Premier Pool Removal: Option 2 – Demolish Upper 18 Inches

Most Tucson pool removals run $9,000 to $18,000 for a partial removal and $12,000 to $25,000 for a full removal. Pool size and depth, an attached spa, deck square footage, access width, haul distance and engineered fill are what move the price. Every Omni quote is written after a site visit and includes the permit, the inspections, equipment removal, capped utilities, compacted fill, finish grade and cleanup.

Yes. 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.

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 are planning an addition, a casita, a garage, a ramada, a driveway or a patio slab over the area, the shell has to come out entirely and the hole has to be backfilled with engineered, compacted fill under a geotechnical report signed by a licensed engineer. Oro Valley writes that rule into its permit. Tell us before we start so the job is scoped as a full removal and planned with your general contractor.

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.