50-state guide · Plan it right

Can You Build a Backyard Batting Cage and Rent It Out?

Good news: no state bans a backyard batting cage for your own family, and most states have a clear path to renting one out. We read the statutes and local codes for all 50 states so you know exactly what to plan for where you live.

Find your state See the best states

Every state has a path.

A cage for your family and friends works in all 50 states, and most states have a workable path to renting it out too. Where you live within your state usually matters more than which state it is. Like Swimply, Peerspace and Giggster, CageList lets hosts confirm they follow their local rules, and this guide helps you plan with confidence.

The 50 states, at a glance

Each rating is for renting the cage out to paying players. Building one for your own family is not banned in any state.

Few hurdles

Little to no zoning to plan around, often because the land is unzoned.

Workable path

A clear path, usually with one condition to plan for.

Plan for a permit

Renting out usually goes through a local permit, a normal step for a home business.

Still researching

We're still confirming the details. A quick call to your zoning office settles it.

The 5 phases of using a backyard cage

Each state page shows which of these steps needs the most planning where you live, and how people handle it.

1
Private cage
Building the structure for your own family's use. This is easy almost everywhere. No state or city in the research bans a private backyard batting structure outright.
2
Friends & family
Having people over to hit is essentially never regulated. Home-occupation and zoning rules are written around commercial activity, not guests.
3
Paying strangers
This is the step that usually takes some planning: once you charge for time in the cage, local zoning and home-business rules apply.
4
Paid lessons
Some states and cities treat instruction differently from a pure rental, sometimes more favorably (Texas) and sometimes as its own stricter category (Utah).
5
Public bookings
Taking scheduled bookings from the general public through a marketplace like CageList. This is the fullest version of the business, and where volume caps set during a permit process matter most.

Before you build or list

Property checklist

Footprint, setbacks, parking, and the neighbor-distance guidance to check before you buy or build.

Insurance & permits checklist

The exact questions to ask your zoning office and your insurance agent before your first booking.

Find your state

The badge is the verdict on renting it out. The line underneath is the research's best bet for doing it.

Ready to make it real?

Already have a cage? List it free.

You set the price and the hours, and players book and pay through CageList. Listing costs nothing; our fee comes out of a booking only when you get one.

List your cage

Planning one? Get your build list.

Five quick questions about your space, budget and goals, and we size the net, frame and machine for your yard.

Take the cage quiz

This is our best synthesis of public statutes and codes, not legal advice. Confirm anything that matters with your local zoning office, your HOA, and your insurer before you build or list.

Read the full disclaimer