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Rule 4

Ball in Play, Dead Ball and Out of Bounds

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WHERE WE'RE HEADED

Four Sections of Rule 4

Putting the Ball in Play

Free kick vs. snap — and what keeps the ball dead.

Dead Ball & End of the Down

Every way a down ends, plus special rules for kicks and the try.

Out-of-Bounds & Inbounds Spots

Where the ball gets spotted — sideline, side zone, and the pylon.

Inadvertent Whistle

What happens, and who gets to choose, when the whistle blows by mistake.

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RULE 4-1

SECTION 1

Putting the Ball in Play

Only two ways to start a down — a free kick or a snap — and what happens when neither one legally goes off.

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PUTTING THE BALL IN PLAY

How the Ball Is Put in Play

RULE 4-1-1 · 4-1-3

A free kick starts a free-kick down: the opening kickoff of each half, after a safety, after a successful field goal or try, when a free-kick down is replayed, or as the chosen option after a fair catch.
A snap starts a scrimmage down — used at every other time the ball is put in play.
Both a snap and a free kick must happen from between the hash marks.
Once the ball is legally put in play, it stays live until the down ends.

TWO WAYS TO START A DOWN

Free kick — starts a free-kick down
Snap — starts a scrimmage down

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PUTTING THE BALL IN PLAY

When the Ball Stays Dead

RULE 4-1-6

If a snap or free kick is attempted before the ball is actually ready for play, nothing happens — the down never starts.
An illegal snap, or any other snap infraction, leaves the ball dead.
A dead-ball foul before the snap or kick also keeps the ball dead — the down simply doesn't begin.

KEY PRINCIPLE

None of these situations start a down. There's no down to penalize — just a restart once the issue is corrected.

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Ball Strikes a Game Official

THE PLAY

A live forward pass strikes: (a) a game official standing inbounds, after which it rebounds and is caught by a player; or (b) a dog or spectator who is inbounds.

THE RULING

In (a), the pass is still alive — touching an inbounds official doesn't change the ball's status, so whichever player catches it next has legally caught a live ball. In (b), the ball becomes dead immediately, and the down is replayed under the inadvertent-whistle procedure.

NFHS Case Book 4.1.5

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RULE 4-2

SECTION 2

Dead Ball & End of the Down

Every way a down can end — plus the special dead-ball rules that apply to kicks and the try.

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DEAD BALL & END OF THE DOWN

How a Down Ends

RULE 4-2-2

A runner is out of bounds, has his forward progress stopped, or touches the ground with anything other than a hand or foot.
Any live ball — in the field of play or loose — touches out of bounds.
A forward pass, legal or illegal, is incomplete or simultaneously caught by opponents.
A loose ball is simultaneously caught or recovered by opposing players, or comes to rest with no one attempting to secure it.
Any score occurs, or a runner's helmet comes completely off during the down.

PLACE-KICK HOLDER EXCEPTION

With a knee down, the holder may rise to fix a bad snap and return his knee to the ground for the kick — or rise and run, pass, or hand the ball instead.

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DEAD BALL & END OF THE DOWN

Free Kicks and Scrimmage Kicks

RULE 4-2-2 · 4-2-3

Any free kick becomes dead the instant a K player catches or recovers it, anywhere on the field.
A scrimmage kick becomes dead when K secures it beyond the neutral zone; recovered in or behind the neutral zone, K may run, pass, or kick again.
Any kick that isn't a scoring attempt is dead the moment it breaks the plane of the receiving team's goal line — grounded or in flight. Force isn't a factor; it's always a touchback.
A scoring-kick attempt is dead once it touches a K player in the end zone or obviously fails; deflections off an upright, crossbar, receiver, or official that still go through the uprights count as good.

MECHANIC

When K catches or recovers a free kick, blow the whistle loudly and repeatedly — the ball is dead the instant it's touched.

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DEAD BALL & END OF THE DOWN

The Try Has Its Own Rules

RULE 4-2-2

During a try, the down ends immediately once the defense secures possession — the ball doesn't have to cross the goal line.
A place-kick or drop-kick try also ends the instant it's clear the kick has failed.
Because there's no return on a try, the defense can never score by advancing what it recovers.

KEY PRINCIPLE

A try ends the moment either team's chance is gone — there's no in-between.

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Helmet Comes Off the Runner

THE PLAY

With fourth down and 8 from the 50, A1 runs to B's 45-yard line where: (a) B1, trying to tackle A1, unsnaps his chin strap and play continues to the 40 before A1 is downed; (b) B1 grasps A1's face mask and A1's helmet comes off; or (c) B1 contacts A1, whose helmet comes off, and A1 then fumbles.

THE RULING

In (a), play continues, and it's a first down for A after the face-mask penalty is enforced. In (b), the ball becomes dead the instant the helmet comes off, and B is penalized for the face-mask foul. In (c), the ball becomes dead when the helmet comes off — the fumble afterward doesn't count, and since it's fourth down short of the line to gain, the ball goes over to B.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Holder Flips the Ball to the Kicker

THE PLAY

K1, with one knee down to hold for a field-goal attempt, catches the snap and: (a) places it for K2 to kick; or (b) rises and runs or passes instead; or (c) without rising, flips the ball over to K2, who tries to run with it.

THE RULING

(a) and (b) are both legal — the holder either sets up the kick normally or, since his knee was down at the snap, is free to rise and become a runner or passer. In (c), though, the ball becomes dead the instant K1 tosses it to K2 while his knee is still down.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Holder Rises After a Good Snap

THE PLAY

During a try, holder K1 takes the snap with one knee down and sets the ball for the kick. Just as K2 starts his kicking motion, K1 lifts the ball and rises. He then: (a) passes to K3 in the end zone; (b) carries it in himself; (c) fumbles while running, and K4 recovers and scores; (d) fumbles, and R1 recovers instead; or (e) takes a few steps and drops back to one knee to reset for the kick.

THE RULING

(a), (b), and (c) are all successful tries — the ball stayed live and advanceable because the holder's knee was down at the snap and a teammate was set to kick. In (d), the try ends the moment R1 recovers, and he can't advance it. In (e), the ball dies the instant K1's knee touches back down.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Holder Adjusts for a Bad Snap

THE PLAY

K2 is set to hold with one knee down, but the snap is high, forcing him to rise off his knee to catch it. He gets control and then: (a) immediately drops back to one knee to hold for the kick; (b) immediately drops to both knees and rises again to pass; (c) takes several steps before finally dropping to his knees to place the ball; or (d) takes several steps and fumbles, with either K1 or K2 recovering and advancing.

THE RULING

The ball stays live in (a), (b), and (d) — the holder is allowed to rise for an errant snap as long as he acts immediately. In (c), though, the ball dies the moment his knee touches down, because he didn't return to the ground right away after catching the bad snap.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: A Kick That Bounces Into the End Zone

THE PLAY

K1's free kick or scrimmage kick hits the ground at R's 10-yard line and bounces into R's end zone.

THE RULING

The ball becomes dead the instant it breaks the plane of R's goal line — it doesn't matter that it got there by bouncing rather than flying.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: A Muffed Fair Catch Near the Goal Line

THE PLAY

K1 punts from midfield, and R1 signals for a fair catch at R's 10 but muffs it. The ball bounces toward R's end zone, where: (a) R2 recovers at the 1 and his momentum carries him into the end zone, where he's tackled; (b) R3 recovers and is downed at R's 2; or (c) K2 recovers and is downed at the 5.

THE RULING

In (a), it's R's ball at the 1 — the ball became dead the moment R2 recovered after the fair-catch signal. In (b), it's R's ball at the 2. In (c), it's K's ball at the 5.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: First Touching Behind the Neutral Zone

THE PLAY

On fourth-and-10 from his own 20, K1's punt is high and short. R1 gives a valid fair-catch signal beyond the neutral zone but muffs the kick, and it rebounds back behind the line. From there: (a) K1 recovers and advances to his 18; (b) K1 falls on it at his 15; (c) R2 falls on it at K's 9; or (d) R2 recovers at K's 9 and is tackled immediately.

THE RULING

K gets a legal advance in (a). Both (a) and (b) are an automatic first down for K, because R1 touched the kick beyond the neutral zone first. In (c), it's R's ball, first-and-goal at K's 9. In (d), R1's earlier fair-catch signal makes the ball dead at the spot of recovery — the covering official should whistle it dead the moment any receiver recovers it.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Helmet Off a Non-Runner

THE PLAY

While trying to tackle A1, B1's helmet comes completely off. A1 stays on his feet and runs it in for a touchdown.

THE RULING

The score stands. The ball only becomes dead when the helmet comes off the runner — not any other player. B1 simply has to sit out the next play.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.2

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RULE 4-3

SECTION 3

Out-of-Bounds & Inbounds Spots

Where the ball gets spotted — the sideline, the side zone, and the one spot that's always out of bounds.

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OUT-OF-BOUNDS & INBOUNDS SPOTS

Marking the Out-of-Bounds Spot

RULE 4-3-1

A loose ball is spotted at the yard line through its foremost point the instant it crosses the sideline.
A runner is out of bounds the moment he or the ball touches anything on or outside a sideline or end line — spotted at the foremost point of the ball at that instant.
Exception: a forward fumble that goes out of bounds between the goal lines returns to the spot of the fumble, not the out-of-bounds spot.
A pylon is always out of bounds — touching it is treated exactly like touching out of bounds.

PYLON RULE

A ball or player touching the pylon is out of bounds at that point, the same as crossing the sideline.

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OUT-OF-BOUNDS & INBOUNDS SPOTS

Spotting the Ball in the Side Zone

RULE 4-3-4 · 4-3-6

When the ball becomes dead between the hash marks, play resumes at that dead-ball spot.
When it becomes dead in a side zone, play resumes at the nearest hash mark instead — with two exceptions.
A legal forward-pass incompletion always returns to the previous spot, even in a side zone.
An inadvertent whistle that leads to a replayed down also returns to the previous spot, not the nearest hash mark.

BEFORE THE READY-FOR-PLAY

Team A may pick the spot between the hash marks for a try, kickoff, after a safety, a fair catch, an awarded fair catch, a touchback, or the start of an overtime series.

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: A Forward Fumble Out of Bounds

THE PLAY

It's third-and-6 from B's 35. A1 advances to B's 30, where B1's tackle attempt forces a fumble that rolls forward and out of bounds at B's 27.

THE RULING

The ball returns to the 30-yard line — the spot of the fumble — making it fourth-and-1 for A. The game clock starts on the ready-for-play signal, and the play clock starts when the covering official signals the operator to begin it.

NFHS Case Book 4.3.1

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: A Muffed Backward Pass Rolls Out

THE PLAY

Third-and-2 from A's 35. A1 pitches back to A2 at the 31, who muffs it. The ball then rolls forward and out of bounds, either (a) at the 38, or (b) at the 36.

THE RULING

In (a), the ball is spotted at the inbounds point at the 38 — first-and-10 for A. In (b), it's spotted at the 36 — fourth-and-1. Either way, the play clock resets to 40 seconds on the ready signal, and the game clock starts on the snap. The forward-fumble exception only applies to a fumble by a player in possession — not to a muff like this one.

NFHS Case Book 4.3.1

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Fumble Forward From the End Zone

THE PLAY

Third-and-5 from A's own 5. A1 scrambles and is in his own end zone when B1 attempts the tackle. A1 fumbles forward into the field of play, and the ball goes out of bounds, untouched by either team, at the 2.

THE RULING

Because A1's run ended in his own end zone, the ball is returned there — resulting in a safety.

NFHS Case Book 4.3.1

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: A Fumble Out of the End Zone

THE PLAY

Third-and-goal from B's 5. A1 advances to the 1, where B1's tackle attempt forces a fumble that rolls forward and out of bounds — either (a) over the sideline in the end zone, or (b) over the end line.

THE RULING

In both cases, the ball isn't returned to the spot of the fumble, since it never went out of bounds in the field of play. The result is a touchback for B either way.

NFHS Case Book 4.3.1

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Momentum Into the End Zone

THE PLAY

B1 intercepts at his own 4-yard line, and his momentum carries him into his own end zone. From there, he fumbles forward into the field of play, and it goes out of bounds at the 1.

THE RULING

The ball is returned to the spot of the fumble — and here, the momentum exception applies, so it's B's ball, first-and-10 at its own 4.

NFHS Case Book 4.3.1

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Picking the Spot for a Try

THE PLAY

Before the ready-for-play on a try, Team A's captain asks for the ball to be placed on the right hash mark, and the offense sets up in a spread formation. Then either (a) A1 doesn't like the look of the defense and calls a time-out, or (b) a dead-ball foul occurs. Either way, the captain then asks to move the ball to the middle of the field instead.

THE RULING

The second request is denied in (a) but honored in (b). A captain gets to choose the spot in a handful of situations, but once it's placed, a second request alone can't move it. A dead-ball foul — or any foul during the down where the penalty is accepted — does reopen that choice for the replay.

NFHS Case Book 4.3.6

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Switching From a Snap to a Free Kick

THE PLAY

Tied late in the fourth quarter, R1 signals for and completes a fair catch at K's 40. After a time-out, R's captain first tells the Referee he wants to snap the ball. A1's ensuing pass draws defensive interference and falls incomplete. After the penalty is enforced, R's captain changes his mind and elects to free-kick from K's 25 as a field-goal attempt instead.

THE RULING

This is allowed. The game clock won't start until the free kick is touched — other than first touching by the kicking team — and this is one of the rare situations where a field goal can be scored off a free kick.

NFHS Case Book 4.3.7

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RULE 4-2-3

SECTION 4

Inadvertent Whistle

The ball is dead the moment the whistle blows by mistake — the only question is who gets to choose what happens next.

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INADVERTENT WHISTLE

When the Whistle Blows by Mistake

RULE 4-2-3

The ball becomes dead the instant an inadvertent whistle sounds — there's no taking it back.
If a foul occurred before the whistle and the penalty is accepted, that enforcement takes over; the inadvertent-whistle options never come into play.
The game clock restarts on the ready-for-play signal, unless the down also awards a new series — then it starts on the snap.

THREE SITUATIONS

A kick, forward pass, or snap still in flight
A loose ball after a backward pass, fumble, or illegal kick
The ball in a runner's possession

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INADVERTENT WHISTLE

The Options by Ball Status

RULE 4-2-3

If the whistle sounds while a legal kick, forward pass, or snap is still in the air, there's no choice — the down is simply replayed from the previous spot.
If the ball is loose after a backward pass, fumble, or illegal kick, the team last in possession chooses: replay the down, or take the ball where possession was lost.
If a runner has the ball when the whistle sounds, his team chooses: replay the down, or take the result of the play at the dead-ball spot.

Ball Status	Options
Kick / pass / snap in flight	Replay only
Loose ball (fumble, etc.)	Replay or spot of loss
Runner in possession	Replay or dead-ball spot

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Whistle During a Muffed Fair Catch

THE PLAY

On fourth-and-2 from K's 38, K1's scrimmage kick is muffed beyond the neutral zone by R1, who had signaled for a fair catch. While the ball is still loose, the covering official inadvertently blows the whistle.

THE RULING

The down is replayed — even though R1 was technically first to touch the kick beyond the neutral zone, an inadvertent whistle during a kick always means a replay. The game clock restarts on the ready-for-play signal.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.3

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Whistle While a Pass Is in Flight

THE PLAY

While a legal forward pass is still in the air: (a) B1 interferes with eligible receiver A1, and then the whistle sounds inadvertently; or (b) the whistle sounds inadvertently first, and B2 then makes contact with A2 while the pass is still in flight.

THE RULING

In (a), if Team A accepts the penalty for the interference that happened before the whistle, that penalty takes priority over any inadvertent-whistle option. In (b), B2's contact happened during a dead-ball period and is ignored unless it's a personal foul. Either way, the down is replayed, because the whistle came while a legal pass was in flight.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.3

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Interception, Then the Whistle

THE PLAY

A1 throws from his own 40. B1 intercepts at his own 2 and circles back into his end zone. While he's still in the end zone, the covering official inadvertently blows the whistle.

THE RULING

Since B1 has possession, Team B can accept the result of the play as of the whistle, or ask for a replay. Since accepting would hand Team A a safety, B would normally choose to replay the down instead.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.3

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Whistle With a Foul Already on the Down

THE PLAY

K's ball, fourth-and-12 from R's 45. K8's punt is rolling at R's 16 when the whistle sounds inadvertently. Earlier in the down, R76 had blocked K84 in the back at R's 22, before the whistle.

THE RULING

Ordinarily, an inadvertent whistle during a kick — with no fouls accepted — just means a replay. But since R's illegal block happened before the whistle, K can accept that penalty instead, enforced from the previous spot, and replay fourth down from R's 35.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.3

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Illegal Kick, Then the Whistle

THE PLAY

A1 is in punt formation with his heel near his own end line. On a high snap, he jumps and keeps the ball out of the end zone, but it hits the ground and starts rolling around inside it. Panicking, he kicks the loose ball off the ground; it rolls out to the 25 and is still bounding when the whistle sounds inadvertently, coming to rest at the 27.

THE RULING

B can accept the penalty for an illegal kick, which results in a safety against A. If B declines, the inadvertent-whistle rule lets A ask for a replay instead, since no one was in possession of the ball when the whistle blew.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.3

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: A Foul Before the Whistle, Then a Pick

THE PLAY

Team A has third-and-8 from its own 30. Before A1's pass is intercepted by B2, B1 is flagged for defensive pass interference. After the interception, the covering official inadvertently blows the whistle with B2 in possession at the 40.

THE RULING

If A accepts the penalty for the pass interference, it's A's ball, first-and-10 at its own 45 — the inadvertent whistle is simply set aside. If A declines the penalty instead, B keeps the ball at the 40.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.3

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CASE PLAY

Case Play: Inadvertent Whistle Near the Goal Line

THE PLAY

With fourth-and-goal on B's 4-yard line, A1 is hit and fumbles. As the ball rolls into the end zone, an inadvertent whistle sounds. The fumble happens at (a) the 5-yard line, or (b) the 3-yard line.

THE RULING

In both cases, Team A can choose to take the ball at the spot of the fumble or replay the down. If A takes the ball, it belongs to B at the 5 in (a), and at the 3 in (b) — the ball always returns to the spot of the fumble when an inadvertent whistle sounds while it's loose.

NFHS Case Book 4.2.3

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Rule 4, Section by Section

Putting the Ball in Play — Only a legal snap or free kick starts a down — anything else leaves the ball dead.

Dead Ball & End of the Down — Multiple ways a down ends, plus special dead-ball rules for kicks and the try.

Out-of-Bounds & Inbounds Spots — Foremost point at the sideline, nearest hash mark in the side zone — with real exceptions.

Inadvertent Whistle — Dead the instant it sounds; the options depend entirely on the ball's status.

Questions?