High School Football Penalties Reference By Category
Below is a list of High School football penalties by category and their results of what happens when they are called during a game.
5 Yard Penalties
| Penalty | Definition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive Offside | When a defensive player is over the line of scrimmage at the time of the snap. | 5 Yards |
| Delay Of Game | Called on a team when a play is not started after a set amount of time has passed, usually when the play clock expires. | 5 Yards |
| Delay Of Kickoff | When a team commits a delay of game penalty during a kickoff. | 5 Yards |
| Encroachment | When a defensive player illegally crosses the line of scrimmage before the snap and makes contact with an opposing player or has a clear path to the quarterback. | 5 Yards |
| False Start | When an offensive player begins moving before the ball is snapped. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Formation | When players are lined up in an illegal formation at the time of the snap. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Forward Handoff | When a forward handoff occurs following a forward pass. This also results in a loss of down. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Forward Pass | When a second forward pass occurs following a forward pass, or when the passer is beyond the line of scrimmage at the time of the throw. This also results in a loss of down. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Kick And Kicking Loose Ball | When a player kicks the ball when it is loose or a player kicks the ball when they are not allowed to make contact with the ball. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Motion | When a player moves or shifts before the ball is snapped in an illegal way. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Shift | When a player shifts illegally before the ball is snapped. This is similar to an illegal motion. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Substitution | When a player is substituted into the game while play is live or interferes with the game. | 5 Yards |
| Illegal Touching of a Forward Pass | When the ball is touched illegally after a forward pass. Only eligible receivers can touch a forward pass before any other member of the offense. This also results in a loss of down. | 5 Yards |
| Ineligible Downfield Kick | When a player other than the two players at the end of the line of scrimmage crosses the line of scrimmage prior to the kick/punt. | 5 Yards |
| Ineligible Downfield Pass | When a forward pass is completed to an ineligible downfield receiver. An ineligible downfield receiver is any player who did not line up off of the line of scrimmage, such as the offensive guards and tackles. | 5 Yards |
| Invalid Fair Catch Signal | When a player calling a fair catch does not correctly make the fair catch signal. | 5 Yards |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | When a defensive player illegally enters the neutral zone around the line of scrimmage prior to the snap. | 5 Yards |
| Offensive Offside | When an offensive player illegally crosses the neutral zone around the line of scrimmage prior to the snap. | 5 Yards |
| Offside On Free Kick | When a player is offside during a free kick or kickoff. | 5 Yards |
| Player Out Of Bounds On Kick | When a player illegally re-enters the playing field after stepping out of bounds on the kickoff. | 5 Yards |
| Running Into The Kicker | When a player makes contact with the kicker's plant leg on a kick or punt. Similar to roughing the kicker. | 5 Yards |
| Too Many Men On Field | When the team on offense or defense has more than the allowed 11 (12 in the High School) men on the field. | 5 Yards |
10 Yard Penalties
| Penalty | Definition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Illegal Block Above The Waist | When a player blocks an opposing player, who does not have the ball, from behind and above the waist. | 10 Yards |
| Defensive Holding | When a defensive player holds onto an opposing player by their uniform rather than only push blocking, preventing them from moving in a certain direction. | 10 Yards |
| Offensive Holding | When an offensive player holds a defensive player illegally. Holding occurs when a player grabs an opposing player by the jersey of the uniform to prevent them from moving in a certain direction. | 10 Yards |
| Offensive Pass Interference | When an offensive player performs an illegal action against a defensive player to prevent a pass from being defended properly, such as pushing the player. | 10 Yards |
15 Yard Penalties
| Penalty | Definition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Chop Block | When two players block the same defensive player one above and below the thigh. | 15 Yards |
| Clipping | When a player blocks or falls into an opposing player from behind below the knees. | 15 Yards |
| Defensive Pass Interference | When a defensive player disrupts an opposing player's attempt to catch a pass. | 15 Yards |
| Disqualification | When a player’s actions result in that player being removed from the game | 15 Yards |
| Facemask | When a player grabs an opposing player by the facemask or any other helmet opening. | 15 Yards |
| Fair Catch Interference | When a player on the kicking team touches an opposing return player who has called a fair catch on the ball or if the ball is touched before being caught by the player who called for a fair catch. Also known as kick-catch interference. | 15 Yards |
| Horse Collar | When a player grabs an opposing player from behind by the back collar of the uniform, under the padding, and pulls the player straight down off of their feet. | 15 Yards |
| Illegal Blindside Block | When a player blocks an opposing player while that player is unable to see the incoming blocker, and thus being defenseless. | 15 Yards |
| Illegal Crackback | When a player runs laterally across the field and blocks a defenseless player below the waist. | 15 Yards |
| Illegal Cut Block | When a player blocks an opposing player by diving into their knees from the front. | 15 Yards |
| Illegal Peel Back | When a player blocks an opposing player from the side and below the waist. | 15 Yards |
| Illegal Wedge | When two or more players line up shoulder to shoulder less than two yards apart to perform a block. | 15 Yards |
| Kick Catch Interference | When a player makes contact with an opposing player who is receiving a kick before the ball becomes live. | 15 Yards |
| Low Block | When a player performs an illegal block that is below the waist of a player on the opposing team. | 15 Yards |
Automatic First Down Penalties
| Penalty | Definition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Illegal Contact | When a player makes contact with an opposing player when they are not allowed to contact at that time. | 5 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Illegal Use Of Hands | When a player's hands make contact with an opposing player's face-area forcefully during an attempt to make or get around a block. | 10 Yards (offense), 5 Yards Automatic 1st Down (defense) |
| Leaping | When a player jumps over the line of scrimmage in an attempt to tackle a player or block a kick and they make contact with a player on the opposing team prior or simultaneously as the snap. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Leverage | When a player gets a boost over the line of scrimmage in an attempt to tackle a player or block a kick and they make contact with a player on the opposing team prior or simultaneously as the snap. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Roughing The Kicker | When a player makes contact with the kicker's plant leg on a kick or punt. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Roughing The Passer | When a defensive player makes harsh contact with the passer after the ball has been released for an allotted time. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Taunting | When a player taunts the opposing team or an opposing player. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Tripping | When a player purposely trips an opposing player. | 10 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Unnecessary Roughness | When rough contact is made towards an opposing player when deemed unnecessary. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Unsportsmanlike Conduct | When a player majorly violates the rule of general sportsmanship. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
| Use Of Helmet | When a player purposefully lowers their helmet to make contact with an opposing player. | 15 Yards, Automatic 1st Down |
Loss of Down Penalties
| Penalty | Definition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Intentional Grounding | When the passer intentionally throws the ball incomplete while under pressure from the defense in order to avoid a sack. | 5 Yards, Loss of Down |
FAQ
What penalties result in a 5-yard loss in high school football?
Personal fouls that result in a 5-yard loss are typically very minor offenses related to illegal movements of players or the ball. Such penalties include encroachment, delaying the game, being offsides, having too many men on the field, being out of bounds, making illegal passes, and shifting before the ball is snapped.
What penalties result in a 10-yard loss in high school football?
Penalties that result in a 10-yard loss are considered to be more disruptive player movement violations. This includes holding, offensive pass interference, and illegal block above the waist. While not as serious as penalties resulting in 15-yard losses, these penalties are more disruptive to gameplay than infractions that result in 5-yard penalties.
What penalties result in a 15-yard loss in high school football?
Personal fouls that result in a 15-yard loss in high school are those that are considered especially dangerous or disruptive to players and play. Common penalties that result in a 15-yard loss include grabbing a player’s facemask, clipping, fair catch interference, and low blocks. All of these penalties are detrimental to a team, and some can even result in disqualification.