell". If yours doesn't, it's a major line item; see upfront cost.

LaBella's architects use a rule of thumb of four parking spaces per court: four people playing, four waiting for the court, two people per car (March 2025). That's 16 spaces for 4 courts, 32 for 8 and 48 for 12.

Your local code may require more or fewer for the use class, and shared parking with neighbours who close in the evening can help. Peak demand is evenings and weekends, so count spaces at those times, not on a weekday morning.

A court build-out is expensive and hard to move, so operators seek longer leases. In Australia, JLL reported court operators looking for 7–10-year leases against a 5-year average, with council approval taking 3–12 months (13 May 2026). We didn't find an equivalent US figure.

Points to get in writing before you build:

• Delivery condition. One franchisor's 2025 disclosure document assumes a "vanilla shell": concrete floor, working HVAC, utilities stubbed in. Agree what you'll get.
• Permitted use matching the zoning, and who pays if the change of occupancy needs work.
• Term and renewal options long enough to recover the fit-out.
• NNN charges: what taxes, insurance and common-area costs are added to the base rent.
• Tenant improvement allowance, if any. Industrial allowances are often small; secondary sources mention $5–$15 per sq ft.

Then compare buildings on cost per court, not cost per square foot: see lease vs buy vs build.