Pool Removal Cost Calculator: What Is Your Tucson Pool Really Costing You?

Pool removal in Tucson runs from about $6,000 to $200,000 and up. The low end is a small spool with full truck access, no deck and the permit included. The high end is a large pool turned into a pond. Common backyard jobs with ordinary access run about $9,000 to $18,000 for a partial removal and $12,000 to $25,000 for a full removal. What moves the price: partial removal, full shell removal or fill only; whether the deck is kept, removed or broken up as fill; whether an access wall is kept, removed or replaced; fill volume; truck access, which is the biggest driver; what you want on the spot afterward; and the jurisdiction. The site visit is free and the written quote follows it.

Yes. Site visits for pool removal are free. We look at the pool, the deck, the access and what you want on the spot afterward, then send a written quote.

Yes. Pool removals are supposed to be permitted, and Omni pulls the removal permit on every job. Most companies do not. The City of Tucson issues a Swimming Pool Demolition permit. Pima County issues a Demo permit. Oro Valley, Marana and Sahuarita each issue a demolition permit. Pinal County issues one through Building Safety. Omni prepares the site plan, files the application and pays the fee, so you never deal with the city.

Before any fill goes in: that the pool equipment is gone, the utilities are capped at the source, the drains are broken out and there are drainage holes through the lowest part of the floor. Pima County calls for a 4 inch hole at the lowest point. Oro Valley adds a second inspection after backfill and asks for compaction test reports on site when they are required. We photograph every hole before fill so the record is there whether or not the inspector asks.

Clean broken concrete from the old deck and bond beam goes in the bottom of the shell. The rest is aggregate base or engineered soil, placed and compacted in 6 to 9 inch layers and leveled with AB so it matches the rest of the yard.

No. Before any fill goes in we break drainage holes all the way through the pool and spa floors so rain and irrigation water drain into the ground below instead of collecting inside the shell. The City of Tucson requires this positive drainage on every filled pool.

We remove and haul away the pump, filter, heater and other equipment. Pool plumbing, the gas line and the electrical are removed or capped at the source, which is one of the things the inspector verifies before the permit is closed.

Usually. Hard equipment access does not automatically rule a job out. A narrow side yard or a wall in the way changes the machines, the number of trips and the price, and sometimes means a wall section comes out and goes back. We settle it at the site visit.

Turf, pavers, gravel, gardens and light hardscape are fine over a partial removal. A structure is not. Fill over a broken shell can settle for years. If you might build on the spot later, tell us before we start. On a removal prepared for possible future construction, Omni tells you up front that the ground will settle a bit, has the fill dirt lab tested when it arrives, and places engineered fill compacted to 95 percent, with compaction tested in lifts and an engineer's stamp. Piers, slab type and flowable fill are used only where an engineer directs them. Omni makes no claims about any future structure. Oro Valley writes the full-removal rule into its permit.

Yes. The Arizona Residential Seller's Property Disclosure Statement asks whether a swimming pool was removed, capped or filled, and whether permits were obtained for work on the property. A permitted removal with inspection records and photos of the drainage holes answers that question cleanly. An unpermitted fill does not.

Most of our pool removals take about a week and a half from draining to finish grade. Permit review time varies by jurisdiction, and weather and access can change the schedule.

The Pima County Assessor values a pool as an improvement, and demolition permits are reported to the Assessor, so the change shows at the next annual valuation. Metro Water District customers can claim a pool removal rebate of $2 per square foot up to $200 while funds last. The monthly savings on water, sewer, electricity, gas, chemicals and service are the larger number, and our calculator adds them up for your pool.

A basic above-ground pool teardown can usually go to a hauler or junk removal company, and that is often the cheaper call. If there is a deck, a concrete pad or equipment wiring involved, call us and we will tell you whether it needs a contractor.

We will help where we can. If Omni did the removal, the permit record and job photos are on file. For other properties we can point you to the right city or county records, but we cannot promise what those records will show.