Pool removal in Austin: full or engineered partial.
Clear Ground removes residential pools in Austin and Central Texas. Full removal runs $30,000–$59,000 per pool. An engineered partial, with the floor and upper walls out and fill in tested lifts, is priced in the same range. Both include hauling the broken concrete, engineered fill compacted in tested lifts, final grading and a closeout packet. Most jobs start 1–3 weeks after approval.
Selling, building on the footprint, or tired of paying for a pool nobody uses. Start with a free on-site inspection. We tell you in writing whether to repair, watch or remove.
Free on-site inspection · Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk · Serving the Austin metro
On-site, about 30 minutes, no obligation. We'll call to schedule.
Four ways to handle a pool. We do two.
What is right depends on whether you are staying or selling, and what the yard becomes afterward. This table covers the whole menu, including the option we won't sell you.
| Option | What happens | Price in Austin | Best when | When you sell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full removal | The whole shell comes out, including the lower walls. Everything is hauled. The hole is filled with engineered material in tested lifts, then graded and restored. | $30,000–$59,000 per pool | You want to build on the footprint, or a buyer or lender wants no remnants. | Cleanest record: a former pool, removed. Still disclosed. |
| Engineered partial removal | Coping and the top of the walls come out and are hauled. The floor is dealt with so water cannot pond. The rest is filled with engineered material in tested lifts and capped. | $30,000–$59,000 per pool | You are staying, and the yard becomes lawn, patio or landscaping. | A former pool with remnants below. Disclosed, with a compaction record on file. |
| Repair and keep | Fix the leak or shell and keep swimming. We do not sell repairs, so our inspection verdict has no thumb on the scale. | Not our service | The shell is sound and you use the pool. | Nothing to disclose about removal. |
| Cheap fill-in ("punch and bury") | Holes punched in the floor, walls knocked in, rubble buried. No tested lifts, no paperwork. | Not offered | We don't recommend it. | Weakest record. Buried debris and settling. |
Prices reviewed: September 2026. Ranges for Austin and Central Texas; your site walk sets the final number.
Why we won't sell punch and bury
It doesn't remove a pool. It hides one. Buried rubble settles on its own schedule and hands the problem to whoever owns the ground next.
Our standard is to leave the ground better than we found it, with the paperwork to prove it. No honest closeout packet exists for work nobody can see. If a cheaper quote lands next to ours, ask exactly what happens to the broken concrete. That answer usually explains the price.
Selling your home? Start with the free inspection. Repair or remove: free pool inspection in Austin.
What sits behind the $30,000 floor.
Full removal is a heavy-equipment job with engineering steps a fill-in skips. These are the line items behind the starting price.
- Demolition and break-out. Coping, deck edge as needed, the floor and every wall, cut down to pieces we can load.
- Haul loads. Trucks are limited by weight, not by how full they look, so a concrete shell takes several loads. Loading, trucking and disposal are all in the price.
- Engineered fill in tested lifts. Imported fill placed in thin lifts and compacted to 95% Standard Proctor (ASTM D698). Independent compaction testing is included.
- Utility safe-off. Pump, electrical and gas lines are capped or disconnected before demolition. A licensed plumber or electrician handles gas and power where the law requires one.
- Grading and drainage. The yard is shaped to drain away from the house.
- Restoration. Finished grade, ready for sod, xeriscape or a patio. Some finishes are priced separately.
- Resale Protection Packet. Photos by phase and by lift, fill material tickets, compaction test reports, disconnect records, and a permit closeout or the county's written no-permit confirmation.
- Insurance and site supervision. $2M per occurrence / $5M aggregate general liability. One point of contact, Cody Baird, Owner.
A before-and-after drone scan and 3D model can be added for $500–$1,500 per scan. It records the surface. It is not a survey.
What moves the price
Pool size and depth. A spa or raised walls. Access: a tight side yard means smaller machines and more hand work. Hill Country limestone, which is billed as rock excavation at $35–$90 per cubic yard, or $250 per hour for hammer work when the volume can't be known. Haul distance. Large, raised or hard-to-reach pools run to the top of the range.
Want a number for your pool? Try the pool removal cost calculator or see all pricing.
How a Clear Ground pool removal runs, phase by phase.
Walk it before
we break ground
We measure the pool, check access, locate utilities and photograph the starting grade. We confirm your jurisdiction and whether a demolition permit applies. Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk.
Break-out and
haul-off
An excavator with a hydraulic hammer breaks the shell. Concrete and rebar are loaded and hauled. Hammer work near your house and fence lines is planned from the site walk. In partial removal only the top of the walls and the floor come out. In full removal the whole shell does.
Compacted
in lifts
Engineered fill goes in thin lifts, each one compacted, with independent testing to 95% Standard Proctor. This is the step a cheap crew skips, and the reason their yards settle. Each lift is photographed as it goes in.
Graded to
drain
The yard is shaped to drain away from the house and left ready for sod, xeriscape or a patio. We compare it against the starting-grade photos so you can see the ground came back where it started.
A packet,
not a question
Every removal closes with a Resale Protection Packet: photos by phase and lift, fill tickets, compaction test reports, disconnect records, and the permit closeout or the county's written no-permit confirmation. When you sell, you hand the buyer paper.
Permits and your seller's disclosure.
Permits. Whether you need a demolition permit depends on the address. Inside most city limits one is required. Many unincorporated county lots need none. We check your jurisdiction before we quote and say in writing what applies. Where a permit is required, the closeout goes in your packet. Where it is not, we ask the county to confirm that in writing, so the question "was this permitted?" has a paper answer. HOAs often want approval too, so check your covenants early.
Selling. The TREC Seller's Disclosure Notice asks sellers to report conditions they know about, and Texas law (Property Code §5.008) requires the notice for most residential sales. A past pool removal or fill is worth raising with your agent or attorney. Our packet documents what was done. It supports your disclosure and does not replace it. This is not legal advice.
Last reviewed: September 2026
How much does pool removal cost in Austin?
Full removal runs $30,000–$59,000 per pool. An engineered partial, with the floor and upper walls out and fill in tested lifts, is priced in the same range. Pool size, depth, a spa or raised walls, access for machines, limestone and haul distance move the number. Limestone is billed at $35–$90 per cubic yard, or $250 per hour for hammer work when the volume can't be known. Your free site walk sets the final price.
What is the difference between partial removal and full removal?
Partial removal takes out the coping and the top of the walls, deals with the floor so water cannot pond, hauls all of it, and fills the rest with engineered material in tested lifts. Full removal takes the whole shell out, including the lower walls, and fills the entire hole the same way. Both are still disclosed when you sell.
Why won't you do a cheap fill-in where the broken concrete is buried?
Buried rubble settles on its own schedule and the yard sinks with it. There is no honest closeout file for work nobody can see. If a cheaper quote comes in, ask exactly what happens to the broken concrete.
Do I have to disclose a removed or filled pool when I sell in Texas?
Plan on it. The TREC Seller's Disclosure Notice asks sellers to report known conditions, and a past pool removal is worth raising with your agent or attorney. Our closeout packet documents what was done. It supports your disclosure and does not replace it. This is not legal advice.
Do I need a permit to remove a pool in Austin?
It depends on the address. Inside most city limits a demolition permit is required. Many unincorporated county lots need none. We check your jurisdiction before we quote and say in writing whether a permit applies. Where none is required, we ask the county for written confirmation.
How long does a pool removal take?
Most jobs start 1 to 3 weeks after approval. Site work is usually a few days, depending on pool size, access and how much has to be hauled.
Are you insured?
Yes. We carry $2M per occurrence / $5M aggregate general liability, plus Texas workers' compensation. A certificate of insurance and additional-insured endorsement are provided before work starts.
Rather just talk
to a person?
(512) 880-8888
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Cody Baird, Owner