Minor Penalties

Overview

Lower-severity violations resulting in incremental disadvantages such as player removal for a short duration or the loss of a single body, depending on the competitive format.

Key Points

• Applied for non-dangerous procedural violations
• Common for boundary errors or minor equipment oversights
• Consequences may include temporary removal or single-player loss
• Referees use context to determine whether escalation is appropriate

Details

Minor penalties address rule violations that affect gameplay flow but do not create substantial safety risks or fundamentally disrupt competitive fairness. These infractions typically arise from procedural errors, equipment oversights, or unintentional deviations from required conduct.

Examples include early breaks, minor boundary infractions, unintentional failure to acknowledge elimination, or equipment conditions that do not present immediate danger but fall outside compliance standards.

Consequences depend on the format. In race-to formats, a minor penalty may remove one active player. In formats using time-based penalty boxes, it may result in a short-duration penalty during which the team plays down a body.

Escalation occurs only when violations recur or escalate in severity. Referees may upgrade a minor penalty to a major penalty when the behavior becomes repetitive or when the violation directly influences match outcomes.

Related Topics

• Penalties & Infractions in 1v1 Paintball
• Major Penalties
• Rules, Safety & Player Conduct
• Refereeing & Officiating Standards