Removing an in-ground pool in Southern California costs $15,750–$31,500 in 2026. Where a pool lands in that range depends on the method your city requires (partial removal and backfill, or full removal), access for equipment, and capping the gas, water and electrical lines. Block walls run $170–$205 per linear foot and fences $12.25–$14.75 per linear foot. Jobs start at the $3,750 minimum.
Pool removal cost, and wall and fence removal cost per foot
Estimates for budgeting only, not an offer, bid or quote. Permits, government fees and testing are extra unless listed; your signed written proposal sets the price.
| Item | Price | Unit | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-ground pool removal (partial removal and backfill, or full removal) | $15,750 – $31,500 | per pool | Method your city requires: break out the top and backfill with compaction, or remove the whole shell; drain, haul, backfill; gas, water and electrical lines to the pool capped (by licensed trades where required) |
| Block wall demolition, 6 ft high with footing | $170 – $205 | per linear foot | Wall and footing removal, haul-off |
| Fence removal, chain link or wood, up to 6 ft | $12.25 – $14.75 | per linear foot | Remove posts and fabric, haul-off |
| Curb and gutter removal | $20 – $25.50 | per linear foot | Saw cut, break-up, haul, recycling |
| Pavement striping removal, 4 in. stripe | $6 – $7 | per linear foot | Grind or blast stripe off |
Budget ranges for 2026, not a quote. Prices include what the Includes column lists. Not included: permits and other government fees, and testing, engineering and utility disconnects by others. Minimum charge: $3,750 per job.
Permit or notice: City demolition permit, with inspections, for pool removal. Permit fees are not included; we pull or coordinate the permits our work needs, billed at cost plus administrative time.
Wall, fence and curb removal cost by length
| Project | Price |
|---|---|
| Block wall, 6 ft high with footing, 100 LF | $17,000 – $20,500 |
| Wood or chain-link fence, 400 LF | $4,900 – $5,900 |
| Curb and gutter, 200 LF | $4,000 – $5,100 |
What’s in the price
Pool removal covers draining, breaking out the bond beam and shell, hauling, fill, compaction in lifts, and capping the lines to the pool equipment. Wall and fence prices include footings and haul-off.
Included
- Draining and breaking out the pool to the depth your city requires
- Backfill placed and compacted in lifts
- Removing pool equipment and capping its gas, water and electrical lines (by licensed trades where required)
- Wall and fence footings, hauling and recycling
Not included
- Pool demolition permit and city fees
- Compaction testing and soils engineering when the city requires them
- New landscaping, fences or walls
- Shared walls without the neighbor’s written consent
We price this work as part of our removal and site projects; specialty trades are performed by appropriately licensed subcontractors where the law requires.
How we measure
Pools are priced per pool; walls, fences, curbs and stripes per linear foot of length.
Partial removal and backfill. The top of the shell is broken out, the floor is broken through so water drains, and the pool is filled and compacted in layers.
Full removal. The whole shell comes out and the hole is filled and compacted in layers. It costs more but leaves no concrete in the ground.
Cal/OSHA rules for pool removal
When a pool shell comes out and the hole is 5 feet or deeper, it is an excavation under Cal/OSHA, and the contractor needs a Cal/OSHA Trench/Excavation permit, permit type T1 on the Cal/OSHA application, before anyone goes in (8 CCR 341, Cal/OSHA form 41-1). The permit can be annual or for a single project, and it requires a designated competent person for each project. Excavations 5 feet or deeper must be sloped, benched or shored unless they are entirely in stable rock (8 CCR 1541.1), and a competent person inspects them daily and after every rain. Spoil and broken concrete stay at least 2 feet from the edge, a ladder or ramp must be within 25 feet of travel, open pits are barricaded and crews stay out of standing water (8 CCR 1541). Before digging, the excavator must contact DigAlert at least two working days ahead (CSLB). Breaking the shell with jackhammers falls under Cal/OSHA’s silica standard, which calls for water at the point of impact or shrouded dust collection and a written exposure control plan (8 CCR 1532.3). SoCal Removal pulls a T1 project permit for pool removals that need one, and those safety steps are built into our pool removal prices. See our pool removal service for city requirements, utility capping and backfill.
Pool, wall and fence removal questions
How much does it cost to remove a pool in Southern California?
$15,750–$31,500 per in-ground pool in 2026. Partial removal and backfill lands toward the low end; full removal of the shell with engineered fill lands toward the high end. Compaction testing and soils engineering, when the city requires them, are billed separately. Your city decides which method it accepts.
How much does it cost to fill in a pool?
Filling in a pool is the partial-removal method: drain it, break out the top of the shell, crack the floor for drainage, then backfill and compact. It falls in the lower part of the $15,750–$31,500 range, and some cities require full removal instead.
How much does it cost to remove a cinder block wall?
$170–$205 per linear foot for a 6-foot block wall with its footing, hauled away. A 100-foot wall runs $17,000–$20,500.
How much does it cost to remove a fence?
$12.25–$14.75 per linear foot for chain link or wood up to 6 feet, posts and footings included, so 400 feet runs $4,900–$5,900. Fence-only jobs under $3,750 are billed at the $3,750 minimum.
For architects, engineers and contractors
Scope: Removal before construction or site restoration
Wall, fence, curb and striping rates can be used as budget unit prices for added or deleted lengths; contract unit prices are set in the proposal or bid. Pool removal is priced from the method the city or soils engineer specifies. Cost terms glossary · Printable unit-price sheet
What to send for a firm quote
- Photos of the pool, equipment pad and access path
- Pool size and depth
- Your city’s pool-removal requirements, if you have them
- Wall or fence length and height, and who owns it
Request a project review or call (949) 446-0000
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Disclaimer: a guide, not a quote.
These prices are a guide for budgeting, not a quote. They are our 2026 price ranges for common projects in Southern California. Your written price depends on the site, access, quantities, the materials found, the schedule and the documents you provide, and it can come in above or below these ranges; the written proposal governs.
Permits, inspections and other government fees vary from city to city and county to county and are not included. Neither are plan preparation, engineering, utility planning, agency submittals and coordination, inspector standby, return trips or administrative time, other than the asbestos air-district notice we prepare and file. Testing is priced on the testing page. Worked examples illustrate their stated assumptions and are not quotes. When a project needs any of these, they’re listed in the written proposal.
A written proposal follows a site walk or a review of your plans, reports and photos.
SoCal Removal is the business name of Abajian Enterprise, a California corporation. CSLB #980451 (A, B, C-21). Certifications: HAZ, ASB (ASB for bidding only). Verify the license · Insurance and project bonding