| SpongeBob SquarePants | |
|---|---|
| Season 9 | |
 DVD cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 26 (49 segments) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon |
| Original release | July 21, 2012 – February 20, 2017 |
| Season chronology | |
The ninth season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by animator and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg, originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from July 21, 2012, to February 20, 2017, and contained 26 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg and writer Paul Tibbitt, the latter of whom also acted as the showrunner for the first 11 episodes of the season. Starting with "Lost in Bikini Bottom", Marc Ceccarelli and Vincent Waller became the supervising producers and showrunners and served in that position for the rest of the season.
This season marks the show's transition to 1080i HDTV by now having episodes produced and aired in widescreen (16:9), the native aspect ratio of high-definition.
The season was first announced on October 4, 2010. A total of 26 episodes were produced for the season, bringing the number of episodes up to 204. The ninth season is the longest-running season of SpongeBob SquarePants to date, airing for four and a half years. The SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Ninth Season DVD was released in region 1 on October 10, 2017, and region 4 on October 7, 2020.