Which San Carlos players actually lose court time while the city rewires the lights at Highlands and Burton parks? The crews work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Highlands Park's daily drop-in pickleball hours run from 8 a.m. to noon. The morning hours overlap the work almost completely. The evening hours mostly don't.
That changes how to plan the next three weeks. The project is formally called the Upgrade of Existing Tennis and Basketball Court Lighting at Burton and Highlands Parks, City Project No. C2102. Its schedule set mobilization for Nov. 4 and demobilization for Dec. 4. The scope covers trenching, new sports lighting, service distribution equipment, conduits and boxes, then surface restoration. All of that happens in daylight, and daylight is when the morning regulars play.
Why the Lights Matter More This Month
Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Sunset in San Francisco is 5:00 p.m. today, Nov. 12, and 4:58 p.m. by Nov. 15. Highlands' weekday evening pickleball window runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. So right now nearly every minute of it is played under the lights.
Those lights run on the system the city is replacing. According to the city's tennis court page, the lights can be used until 10 p.m. and one press of the button keeps them on for an hour. At Burton, the button is on the fence at Court 2. At Highlands, each court has its own button on the fence next to it.
Burton Park, at 900 Chestnut Street, has three lighted tennis courts and two full basketball courts, and the city says both the tennis and basketball courts have evening lighting. Highlands Park, at 2600 Melendy Drive, has tennis courts numbered 1 through 5, and pickleball gets priority on Courts 1 and 2 during the posted drop-in hours.
The Highlands Schedule, Court by Court
At Highlands the crew moves across the courts in pairs. It starts with Court 5, then Courts 4 and 3, then Courts 2 and 1. The city's C2102 project page labels this schedule tentative and says rain can push it back.
| Dates | Courts | Scheduled work | Overlaps morning pickleball on Courts 1 and 2? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 12–13, Thu–Fri | 4 and 3 | Paint existing light poles | No |
| Nov. 16–17, Mon–Tue | 2 and 1 | Paint existing light poles | Yes |
| Nov. 19–20, Thu–Fri | 5 | Install light fixtures | No |
| Nov. 23–24, Mon–Tue | 4 and 3 | Install light fixtures | No |
| Nov. 24–25, Tue–Wed | 2 and 1 | Install light fixtures | Yes |
| Nov. 24, Tue | Park paths | Install path light fixtures | No |
| Dec. 2–3, Wed–Thu | 5 | Install lighting control panel | No |
| Dec. 3, Thu | All courts | Install control buttons and receptacles | Yes |
| Dec. 4, Fri | All | Demobilization | No |
Court 5's pole painting was scheduled for Nov. 9–10. Today and tomorrow are set aside for Courts 4 and 3. Courts 1 and 2 stay available under the pickleball priority hours. If you play pickleball on weekday mornings, watch Monday, Nov. 16, Tuesday, Nov. 17, and the Nov. 24–25 stretch, when the crew is scheduled to work on the two courts you rely on.
The city notes that tennis and basketball courts may be closed temporarily at times for safety during the work. With fewer courts open, the posted tennis rules come into play more often. Play is limited to one hour when others are waiting. Two players must be present to hold a court. A single player waiting for a partner gets a 10-minute grace period before losing priority.
The Evening Catch Comes From the Power Shutoffs
Evening players have one real exposure. The project page says power to the affected facilities is shut off during daytime work. If a task can't be finished in one day, some park lighting may stay off overnight until it's done. Several of the jobs on the schedule run across two days. Fixture installation on Courts 4 and 3 spans Nov. 23–24, and fixture installation on Courts 2 and 1 spans Nov. 24–25. On those evenings, the button you press at 6 p.m. may not turn anything on.
Two other dates stand out. On Thursday, Dec. 3, the crew is scheduled to install the control buttons and receptacles on every Highlands court. That's the hardware evening players actually touch. Dec. 3 is also the first Thursday of December, and Highlands pickleball closes for maintenance on the first Thursday of every month. That makes it the one weekday in the project when pickleball players lose the Highlands courts both morning and night.
Weekends are outside the posted work hours from start to finish. On Saturday and Sunday, Highlands runs its normal 8 a.m. to noon drop-in pickleball with no crew on site.
Burton's Turn Comes in Short Bursts
At Burton the work comes in fewer, shorter visits. Mobilization was scheduled for Nov. 4 and pole painting for Nov. 5–6. Fixture installation is set for Wednesday, Nov. 18. The lighting control panel and the control buttons and receptacle follow on Nov. 30–Dec. 1, new light poles go in on Dec. 2, and demobilization is Dec. 4. The Nov. 30–Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 dates fall back to back. After-work tennis and basketball players at Burton should plan around Monday, Nov. 30 through Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Burton's basketball courts serve more than drop-in players. The city's youth recreation basketball program plays its games on Saturdays at the Youth Center and holds practices on the Burton Park basketball courts.
For the latest updates, the city posts a Work Zone Weekly notice listing that week's projects. The Nov. 2 edition covered work on the tennis courts, basketball courts and park pathways at both parks from Nov. 4 through Nov. 6. It said "No Parking" signs would go up at least 48 hours ahead and that vehicles not moved in time would be towed at the owner's expense. The same notice lists Jessica Lee as project manager, reachable at [email protected].
Where the Morning Game Can Go
The main alternatives sit on Chestnut Street. The San Carlos Youth Center at 1001 Chestnut Street, a short walk from Burton, runs indoor drop-in pickleball on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. It costs $5, paid at the Youth Center. Two of the Highlands court-pair days that overlap morning pickleball, Nov. 17 and Nov. 24, are Tuesdays, so the indoor session lines up with them.
Other options:
- Crestview Park, 1000 Crestview Drive: the city's pickleball page lists it as the second outdoor pickleball location after Highlands.
- Youth Center adult basketball: drop-in runs Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m. for $5.
- Hillcrest Circle Park and Laureola Park: the city's parks and facilities listing shows a basketball court at Hillcrest Circle Park and multiple sports fields and courts at Laureola Park. Crestview also has sports courts.
Tonight's Pickleball Moves Indoors Anyway
The best-known pickleball nights this month were never planned for the courts under construction. The 5th Annual Glow Pickleball Event runs tonight, Thursday, Nov. 12, and tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 13, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Youth Center's full gymnasium. Both sessions are drop-in play for adults 18 and older, and the fee is $10. The city's October–December Good Living newsletter promises black lights, music and drop-in games, and suggests wearing white or bright colors.
Registration runs through the city's ActiveNet listing. As of early November, the Thursday session had 9 openings and the Friday session was full, with 4 people on the waiting list. The same gym hosted the 1st Annual Adult Halloween Pickleball Tournament on the morning of Oct. 30.
The next two events on the city's pickleball calendar come after the crews are scheduled to leave. The 5th Annual Pancakes and Pickleball Tournament is set for Jan. 4, 2027, and the Parks and Recreation Foundation Family Pickleball Tournament for Jan. 31, 2027. If the schedule holds, the Highlands crew demobilizes on Friday, Dec. 4. The pickleball lock combination is available by emailing [email protected].
Thinking about buying a home within walking distance of Burton or Highlands Park, or selling one where the courts are part of the appeal? The Canlas Brothers track San Carlos at the level of individual blocks, from park upgrades to the price differences between streets. Schedule your free Home Strategy Consultation and we'll show you how that detail shows up in pricing.
