Short answer: there is no honest single price for removing a pool, because the yard decides most of it. Angi’s Tampa estimate puts a partial fill-in at $2,525 to $10,100 and a full removal at $4,025 to $16,150, with an average around $6,054. Those are Angi’s numbers, not ours: we quote every pool after a site visit, and the written quote is the price. What you can look up today are the fixed pieces. The city permit is the smallest one: $53 and up in Clearwater, $125 in St. Petersburg, $197 in Tampa. The concrete is the biggest one, because it is paid by the ton at the dump: $63.57 a ton in Pinellas and $109 a ton in Hillsborough. A partial fill costs less on the day, but it leaves a shell in the ground that you disclose when you sell, and some Florida cities want a soils engineer to check the spot before anyone builds on it. If all you need gone is the screen cage, the pavers or the equipment, you do not need a demolition crew at all: a dumpster starts at $319.
What are you actually paying for in a pool removal?
Every pool removal quote, ours or anyone’s, is built from the same seven pieces. Some are public fees you can check yourself; the rest depend on your backyard.
- Permit and paperwork. The city or county demolition permit, the utility disconnect sign-offs, the Sunshine 811 locate and, where it applies, the county’s asbestos notice. Public fees, mostly small.
- Draining. Slow, over grass, after the chlorine drops. Mostly time, not money.
- Breaking it out. The machine, the operator and the crew. This is where access matters: a wide gate and a straight shot to the pool is a fast day; a narrow side yard, a block wall or a protected oak means a smaller machine and more hours.
- Hauling and disposal. Every ton of deck and shell that leaves your yard crosses a landfill scale.
- Fill dirt. The hole has to be filled with clean fill, brought in by the truckload.
- Compaction and grading. The fill goes in layers, each one compacted, then graded so rain runs away from the house.
- Finish and final inspection. Sod or seed, the city’s final inspection, the last dumpster leaving and the driveway swept.
Pieces 3, 4 and 5 are most of the bill. Piece 1 is the one people worry about most and the one that costs least.
What do the published estimates say for Tampa Bay?
The cost page that comes up first for Tampa is Angi’s pool removal cost guide for Tampa. Angi says it starts from national average project costs and adjusts them with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities, so treat these as averages from a model, not quotes. Its in-ground figures by pool size:
| Pool size | Partial fill-in (Angi) | Full removal (Angi) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 x 24 ft | $2,120 to $6,760 | $4,640 to $11,705 |
| 15 x 30 ft | $2,525 to $8,175 | $4,135 to $13,520 |
| 18 x 36 ft | $2,825 to $9,385 | $5,650 to $15,235 |
| 20 x 40 ft | $3,025 to $10,395 | $6,155 to $16,550 |
By material, Angi lists concrete and gunite pools at $3,025 to $15,135, vinyl liner pools at $3,025 to $10,090 and fiberglass at $5,045 to $15,135. An above-ground pool is a different job entirely, at $305 to $805.
Two things those ranges cannot see. First, the spread inside each row is huge because the pool’s length is not what drives the price; the deck, the cage, the depth and the way into the backyard are. A 15 x 30 pool with a gate on the driveway side and a 15 x 30 pool behind a six-foot wall with a spa and a paver patio are not the same job. Second, Angi’s numbers are tuned to Tampa. In Pinellas the dump fee per ton is lower than in Hillsborough (more on that below), so the same pool can come out cheaper in Largo or Seminole than in South Tampa. That is why we look before we price, and why we don’t post a range of our own.
What are the permit fees in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa?
Filling in or removing a pool is a demolition to the building department, so it needs a demolition permit. Here is what each office publishes:
| Where the pool is | Demolition permit fee and source |
|---|---|
| Clearwater | $53, plus $0.10 a square foot over 1,000 square feet, capped at $1,000 Source: Clearwater fee schedule, current as of Feb. 2, 2022 |
| St. Petersburg | $125 base fee, up to 5,000 square feet Source: Permitting Fee Schedule linked on the city’s forms page, revised Oct. 1, 2017 |
| Tampa | $197 for a residential demolition, plus the 2.5% Florida Building Permit Surcharge ($4 minimum) Source: Tampa Construction Services fee schedule (Miscellaneous Project Permit Fee Schedule, updated May 31, 2020) |
| Palm Harbor, East Lake and the rest of unincorporated Pinellas | Set by the county’s building fee schedule; the county says its inspection fees changed July 1, 2026 Source: Pinellas County Residential Permits, 727-464-3888, option 2 |
For a typical backyard pool and deck that is a few hundred dollars at most, and the schedules are a few years old, so the permit holder confirms the number on the day of application. Largo, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Dunedin and the beach towns run their own building departments and set their own fees.
The other paperwork costs little or nothing. The Sunshine 811 locate is a free call. Pinellas County Air Quality wants written notice 10 working days before a demolition, even when no asbestos is present, and says fees apply to those notices (Pinellas County asbestos notification, 727-464-4422). That rule is written for buildings, so whether a stand-alone pool and deck need it is settled with Air Quality before the start date; a pool house coming down with the pool is a building and needs it. The steps for each city are on our pool removal page.
On our jobs the permit question is simple: on every full teardown, a licensed Florida contractor we partner with pulls the permit and signs the contract for the structural work. Our own crew then does the job on site from the first swing to the last load: demolition, debris, roll-off dumpsters and cleanup. Permit fees are passed through at cost.
Why is the concrete the biggest number?
Because the landfill charges by weight, and concrete is heavy. A cubic yard of concrete, brick or pavers weighs close to a ton. The Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex charges $63.57 a ton for anything bigger than a passenger vehicle. Hillsborough County charges commercial haulers $109 a ton for construction and demolition debris, which it counts as non-processable waste, from Oct. 1, 2026 through Sept. 30, 2027 (Hillsborough County fees).
Here is what that means for just the deck. Say the pool deck is 500 square feet of concrete poured 4 inches thick. That is about 6 cubic yards, so about 6 tons. At the Pinellas rate the dump fee alone is roughly $390; at the Hillsborough rate it is roughly $670. Then comes the shell: on a full removal every ton of it crosses the same scale, and on a partial fill most of it stays in the ground. That is the main reason full removal costs more, and the main reason a Tampa pool usually costs more than the same pool in Pinellas.
Two things keep that number down. The aluminum from the screen enclosure and the steel rebar are pulled out and recycled instead of paid for by the ton. And clean concrete kept apart from dirt and trash is cheaper to move than a mixed load, so on our jobs the concrete gets its own dumpster.
Is a partial fill really the cheaper choice?
On the day, yes. Less concrete comes out, fewer loads go to the scale, and you need less fill. Over the life of the house, not always.
The fill is not free either way. A 15 x 30 pool that averages 5 feet deep is a hole of about 83 cubic yards. Angi lists fill dirt at $8 to $12 a cubic yard, so the dirt alone runs roughly $670 to $1,000 before it is trucked in, spread and compacted. Florida cities that publish pool demolition rules expect clean fill, not the broken deck thrown back in the hole. The City of Sarasota’s requirements, for example, say broken concrete from the pool or deck “shall not be used as fill material,” call for compaction in 6-inch lifts and inspect the drain holes, the first lift and the final grade (Sarasota pool and spa demolition requirements).
The cost of what stays buried. The same Sarasota document says a filled pool area will not be suitable for construction until a soils engineer has done a geotechnical investigation and inspection. If you ever want a garage, an addition or a new pool on that spot, that engineer is a bill a full removal would have saved. And in Florida a buried pool shell is the kind of hidden fact a seller discloses; our pool removal page explains the rule and how to make the disclosure painless.
So the honest way to compare is: partial fill if the spot will only ever be lawn and the budget is tight; full removal if you might build there, sell soon to a picky buyer or just want a normal lot. We quote both on the same visit when you ask.
When is a dumpster or a smaller crew the cheaper answer?
A lot of “pool removal” calls are really one part of the pool area. Those have posted prices and no permit for the demolition:
- Only the screen enclosure, the patio furniture or the old pool equipment. A 10-yard dumpster starts at $319 on our Light Load plan (2 days plus one free, 0.5 ton included). If you would rather we carry it, junk removal is $50 a cubic yard with a $150 minimum, quoted in writing first.
- Pavers or a concrete patio you break up yourself. A 10- or 15-yard dumpster loaded with clean concrete only is a flat $350 a load. Mixed with trash or wood it is no longer a clean load, so keep it separate.
- Concrete you want us to load. Heavy material is $150 a cubic yard with a $250 minimum, because each yard weighs close to a ton.
- An above-ground pool. Usually a take-apart-and-haul job rather than a demolition. Send a photo and we quote it by volume like any junk removal job.
- A small amount you can haul yourself. The Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex charges a flat $11.75 a load for pickup trucks and vans. Mind the truck’s weight rating: concrete fills a pickup’s payload long before it fills the bed.
The full in-ground pool, with the permit, the machine and the fill, is the site-visit quote.
How do you compare two pool removal quotes?
Most of the price gap between two quotes is usually something one of them left out. Before you pick, check that each quote says:
- full removal or partial fill, and on a partial, how far below grade the shell comes off and how many drain holes go through the floor;
- who pulls the permit, and that the permit fee and the utility disconnect sign-offs are included;
- what happens to the deck, the coping, the screen cage and the equipment;
- how many loads or tons of disposal are included, and what an extra one costs;
- what fill goes in, how it is compacted and whether final grading is included;
- whether sod or seed is included or left to you;
- that the final inspection is part of the job, so you get a closed permit you can show a buyer.
Our quote covers all of it in writing, and the Elephants Price Promise applies: your written quote is your final price, and we match any written quote for the same job.
Want a number for your pool?
Call or text 727-240-7033 with your ZIP, the pool’s rough size and type (concrete, fiberglass or vinyl liner), what is around it (deck, pavers, cage) and how a machine gets to the backyard. A couple of photos of the pool and the gate help. I call or text back to talk it through and set up a time to look. Everything about the work itself, permits city by city, draining and the fill, is on our pool removal page, and the rest of our demolition work is on the demolition page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to remove a pool in Florida?
Angi’s Tampa estimate is $2,525 to $10,100 for a partial fill-in and $4,025 to $16,150 for a full removal, averaging about $6,054. Elephants quotes every pool after a site visit, because the deck, the cage, the depth and the access to the backyard move the price more than the pool’s size, and the written quote is the final price.
Is it cheaper to fill in a pool or remove it completely?
Filling in (partial removal) is cheaper on the day because less concrete goes to the landfill. But the buried shell has to be disclosed when you sell, and cities such as Sarasota treat a filled pool area as unfit to build on until a soils engineer has checked it, so full removal can cost less over the life of the house.
How much is a pool demolition permit in Pinellas County?
Clearwater lists $53 plus $0.10 a square foot over 1,000 square feet, capped at $1,000; St. Petersburg’s published schedule lists a $125 demolition base fee; Tampa lists $197 for a residential demolition plus the 2.5% state surcharge. Unincorporated Pinellas sets its own fees through the county building department.
Why does pool removal cost more in Tampa than in Pinellas?
Disposal is charged by the ton, and a pool and deck are many tons of concrete. Pinellas County charges $63.57 a ton, while Hillsborough County charges commercial haulers $109 a ton for construction and demolition debris, so the same pool costs more to haul away in Tampa.
How much fill dirt does it take to fill in a pool?
A 15 x 30 pool averaging 5 feet deep is about 83 cubic yards of space. At the $8 to $12 a cubic yard Angi lists for fill dirt, the dirt alone is roughly $670 to $1,000, before trucking, compaction and grading. Cities such as Sarasota do not allow broken concrete from the pool as fill.
What is the cheapest way to get rid of a pool screen enclosure or pavers?
Skip the demolition crew. A 10-yard dumpster from Elephants starts at $319 on the Light Load plan, a clean concrete or paver load in a 10- or 15-yard dumpster is a flat $350, and junk removal is $50 a cubic yard with a $150 minimum if you want the crew to carry it.
