Swimming Pool Demolition: Your Options Explained (Oregon)

Quick Verdict

Swimming pool demolition in Oregon follows a clear sequence: drain the pool, cap the plumbing and electrical, break up the shell, and backfill the hole with compacted material. From there the big decision is full removal versus partial fill-in, which is its own choice covered in detail separately. On Oregon valley lots, drainage and groundwater drive how the backfill has to be handled, county permits and resale disclosure come into play, and an 811 locate is required before any digging. This guide walks the overall process and your options so you know what hiring a pool demo actually involves.

The Basic Demolition Sequence

Whether the pool is gunite (concrete), vinyl-liner, or fiberglass, the core steps are the same:

1. Drain the pool. Water has to go somewhere legal, drainage rules matter, and you cannot just dump thousands of gallons into the street or a storm drain.
2. Cap plumbing and electrical. Disconnect and cap the water lines, and safely disconnect and remove the electrical, pump, and any gas heater lines.
3. Break the shell. Demolish the pool structure. The method and how much you break out depends on full versus partial removal.
4. Backfill and compact. Fill the void with suitable material placed and compacted in lifts so it does not settle later.
5. Grade and restore. Finish the surface so it drains and blends with the yard.

The residential demolition guide covers the broader teardown process this fits into.

Pool Type Changes the Job

The construction of the pool affects the demolition:

• Gunite / concrete (in-ground): the heaviest demo. The thick concrete shell has to be broken up with an excavator and hammer, and that rubble either goes into the hole (partial) or gets hauled off (full).
• Vinyl-liner: a steel or polymer wall with a liner. The liner comes out, the walls are removed or collapsed, and the floor is dealt with.
• Fiberglass: a one-piece shell. It can sometimes be cut and lifted out more cleanly than concrete.

For above-ground pools, the job is much simpler and is covered separately in above-ground pool removal.

Full vs Partial: The Core Decision

The biggest cost and consequence driver is whether you do a full removal or a partial fill-in:

• Full removal: break out and haul off the entire shell, then backfill with engineered fill. Most expensive, but it leaves clean, buildable ground.
• Partial fill-in: break holes in the bottom for drainage, demolish the top section of walls (often the top 18 to 36 inches), push the rubble in, and backfill over it. Cheaper, but it can limit future building on that spot and may require disclosure.

This decision deserves its own analysis, see full vs partial pool removal for the cost, buildability, and disclosure tradeoffs.

The Oregon Angle: Drainage, Groundwater, and Permits

Oregon conditions shape pool demo more than people expect:

• Drainage and groundwater on valley lots. A partial fill-in must drain, which is why you break the bottom. On a wet valley lot with a high water table, proper drainage holes and compacted fill are critical, or the filled pool becomes a bathtub that heaves and settles.
• County permits. Pool demolition typically needs a permit, and the requirements vary by jurisdiction. Some counties want an engineered fill report for a buildable result.
• Resale disclosure. A filled-in pool, especially a partial, is generally something you must disclose when you sell, and it can affect what a buyer can build there.
• 811 locate. Call before you dig. Pool areas have buried plumbing, electrical, and gas lines, plus whatever else runs through the yard.

Current Market Reality

A "simple" pool fill-in can get expensive fast when groundwater shows up, when access for an excavator and trucks is tight, or when the county requires engineered fill and testing for a buildable lot. Hauling a full concrete shell off-site also adds disposal loads.

Access: The Quiet Cost Driver

The biggest hidden variable in pool demolition is usually access. A pool in an open front yard with room for an excavator and dump trucks is a straightforward job. A pool in a fenced backyard reached only through a narrow side yard is a different story, the crew may need a compact machine, more handwork, and a slow shuttle of rubble and fill out through a tight gap.

Access affects both methods. For a partial fill-in, you still have to get a machine in to break the bottom and walls and move fill. For a full removal, every load of broken concrete has to come back out the same constrained path. On many Oregon lots, especially older neighborhoods with detached garages and tight side yards, access is what decides whether the job is quick or slow, which is why a contractor wants to see the site before quoting.

What Happens to the Old Pool Equipment

A pool demolition is not just the shell. There is also the equipment to deal with: the pump, filter, heater, and the plumbing and electrical that served them. Capping the plumbing and safely disconnecting the electrical and any gas line to the heater are part of the job, done before the breaking starts.

The decking and any surrounding hardscape often come out too, since a slab patio ringing a demolished pool usually has to go for the area to be backfilled, graded, and restored cleanly. Factoring in the deck, equipment pad, and utilities, not just the pool shell, gives a realistic picture of the work and keeps the final grade from being a patchwork of old concrete edges around new fill.

Pool Demolition Cost by Size and Method

These are planning ranges only; pool size, type, access, and full-vs-partial all move the number.

Scenario	What It Involves	Industry Baseline Range
Partial fill-in (small pool)	Break bottom, drop top walls, backfill	lower end of range
Partial fill-in (large pool)	More demo, more fill	mid range
Full removal (small pool)	Haul out shell, engineered backfill	mid range
Full removal (large gunite)	Heavy demo, multiple haul loads, fill	high end
Dump / disposal	Per load of concrete and debris	$75 - $300+ per load
Import / engineered fill	Per cubic yard backfill	$20 - $75+ per cubic yard

Industry Baseline Range: pool demolition commonly runs a wide span depending on full versus partial and pool size, with disposal at $75 - $300+ per load and fill at $20 - $75+ per cubic yard, and a $500 - $1,500+ minimum on small jobs. These are industry baseline ranges for planning only -- actual pricing depends on site conditions, soil, access, depth, haul-off, and current market conditions. Get a site-specific quote.

The Bottom Line

Pool demolition is a real excavation project: drain, cap, break, backfill, and grade, with full-vs-partial as the decision that drives cost and future use. Our excavation services crew handles in-ground pool removal across Oregon with proper drainage and compaction. Request a free estimate, and start with the residential demolition guide or the Oregon excavation contractor guide.