States May Adopt Shot Clocks for Boys Lacrosse Starting Next Season

All states may adopt a 70-second shot clock for high school boys lacrosse starting with the 2027 season.

The new rule highlighted 16 changes approved by the NFHS Boys Lacrosse Rules Committee at its July 19-21 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommended changes were later approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

 “The adoption of a shot clock has been a discussion topic over the last few years,” said Matt Dempsey, chair of the NFHS Boys Lacrosse Rules Committee. “After two years of data collection and successful implementation by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association as an experiment, the committee felt the addition of the shot clock was the next step in the evolution of the sport.”

By state association adoption, a 70-second shot clock may be used beginning next school year. The shot clock begins when a team clears the defensive half of the field or gains possession in its offensive half. Once the clock reaches 60 seconds, the ball must be in the team's offensive half or possession is awarded to the opposing team.

Another rule change eliminates the 10-second count. Instead, when play is restarted with a team in possession in its defensive half of the field, or when a team gains possession during a live ball anywhere on the field, it has 20 seconds to play the ball anywhere on the field and must advance the ball (loose or possessed) across the center line before the 20 seconds expires. Once the 20 seconds have elapsed, over-and-back occurs when a team fails to keep the ball in its offensive half of the field except after a shot or when the ball is last touched by the opponent.

Faceoff procedures were clarified to state that players must go down together, move into position as quickly as possible, and may not have a knee on the ground at any time before the whistle.

Equipment rules also were updated. Beginning January 1, 2029, all game balls must be fluorescent green or yellow to improve visibility for players, officials and spectators.

Additional clarifications in the rules state that a goal will be disallowed if the head of a scorer's crosse comes off or the crosse breaks, causing the player to lose any portion of the crosse while taking the shot. The new rules also clarify that a helmet is considered dislodged when the chinstrap is no longer secured over the player's chin. Other changes simplify the rules for situations in which the ball becomes lodged in a player's uniform, stick or other equipment.

Responsibility has been placed on host administration to ensure the field meets rules requirements and minimizes risk. In the absence of host administration, the head coach will assume the role of host administration. Requirements for head coaches have also been extended to addressing spectator behavior. The head coach, upon the request of an official, is expected to control the actions of spectators not in conformity with standards of proper conduct.

Field markings also were updated to allow a contrasting-colored line through the center of the field, perpendicular to the sidelines providing more flexibility, particularly on artificial fields. Prior to the change the line had to be white.

 “The rules committee prioritized risk minimization and improving pace of play for players and spectators,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the NFHS Boys Lacrosse Rules Committee.

A complete listing of the boys lacrosse rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Boys Lacrosse” and then “Rules.” The print version of the 2026-27 Boys Lacrosse Rules Book will be available for purchase in October at www.NFHS.com, and the digital version will be available in the same timeframe via NFHS Digital at www.NFHS.org. 

According to the 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, a total of 113,696 boys participated in lacrosse at 3,346 schools across the country.