It’s one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and a growing pain for residents in a Kelowna, B.C. neighbourhood.
Shane Jamieson bought her house in 2021, unaware of the pickleball court in her neighbour’s yard.
But for over a year, she says she has been dealing with a constant back and forth between bylaw officers and nearby pickleball players.
“We have spent an enormous amount of money, indeed our life savings. We have then discovered this perpetual noise — ‘tock, tock, tock’ noise — of pickleball,” said Jamieson.
Jamieson says this has become a daily occurrence, with players making quite a racket all hours of the day.
It’s prompted her to have her TV on most of the time, build a shed and cover one part of her fence in an effort to block out all the noise.
“This is just for my mental health. I’m just trying just to not see the house next door,” she said.
Jamieson says she tried to reason with her neighbours and eventually turned to city bylaw officers, lodging numerous complaints about the noise.
However, she says they haven’t done much in her defence.
“This is a simple solution saying this is the law and they can enforce it. This noise is noisy. The city can say play, they can play pickleball on public courts,” Jamieson said.
When bylaw officers receive noise complaints they investigate them first, such as what time these offences happen and the reoccurrence.
“We do seek to confirm the details of the complaint and really try to educate, in this case, individual homeowners as well, on what the constraints are of the bylaw in place. Whether or not it’s something that we do investigate and or choose to enforce,” said City of Kelowna bylaw manager Kevin Mead.
Mead says if the investigations determine there is a bylaw infraction, they can issue tickets or fines. However, they do their best to keep things civil between neighbours.
“The city does want to see neighbours, being neighbourly with each other and working with mutual respect amongst each other first. That’s really what our aim is and it’s a matter of maintaining some semblance of community standard amongst neighbours,” said Mead.
Jamieson says she’s heard from her others in the neighbourhood as well, who are frustrated with the noise.
She says she has nothing against her pickleball-playing neighbours, but the city and the enforcement of its rules.
“My warning to anyone who’s wanting to buy a single residential home in Kelowna. Best beware because there is no recourse with bylaw,” Jamieson said.
Global News went to the home with the pickleball court for a response, but no one answered the door.