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Tustin Demolition, Abatement & Site Preparation

SoCal Removal works across Tustin, from Old Town’s Cultural Resources District to the industrial and retail centers near the freeways. Our Tustin work includes asbestos ceiling removal in homes, asbestos debris cleanup after the 2023 North Hangar fire, and after-hours and industrial removals for local businesses, with asbestos abatement done by our Cal/OSHA-registered subcontractor.

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Our work in Tustin

Tustin projects we have completed:

Demolition in Tustin

Tustin work ranges from homes in Old Town and the older neighborhoods to warehouses, retail stores and offices. Much of the commercial work happens while the business stays open, so we schedule after-hours shifts and protect what stays in place.

Our crews work daylight hours, inside Tustin’s allowed construction hours. When a business needs to stay open, we offer after-hours work under the city’s alternate work schedule approval, as we did for Micro Center.

What a demolition permit in Tustin requires

Demolition permits are issued by the Building Division at 300 Centennial Way, with applications through the city’s online Citizen Self Service portal; a permit expires if work doesn’t start within 360 days (city building FAQ). No building, demolition, grading or landscape permit is issued until Public Works Engineering approves a Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan (city development review). Non-residential projects also turn in a hazardous materials and air quality questionnaire, which can require clearance from hazardous materials disclosure and South Coast AQMD (commercial permit guide).

Tustin requires at least 65% of project waste to be recycled, salvaged or reused, with a deposit collected when the permit is issued: 5% of valuation for single-family additions and alterations ($500 minimum, $2,500 maximum), $5,000 for a new detached home, 5% or $2,500, whichever is greater and up to $25,000, for multifamily and commercial work, and $1,000 per acre for grading permits (TCC 4351), plus a $50 application fee. CR&R is the city’s contract hauler; unless you self-haul, landfill-bound material goes through CR&R, and self-haul weight tickets must show Tustin as the city of origin and be dated after the plan was approved (recycling plan packet). The final report with weight tickets goes in after final inspection, and the refund check takes about six weeks (final report form). Filling in a pool or spa is exempt.

Permit rules on this page were checked against city sources in October 2026 and are re-checked every six months.

Old Town and the Cultural Resources District

Tustin’s Cultural Resources District covers Old Town, roughly between I-5, Newport Avenue, First Street and SR-55. Demolishing or removing a designated cultural resource, or any improvement in the district, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Community Development Director, who can approve, condition or deny it. Repairs after fire or wind damage can get an expedited over-the-counter certificate, and work the Building Official finds necessary to fix an unsafe condition needs none (Cultural Resources District guidelines). The city’s survey rates each property as a contributor or non-contributor, and we check it before we price (historic survey).

Water comes from Tustin Water Services or Irvine Ranch Water District depending on the address, IRWD provides sewer in Tustin Legacy, and SCE provides power (city water system).

Site preparation in Tustin

After demolition we remove slabs, footings and paving, clear and rough grade the lot, and recycle concrete and asphalt.

  • Grading. A grading permit is needed to move more than 50 cubic yards, place a foot of fill or cut a slope over 5 feet, with four plan sets and two soils reports. A compaction report and pad certification are required before the building permit (city building FAQ). Excavations of 50 cubic yards or less under 2 feet deep, and fills under 3 feet and 50 cubic yards or less, are exempt (TCC 8906). The rainy season runs October 1 to April 30, and grading over 200 cubic yards in the wet months needs an approved erosion-control system. Sites over an acre also need a state stormwater permit and a SWPPP.
  • Street trees. Trimming or removing a public street tree needs prior written approval from the Manager of Field Services (TCC 7303).
  • Street work. Work in the right-of-way needs a Public Works encroachment permit with $1 million in liability coverage naming the city, a California Class A license and a city business license (encroachment permit form). SoCal Removal holds a Class A license.
  • Work hours. No construction from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays or 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. on Saturdays, and none on Sundays or city holidays, unless the city approves an alternate work schedule (alternate work schedule application).
  • Pool removal. We confirm Tustin’s current backfill and compaction requirements with the Building Division during plan check.
  • Cal/OSHA on pool removals. When the 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). We pull a T1 project permit for the job and designate a competent person for each project, as the permit requires. 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 the excavation daily and after every rain. We keep broken concrete and spoil at least 2 feet from the edge, provide a ladder or ramp within 25 feet of travel, barricade the open pit and keep crews out of standing water (8 CCR 1541), and we call DigAlert at least two working days before digging (CSLB). Breaking the shell with jackhammers falls under Cal/OSHA’s silica standard, so we use water at the point of impact or shrouded dust collection under a written exposure control plan (8 CCR 1532.3).

On every Tustin site we control dust under South Coast AQMD Rule 403: water on the work, no visible dust past the property line and track-out cleaned up daily. More on site preparation, concrete removal, grading and utility locating.

Abatement in Tustin

Abatement means removing what makes a property unsafe, unpermitted or unusable. Owners usually call us after a city notice of violation, before a sale, or before a rebuild.

  • Unpermitted additions and structures: enclosed patios, garage conversions, sheds and rooms built without permits, removed under a demolition permit so the property matches its approved plans again.
  • Damaged and unsafe buildings: fire-, storm- or impact-damaged structures secured with board-up and fencing, then taken down.
  • Rubbish and abandoned items: junk, debris piles, old appliances and leftover building materials loaded, hauled and recycled.
  • Hazardous substances: under our CSLB HAZ certification we remove contaminated soil and abandoned fuel and holding tanks.
  • Brush and old pools: weeds and brush cut for fire clearance, and unused pools removed by the method the city requires.

See hauling and disposal, land clearing and hazardous materials prices.

Asbestos abatement before demolition in Tustin

About 51.6% of Tustin homes were built before 1980 (SCAG housing data). Our Tustin projects include asbestos ceiling drywall removal in two phases for a home renovation and cleanup of asbestos fire debris after the North Hangar fire.

In Tustin homes the abatement work most often covers acoustic ceilings and ceiling drywall, floor tile and mastic, and HVAC duct wrap. In stores and warehouses it is usually flooring and adhesive, pipe insulation and roofing materials.

Every job starts with a survey by an independent Certified Asbestos Consultant and accredited-lab results. You can hire the consultant directly, or we bring one in and include the fee in our estimate. When the survey finds asbestos, a separately licensed asbestos abatement contractor registered with Cal/OSHA (DOSH) removes it under subcontract to SoCal Removal, following Cal/OSHA’s asbestos standard (8 CCR 1529) and South Coast AQMD Rule 1403: the work area contained, the material kept wet, and the waste bagged, labeled and hauled under a manifest. An independent consultant can run clearance air samples before the area is reopened, and we schedule the demolition around that work.

Illustration of South Coast AQMD Rule 1403 Procedure 5: approved cleanup plan for damaged or disturbed asbestos-containing material
Illustration. South Coast AQMD Rule 1403, Procedure 5: an approved cleanup plan for damaged material, for example after a fire. On our projects, asbestos abatement is performed by a Cal/OSHA-registered subcontractor.

Every demolition in the South Coast air district, including Tustin, needs the asbestos survey and an AQMD notification 10 working days before work starts, even when no asbestos is found (Rule 1403). For lead, SoCal Removal is an EPA RRP lead-certified firm and removes lead-based paint, lead-glazed tile and coated components as part of renovation and demolition, using lead-safe work practices. When a project calls for lead abatement under California rules, that work is done by certified lead workers with the required controls, notifications and medical monitoring; our pollution coverage is listed on our qualifications page. See asbestos abatement, lead removal and testing prices.

Disaster recovery in Tustin

Tustin’s biggest recent disaster was the North Hangar fire at the former Marine Corps Air Station, which started early on November 7, 2023 (U.S. Navy). The next day South Coast AQMD reported that debris and ash collected near the hangar tested positive for asbestos (AQMD). By December 19, 2023, the city had logged 1,143 debris reports and cleaned and cleared 963 sites, using a Certified Asbestos Consultant to inspect and sample each property before cleanup and clear it afterward, and all 29 Tustin Unified schools had been cleared. Pool owners who suspected debris in skimmer baskets or filters were told to have their pool technician and a certified asbestos contractor remove it together (city hangar incident FAQ) (city incident update). The state toxics agency declared the remediation complete in June 2026 and the City Council ended the local emergency on June 16, 2026 (Stars and Stripes).

Other risks are wildfire, flooding and earthquake. State fire maps recommend 443 acres of Tustin as Very High fire hazard (OSFM 2025 maps), a failure of Santiago Creek Dam could flood a large part of the city more than a foot deep (IRWD dam emergency plan), and the state liquefaction zone covers much of the Tustin Plain (CGS hazard report).

After a fire, flood, earthquake or vehicle impact, we secure the property first with board-up and temporary fencing. Then we remove damaged materials and debris and, once the owner, insurer and city agree on the scope, demolish what can’t be saved and clear the site for the rebuild. Our projects include that kind of work after the hangar fire: asbestos debris removed from a home’s roof, gutters, fountains and soil, and the side yard restored.

After a disaster, inspectors may post a green Inspected, yellow Restricted Use or red Unsafe placard; only the building department can remove one, and a red placard is not a demolition order (Cal OES). Asbestos rules still apply after a disaster: South Coast AQMD requires an approved Procedure 5 plan before fire- or storm-damaged asbestos material is cleaned up, and when a government agency orders a dangerous building demolished, the notice is filed as an ordered demolition without the usual 10-working-day wait (AQMD Rule 1403 FAQ). Homeowner policies often include debris-removal coverage on top of the dwelling limit, commonly an extra 5% of Coverage A, so ask your adjuster (California Department of Insurance).

What it costs in Tustin

Our published 2026 prices are the same in Tustin as everywhere else we work. City permit fees, the AQMD notification fee and any recycling deposit are extra; see demolition permit and AQMD fees by city.

  • House, garage or ADU demolition, collapse and remove with the slab left: $26.50–$31.50 per square foot
  • Full demolition to dirt, foundation and slab out: $42–$51 per square foot
  • Fire-damaged structure demolition, slab left: $29–$35 per square foot
  • Interior demolition and gut-outs: $22.50–$26.50 per square foot
  • In-ground pool removal, by the method the city requires: $15,750–$31,500
  • Concrete slab removal, 4 inches: $8.75–$10.50 per square foot ($6–$7.25 at 5,000 SF and up)
  • Lot clearing and grubbing: $22,000–$26,250 per acre
  • Rough grading: $1.35–$1.85 per square foot of pad
  • Asbestos popcorn ceiling abatement, by our registered subcontractor: $9.50–$12.75 per square foot
  • Asbestos floor tile and mastic abatement, by our registered subcontractor: $17–$23.50 per square foot
  • Asbestos sample, standard turnaround: $120–$145 per sample
  • Temporary 6-foot construction fence: $21–$25 per linear foot

Minimums are $3,750 for demolition and site preparation and $1,950 for asbestos or lead work. See the demolition, fire-damaged demolition, interior demolition, asbestos removal, popcorn ceiling, pool removal, land clearing and grading cost guides, or all 2026 prices.

Tustin demolition and abatement questions

Do I need permission to demolish a building in Old Town Tustin?

Yes. Demolition of a designated cultural resource or any improvement in the Cultural Resources District needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Community Development Director. Fire or wind damage repairs can get an expedited certificate.

Do I need a recycling plan before a Tustin demolition permit?

Yes. Public Works Engineering must approve a Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan first. At least 65% of the waste must be recycled, salvaged or reused, and the deposit is refunded after the final report with weight tickets.

How much is the Tustin demolition recycling deposit?

For single-family additions and alterations it is 5% of valuation, from $500 to $2,500; $5,000 for a new detached home; and 5% or $2,500, whichever is greater and up to $25,000, for multifamily and commercial work. It is refunded after the final report with weight tickets, in about six weeks.

What hours can demolition run in Tustin?

Weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no work on Sundays or city holidays unless the city approves an alternate work schedule.

Did you clean up debris from the Tustin hangar fire?

Yes. Our projects include asbestos debris removal from a nearby home’s roof, gutters, fountains and soil, with the side yard restored; asbestos abatement is done by our Cal/OSHA-registered subcontractor. Damaged asbestos material needs an AQMD-approved Procedure 5 plan before cleanup.

Start with the address and a few photos

Send the property address, photos, any asbestos survey and your target schedule. We walk the site, check the permit path for that parcel and send a written, itemized price. Call (949) 446-0000 or request a project review.

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