SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Pickleball is stirring up controversy in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights neighborhood. A resident created a petition complaining about the noise from the popular sport.

Neighbors from behind the Presidio Wall pickleball courts have complained and actually made a petition against the sound that comes from these courts, but people who play there daily say the sound doesn’t travel very far.

“It’s pretty self-contained, and the court noise is only at certain times of day too. I don’t think it’s disruptive,” said Lucas Ho, who plays at the courts. 

With pickleball becoming all the rage, San Francisco has opened public pickleball courts throughout the city to make it more accessible.

“I love it, just got the pickleball bug and it is hella fun. The community is awesome,” said Zane Roshe, another player. 

When the Presidio Wall courts get busy, you can hear the “pock-pock” pickleball sound from a block away. It’s become a nuisance for one Presidio Heights resident who created a petition on change.org called “Halt Pickleball Play on Presidio Wall Courts for Proper Environmental Impact Assessment”.

It was created Saturday, but when you go to click on the petition now the website says the petition isn’t available, because it either violated community guidelines or the starter removed it. Word about this petition was circulating on the court Thursday.

The San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department does plan to add more pickleball courts across the city to ease crowding at existing courts. Department leaders say they are aware of the petition and they are working with neighbors and the pickleball community to find appropriate compromises. 

Players say everyone leaves by dusk so it shouldn’t be too disruptive.

“I don’t really see how the noise is enough of an issue that it bothers people regularly, because there is no lights here so that limits the time,” Ho said. 

While standing above the pickleball courts, KRON4 could hear the game. It’s not too loud but neighbors who live there say it really echoes through the neighborhood and that’s what’s frustrating. 

No neighbors wanted to be on camera. KRON4 even reached out to the woman who made the petition but she did not get back to us in time for this report.