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This page explains what lacrosse's rule books, governing bodies and standards bodies publish. It is not a substitute for coaching from a qualified coach, and it does not replace medical advice.
How to read this page
Each body changes its own rules on its own cycle, and a change by one body never changes another's rules. World Lacrosse says each of its four disciplines has its own rules change cycle; every NCAA approval dated on this page was made in July or August; and for 2027 the NFHS girls' rules committee met in June 2026 and the boys' committee in July 2026. Men's and women's changes are listed separately. Where a date was not confirmed from a source that could be read, the entry says so. The current state of each code is on the discipline pages and on college and high school rules.
World Lacrosse
| Date | Game | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 10 May 2018 (proposal) | Women's field | The FIL Women's Rules Committee proposed four 15-minute quarters, with two-minute breaks and ten minutes at half-time, to bring the field codes closer together. The adoption date is not confirmed; the 2025-2026 book uses four quarters (Rule 12.A.1). |
| May 2021 | Sixes | Sixes formally introduced as a discipline. |
| June 2024 (postal vote); in force 1 January 2025 | Men's field | Changes to field dimensions, the goal area and wing lines, administrative stoppages, face-offs, free play, crease prohibitions and conduct fouls; technical and personal fouls renamed minor and major; metric measurements first. |
| December 2024 (postal vote); in force 1 January 2025 | Women's field | The minor fouls "goalkeeper goal score" and "body ball" deleted; "covering" replaced by "withholding the ball"; illegal pick merged into block and pushing into illegal contact; a new shot clock rule (Rule 24) added. |
| 1 January 2026 | Men's field | 80-second shot clock (Rule 43) applies, replacing the stalling rule; enforced in World Championship play from the 2027 Men's World Championship. |
| May 2026 | Box and sixes | Version 2.0 of the 2026-2028 box and sixes rule books published. |
| 12 May 2026 (announced) | Several | Equipment standards for World Lacrosse owned and sanctioned events, phased in from the 2027 Sixes, 2028 Box and 2029 U20 championships, covering shoulder pads and goalkeeper chest protection, protective eyewear and soft-shell headgear (permitted, not required) by discipline. See the equipment section. |
| 1 January 2027 | Women's field | 80-second shot clock (Rule 24) takes effect in World Lacrosse women's field events. |
NCAA men's lacrosse
| Season | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Visible 80-second shot clock on every possession | USA Lacrosse Magazine, republishing NCAA.org, July 2021 |
| 2021-22 | Shot clock resets to 60 seconds when the offence keeps the ball after a valid shot, and in some other offensive-half situations (approved 21 July 2021) | USA Lacrosse Magazine, July 2021 |
| 2025 | Revised faceoff procedure; a player who commits a faceoff violation is barred from the next faceoff; the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations in a half dropped; coaches' challenges usable at any time; officials' own reviews limited to the last four minutes and overtime; clear mouthguards permitted (approved 17 July 2024) | NCAA |
| 2027 | Overtime in 15-minute periods until a goal, replacing 4-minute periods; expanded video review, including head and neck contact (approved July 2026) | NCAA, 28 July 2026; NAIA-hosted Divisions II and III summary |
| 2026-27 and 2027-28 | Fluorescent green or yellow balls recommended for 2026-27 and required for 2027-28 | NCAA, 28 July 2026 |
The NAIA-hosted Divisions II and III summary describes the ball change as allowable in the 2027 season and required by the 2028 season (Rule 1-16). College lacrosse is played in spring, so both describe the same timing.
NCAA women's lacrosse
| Season | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Four 15-minute quarters replace two 30-minute halves; possession clock resets to 60 seconds in set situations; pregame stick checks end (approved July 2021) | NCAA.com, republished by USA Lacrosse |
| 2025-26 | One-minute releasable penalties across most of the field; dangerous contact a non-releasable yellow card; draws limited to the start of the game and second half, overtime and after goals (approved August 2025) | USA Lacrosse Magazine |
| 2026-27 | All yellow cards two-minute non-releasable penalties; contact fouls consolidated into illegal check and illegal contact; targeting added as a red-card foul; the automatic next-game suspension for a red card removed (approved August 2026) | NCAA, 12 August 2026 |
A 90-second possession clock is reported to have been first used in NCAA Division I women's lacrosse in 2017 and in Divisions II and III in 2018, but that rests only on a search summary of a student newspaper article, and it is not confirmed.
NFHS boys' lacrosse
| Season | Change |
|---|---|
| 2023 | The pocket or net may have no holes or gaps larger than 1.68 in across (Rule 1-7-1); sticks may not have protrusions or sharp edges (Rule 1-8) (NFHS, 16 August 2022) |
| 2026 | Losing a helmet becomes an illegal procedure (6-5-2y); a non-goalkeeper who enters the crease to block a shot commits a personal foul (4-18-4, 5-6-2); a 75 percent completion rule for interrupted games (3-5-1, 3-5-2); mouthguard colour limits lifted (1-9-1b) |
| 2027 | States may adopt a 70-second shot clock (4-13); one 20-second count to clear the centre line (4-14, 4-15); a helmet counts as lost once the chin strap is off the chin (4-24-8) |
| From 1 January 2029 | Balls must be fluorescent green or yellow; white and orange balls end (1-5) (NFHS, 13 August 2026) |
NFHS girls' lacrosse
| Season | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Stick checks may be requested only at quarter breaks, half-time, team time-outs, before overtime, before a draw and straight after goals (Rule 2-4-5) (NFHS, 11 July 2025) |
| 2027 | States may adopt a 90-second possession clock; no switching sticks on the field during live play except through the substitution area (NFHS release, 10 July 2026) |
| From 1 January 2031 | Home teams wear white jerseys |
USA Lacrosse youth rules
USA Lacrosse's rules committee meets each year in late spring to consider changes for the following season. Two dated youth changes could be confirmed from pages that were read: USA Lacrosse says the transitional checking category for girls at 13U and 14U began with the 2019 season (USA Lacrosse, 4 April 2025), and for the 2024 season USA Lacrosse allowed one-handed stick checks at boys' 12U and 14U while keeping a two-minute penalty, rather than the high school one-minute option, for incidental head or neck contact (USA Lacrosse, 19 July 2023). USA Lacrosse's 2026 youth rule books could not be read (its PDFs returned errors on the research date), so whether either rule is unchanged for 2026 is not confirmed. This page reports those rules; it does not describe how checks are made. The youth rules are covered by age group, as published, on the youth contact and checking rules page.
Sources
- World Lacrosse, Men's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2027, v1.0 (copy hosted by BC Lacrosse with World Lacrosse's permission)
- World Lacrosse, Women's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2026, v1.0 (copy hosted by Lacrosse Victoria)
- World Lacrosse, Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, v2.0 (May 2026)
- World Lacrosse, Sixes Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, v2.0 (May 2026)
- FIL Women's Rules Committee, rule change proposal (10 May 2018)
- World Lacrosse, IOC grants Full Recognition to World Lacrosse (20 July 2021, copy hosted by the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union)
- World Lacrosse, World Lacrosse adopts landmark athlete safety and equipment standards (12 May 2026)
- USA Lacrosse Magazine, NCAA approves 60-second shot clock reset in men's lacrosse (July 2021)
- NCAA, Changes to video review criteria approved in men's lacrosse (July 2024)
- NCAA, Expanded video review approved in men's lacrosse (28 July 2026)
- 2027 and 2028 Men's Lacrosse Rules Changes, Divisions II and III summary (copy hosted by the NAIA)
- USA Lacrosse Magazine, NCAA women's lacrosse to adopt quarters, 60-second shot clock reset in 2022 (July 2021)
- USA Lacrosse Magazine, Draws, pace of play highlight NCAA women's lacrosse rule changes (August 2025)
- NCAA, Simplified penalty structure approved in women's lacrosse (12 August 2026)
- NFHS, Field equipment requirements and officiating clarifications lead high school boys lacrosse rules changes (16 August 2022)
- NFHS, 2026 Boys Lacrosse Summary of Rules Changes with rationale
- NFHS, 2027 Boys Lacrosse Summary of Rules Changes with rationale
- NFHS, States may adopt shot clocks for boys lacrosse starting next season (13 August 2026)
- NFHS, 2027 girls lacrosse rules changes press release (10 July 2026, copy hosted by the MPSSAA)
- NFHS, Five rules changes approved for 2026 high school girls lacrosse season (11 July 2025)
- USA Lacrosse, Boys' and men's rules page (read 23 October 2026)
- USA Lacrosse, Understanding the transitional checking rule for 14U girls (4 April 2025)
- USA Lacrosse Magazine, High school and youth boys' lacrosse rules changes announced for 2024 season (19 July 2023)