Many Padel Courts Lack Permits, Activists Say: We Must Dare to Boycott!

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Several padel players have stated they will consider switching courts if the venues are not transparent regarding the Building Permit (PBG).

Ivandro (26), a Jakarta resident who enjoys playing padel, stated that he would choose courts with clear business permits.

“Of course, I will choose courts with clear business permits. In addition, players, once they know that a court does not have a permit, should dare to boycott or not play on that court,” he said in an interview with Kompas.com on Wednesday (25/2/2026).

“Transparency can assure players or renters that the court has been legally permitted by the government, is not problematic, is legal, and does not disturb local residents,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ghiffari (24), a resident who regularly plays padel one to two times a week, said that the clarity of permits can affect his desire to play.

“I think this will definitely affect the desire to play padel at that court. Permits also affect the safety and comfort as a consumer,” he told Kompas.com on Wednesday.

He admitted that he was not aware that hundreds of padel courts do not have PBGs. However, he realized that padel courts have been mushrooming recently, especially in DKI Jakarta.

Despite this, he feels that players basically act as consumers and do not directly check the licensing aspects.

“The assumption that players have is that when there is a padel court, the permit automatically exists. In this case, the regulator is fully responsible,” said Ghiffari.

The exact number of padel courts that do not have permits is still being collected by the Department of Public Works, Spatial Planning, and Land Affairs (Citata).

“We are investigating how many of the 397 courts have permits or not. Of course, we will take action as we have said,” said Pramono at Jakarta City Hall on Tuesday (24/2/2026).

Pramono emphasized that they will take action against padel courts that do not have PBGs.

The sanctions can range from halting activities, demolishing buildings, to revoking business licenses.

“Buildings or padel courts that do not have PBGs will have their activities halted, be demolished, and have their business licenses revoked,” said Pramono.

In addition, the government also regulates the operation of padel courts in residential areas.

Courts in residential zones are only allowed to operate until 8:00 PM.

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