Short answer: We remove backyard pools in St. Petersburg, across Pinellas County and in Tampa: the concrete or fiberglass shell, the deck and pavers, the screen enclosure, the pump and heater, then clean fill, compaction and a graded lot you can use. You can choose a full removal (every piece comes out) or a partial fill (the top of the shell comes off, the floor is broken for drainage, the hole is filled). Every job is quoted after a site visit, because the shell, the access to your backyard and the size of the deck change the price more than the pool’s length does. On a full teardown a licensed Florida contractor we partner with pulls the permit; our own crew does the digging, breaking, hauling and cleanup, with our own roll-off dumpsters on site so the concrete leaves the day it comes out.
Want a number for your yard? Put your ZIP in the form, pick “Not sure yet” under what you need, and describe the pool, the deck and the gate in the Details box. I call or text back to talk through the job and set up a time to look. Or call or text 727-240-7033.
Get a Quote: Talk Through the Job with Joseph
Tell us the ZIP and a few words about the job. Joseph texts or calls back to talk it through and set up a time to look.
Owner-operated in St. Petersburg · Rather talk? Call or text 727-240-7033
Full removal or partial fill: which one should you ask for?
Full removal. We drain the pool, break the entire shell, pull every piece of concrete, rebar, plaster, tile and plumbing out of the ground, and haul it off in our dumpsters. The hole is filled with clean fill in layers, compacted as it goes, and graded so water runs away from your house. When it is done there is no pool under your lawn: nothing to settle later, nothing a buyer’s inspector will find, and the spot can carry a shed, a patio, an addition or a new pool.
Partial fill (punch and fill). We drain the pool, remove the deck and the top of the shell down below grade, punch drainage holes through the floor so rain does not collect inside the old shell, and fill the rest. Less concrete comes out and fewer dumpster loads leave, so it costs less. The trade-off is permanent: there is still a pool shell in your yard. The ground over it can settle, building on that spot is a problem, and in Florida you tell a buyer about it when you sell (more on that below).
What we recommend. We quote full removal first, because it is the only version that leaves you a normal lot. Partial fill is a fair choice when the budget is tight, when all you will ever want there is grass, when a big excavator cannot get into the yard without taking out a wall or a grand oak, or when you are selling soon and the buyer knows and agrees. We will say which one we would do in your yard, and quote both if you want to compare.
What happens to the deck, the pavers, the screen cage and the equipment
- The screen enclosure comes down first, cut into sections. The aluminum is recycled, not buried, which is why we take the cage apart instead of crushing it with the deck.
- The concrete deck and coping are broken up and loaded with the shell. Pavers come up by hand or with the machine; if you want to keep them, say so when we quote and we stack them instead of hauling them.
- The pump, filter, heater and chlorinator are disconnected and removed. A gas heater needs the gas shut off and capped before anything is cut; the power to the pump and lights is disconnected at the panel before the first swing. Those disconnects are checked on the permit paperwork, not assumed.
- The plumbing is cut and capped at the equipment pad. Lines under the shell come out with it on a full removal; on a partial fill they are cut and left below the new grade.
- The water goes first, slowly, and not into the storm drain. Pinellas County asks you to let the pool stand at least 48 hours so the chlorine drops to 0.01 mg/L or less, then discharge over grass with a 12-foot vegetated buffer before the county right-of-way (Pinellas County, Prevent Prohibited Drainage Connections; questions to 727-464-4425). We plan the draining day around that.
Who pulls the permit, and who does the work
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. You deal with one crew and one phone number, the trucks in your driveway are ours, and the dumpsters are the same ones we rent to homeowners and contractors across Pinellas every day. The permit application, the utility sign-offs and the inspections are handled for you; your job is to pick a start day and move the patio furniture.
Pool removal permits in St. Petersburg
Removing a pool is a demolition to the city, so it goes through the St. Petersburg Building Department, Construction Services & Permitting, at the Municipal Services Center, One 4th Street North, 727-893-7231 (St. Petersburg Building Permits). Applications go through the city’s ePlan portal, and the city gives applicants ten business days to answer any review comments before an application is denied, so the paperwork is done right the first time.
The piece most homeowners have never heard of is the Utility Verification for Demolition of Structures form. Before the city issues a demolition permit, each utility signs that its service is disconnected: Duke Energy (1-866-372-4663), TECO gas if the heater is on gas (727-826-3260), and the St. Petersburg Water Department (727-892-5317, UVF@stpete.org), which records whether the water line and meter were removed. The same form asks for the Sunshine 811 locate number (1-800-432-4770), the free call that marks buried lines before any machine digs, and carries the asbestos notice: a written demolition notification to Pinellas County Air Quality ten days in advance, even when no asbestos is present. That rule is written for buildings; whether a stand-alone pool and deck need the notice is a question the permit holder settles with Air Quality (727-464-4422, Asbestos@pinellas.gov) before the start date (Pinellas County, Asbestos Notification Requirements). A pool house or an old screened room with a solid roof coming down with the pool is a structure, and the survey and notice apply to it.
Trees. Most St. Pete backyards are reached down a side yard, and most side yards have an oak. A protected tree (a shade tree 4 inches or more in trunk diameter, an understory tree 8 inches or more) cannot be removed without a city permit, Grand trees of 30 inches or more have extra protection, and the city charges a $25 inspection fee before an arborist looks (St. Petersburg Urban Forestry, 727-463-5680). We would rather bring a smaller machine through than take out a tree, and that call is made on the site visit, not on demolition day.
Pool removal permits in Clearwater
Clearwater’s checklist says plainly that if you plan to “demolish” a structure you need a permit, and pools, pool cages and fences are on its permit list too (City of Clearwater, Do I Need a Permit?). Permits come from Planning & Development, 100 S. Myrtle Avenue, 2nd floor, 727-562-4567, epermit@myclearwater.com. The city’s published fee schedule lists a demolition permit at $53 plus $0.10 per square foot over 1,000 square feet, capped at $1,000; the schedule is dated February 2022, so the permit holder confirms the current number when applying (Clearwater Building Permit Fee Schedule). Duke Energy serves Clearwater too, so the power disconnect is the same call as in St. Pete; the water side is the city’s own utility, and the permit reviewer tells you which sign-offs your application needs. The Air Quality notice question is the same countywide.
Palm Harbor, East Lake, Tierra Verde and the rest of unincorporated Pinellas
If your address is in unincorporated Pinellas County (Palm Harbor, East Lake, Tierra Verde, and Seminole or Largo addresses outside the city limits), the permit comes from Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services, 440 Court Street, Clearwater, 727-464-3888, open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The county requires a permit for demolition work that costs more than $500 or needs an inspection, which covers every pool; applications go through the county’s online Access Portal, a contractor’s license has to be tied to the portal account, and an owner who wants to pull a permit personally must appear in person to sign an affidavit (Pinellas County Building FAQ; Permitting Guide). Largo, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Dunedin and the beach towns run their own building departments; the steps are the same, and we tell you on the site visit which office your address falls under.
Pool removal permits in Tampa
In Tampa the demolition permit comes from Construction Services, 813-274-3100, option 1. The city’s page says the permit “is required for the demolition of any existing structure and the associated debris removal and will be issued on the same day,” and an inspection has to be called in before the demolition starts (City of Tampa, Other Residential Permits). Tampa’s Demolition Sign-off Form, uploaded to the online Accela application, needs Tampa Electric to sign that the power is off (813-635-1500, option 4) and TECO Peoples Gas to sign for gas (813-223-0800); the Water, Wastewater and Historic Preservation sign-offs are no longer required. Asbestos questions in Hillsborough go to the Environmental Protection Commission, 813-627-2600. Tampa jobs run from St. Petersburg, so we plan them as full days.
The fill, the compaction and the drainage: what a good job looks like
The dirt is where cheap pool removals go wrong. A pool-sized hole filled in one dump and smoothed over settles for years, and the low spot that forms is exactly where the rain will sit. A proper fill goes in lifts, each one compacted before the next, with clean fill, not tree debris or broken coping. On a partial fill, the holes punched through the floor are what let water drain out of the old shell instead of turning it into a buried bathtub. The guidelines Florida cities publish for this work say the same things in the same order: take the upper edges of the shell down at least 18 inches below finished grade, cut a hole of at least 24 by 24 inches in the lowest part of the floor, backfill with clean fill dirt, compact and grade so stormwater does not run onto the neighbors, then sod or stabilize the surface (the City of Winter Park’s pool demolition guideline is a clear public example). On a full removal there is no shell left to drain, so the work is all about the layers and the final grade. Either way we finish with the ground sloping away from the house, and we tell you honestly that new fill settles a little in its first rainy season, so plan the sod or the new patio for after that.
Selling the house later: Florida’s disclosure rule
Florida has no statute titled “filled-in pools,” but it has something broader. In Johnson v. Davis, 480 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 1985), the Florida Supreme Court held that where the seller of a home knows of facts materially affecting the value of the property which are not readily observable and are not known to the buyer, the seller is under a duty to disclose them (text of the decision). A pool shell buried under the lawn is the textbook example: a buyer cannot see it, it limits what can be built there, and it can affect the price. So a partial fill is something you disclose when you sell, and the permit, the final inspection and photos of the fill are what make that disclosure a non-event instead of a negotiation. A full removal leaves nothing buried to disclose, which is the other reason we quote it first. We are not lawyers; your agent or a Florida real estate attorney can tell you how to word it on the seller’s disclosure.
Where the concrete goes, and why that is part of the price
A backyard pool and its deck are many tons of concrete, and the dump fee is charged by the ton. In Pinellas, our loads go to the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex at 3095 114th Avenue North in St. Petersburg, which charges $63.57 a ton (Pinellas County disposal fees). Tampa jobs pay Hillsborough County’s rate: construction and demolition debris counts as non-processable waste at $109 a ton for commercial haulers from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, delivered to the Southeast County Landfill (Hillsborough County trash and recycling fees). That difference is one reason the same pool costs more to remove in Tampa than in Largo. Aluminum from the enclosure and steel rebar are pulled out for recycling, and clean concrete kept apart from dirt and trash is cheaper to move than a mixed load, which is why we keep the piles separate on the job.
How a pool removal goes, from quote to graded lot
- You send the job in: ZIP, pool type if you know it (concrete, fiberglass or vinyl liner), roughly how big, what is around it (deck, pavers, cage), and how a machine gets to the backyard (gate width, which side of the house, trees).
- I call or text back and we set a time to look. We measure, check the access, look at the equipment and the gas and power, and talk through full removal against partial fill. You get a written quote, and your written quote is your final price.
- Permit and notices. The permit application, the utility disconnect sign-offs, the Sunshine 811 locate and the Air Quality question are handled before a start date is set. This paperwork, not the digging, decides how soon the job starts.
- Draining. The pool stands so the chlorine drops, then drains slowly over grass.
- Demolition and hauling. The enclosure comes down, the equipment comes out, the deck and shell are broken and loaded into our roll-off dumpsters on your driveway, swapped as they fill.
- Fill, compaction and grade. Clean fill in layers, compacted, graded away from the house.
- Inspection and cleanup. The final inspection is called in, the last dumpster leaves, and the driveway is swept. Keep the permit record and take photos of the fill; they matter when you sell.
What a pool removal costs in Pinellas and Tampa
We do not post one price for pool removal because no two yards are alike: a number that is right for a 12 by 24 concrete pool with a gate on the driveway side would be wrong for a 20 by 40 pool with a spa behind a six-foot wall. Every job is quoted after a site visit, and the quote is the price. What moves it:
- Full removal or partial fill. Full removal means every ton of the shell comes out and goes across the scale.
- The shell. Concrete and gunite pools are the heaviest and slowest to break. Fiberglass shells are lighter but come out in big pieces. Vinyl liner pools have the least concrete but still have walls, a floor and a deck.
- The deck, coping and cage. A big paver patio or a two-story screen enclosure can be as much work as the pool.
- Access. A wide gate and a straight shot to the pool lets a full-size excavator and our dumpsters work fast. A narrow side yard, a block wall, a septic drain field or a protected oak means a smaller machine, more trips and more hours.
- Depth and extras. Deep ends, attached spas, waterfalls, rock features and raised bond beams add concrete and time.
- Dump fees: $63.57 a ton in Pinellas and $109 a ton in Hillsborough, by weight.
- Permit and notice fees for your city, passed through at cost.
When a dumpster or a smaller crew is the cheaper way. If you are only taking down the screen enclosure, pulling up pavers or clearing the old pool equipment, you do not need a demolition crew. A 10-yard dumpster on your driveway starts at $319 on the Light Load plan (0.5 ton included) for the cage, furniture and light debris; concrete and pavers you break up yourself go in a 10- or 15-yard dumpster as a clean concrete load for a flat $350; and if you would rather we carry it, junk removal is $50 a cubic yard with a $150 minimum, or $150 a cubic yard with a $250 minimum for heavy material like concrete and pavers, because a yard of it weighs close to a ton. Those prices are on our pricing page and they do not change on the day. The full pool, with the permit and the machine, is the site-visit quote.
Frequently asked questions about pool removal in Pinellas County
Do I need a permit to fill in a pool in St. Petersburg?
Yes. Filling in or removing a pool is treated as a demolition, and St. Petersburg issues the permit through its Building Department at One 4th Street North (727-893-7231). The application includes the Utility Verification for Demolition of Structures form, signed by Duke Energy, TECO gas where there is gas, and the city water department, plus the Sunshine 811 locate number and the Pinellas County asbestos notice statement.
Can I just fill my pool with dirt myself?
Not legally without a permit, and not well without a machine. Florida’s building permit statute (section 553.79, cited on Pinellas County’s building FAQ) requires a permit to demolish a structure anywhere in the state; the county’s own rule covers any demolition over $500 or needing an inspection, and each city issues its own. A pool filled without breaking the floor and removing the top of the shell becomes a buried tank that holds water, settles and has to be disclosed when you sell.
What is the difference between full pool removal and partial pool removal?
A full removal takes out the entire shell, deck, plumbing and enclosure and fills the hole with compacted clean fill, leaving a normal buildable lot. A partial removal (punch and fill) removes the deck and the top of the shell, punches drainage holes through the floor and fills the rest, leaving the lower shell in the ground. Partial costs less; full leaves nothing to settle or disclose.
How much does it cost to remove a pool in Pinellas County?
We quote every pool after a site visit, because the shell type, the deck and cage, the access for a machine and the dump fees ($63.57 a ton in Pinellas, $109 a ton in Hillsborough) move the price more than the pool’s size. Your written quote is your final price. Smaller jobs around a pool, such as removing the screen enclosure or hauling broken concrete, have posted prices: dumpsters from $319 and junk removal from $150.
Does a filled-in pool have to be disclosed when I sell my house in Florida?
Under the Florida Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v. Davis (1985), a seller must disclose known facts that materially affect the value of the property and are not readily observable to the buyer. A pool shell left under the lawn after a partial fill is that kind of fact. A full removal leaves nothing buried. Ask your agent or a real estate attorney how to word it.
Who pulls the permit for a pool removal with Elephants?
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.
Where does the concrete from a pool go?
In Pinellas it goes to the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex at 3095 114th Avenue North in St. Petersburg at $63.57 a ton. In Tampa it goes to Hillsborough County’s Southeast County Landfill as non-processable waste at $109 a ton. The aluminum from the screen enclosure and the steel rebar are recycled.
Can you drain my pool into the street?
Pinellas County asks pool owners to let the water stand at least 48 hours so the chlorine falls to 0.01 mg/L or less, then release it slowly over grass with a 12-foot vegetated buffer before the county right-of-way, never over a lawn just treated with pesticide. We drain that way and schedule it a couple of days before the machine arrives.
Ready to talk through your pool?
Call or text 727-240-7033, or send the job in below: pick “Not sure yet” under what you need, then describe the pool, the deck and the gate in the Details box. I call or text back to talk it through and set up a time to look. Elephants Price Promise: your written quote is your final price, and we match any written quote for the same job.
Get a Quote: Talk Through the Job with Joseph
Tell us the ZIP and a few words about the job. Joseph texts or calls back to talk it through and set up a time to look.
Owner-operated in St. Petersburg · Rather talk? Call or text 727-240-7033