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Pool removal in Berkeley, California
Alameda County, on PG&E. This page covers the permit you will need and what the pool costs you every year it stays. It does not price the removal, because only the contractor who walks the yard can.
Berkeley at a glance
| County | Alameda County |
|---|---|
| Serving utility | PG&E |
| Electricity rate | $0.40 per kWh |
| Water rate | $14.60 per 1,000 gallons |
| Evaporation loss | 9,000 gallons a year |
| Demolition permit | Required |
| Cost to keep it, year one | $4,768 |
What it costs to keep it
What keeping the pool costs in Berkeley
What the pool costs in Berkeley · year one
| Water lost to evaporationrising 5.5% a year | $131 |
|---|---|
| Chemicalsrising 3% a year | $570 |
| Pump electricityrising 5.5% a year | $440 |
| Weekly service, labourrising 3% a year | $2,580 |
| Repairs and equipment, amortisedrising 3% a year | $936 |
| Insurance differencerising 3% a year | $110 |
| Year one | $4,768 |
Next 5 years, if it stays
$4,768 in the first year and $25,467 over five. Each line rises at the rate its own cost driver has published, 3.3% a year across the ledger. Heating is not in this figure, so treat it as a floor. What removal costs is a separate question, and only a site visit answers it.
Permits
What Berkeley requires
A pool is a structure, so taking one out is a demolition. That means a permit, and it means inspections while the hole is still open. An unpermitted fill shows up at resale, and an appraiser who cannot find the paperwork treats the yard as a liability.
We have not read Berkeley’s own handout yet. What follows is what every California jurisdiction requires. Call Berkeley’s building department before you file, and treat their answer as the authority rather than this page.
| Demolition permit | Required, no exceptions |
|---|---|
| Open-hole inspection | Required before any fill |
| Engineered fill | Required for partial and complete |
| Compaction report | Required at close-out |
What California requires statewide, and how partial and complete removals differ
What to expect
Four stages, two to five days
- 01
Permit and utility locate
Filed with the Berkeley building department. Gas and irrigation lines are marked before anything opens.
- 02
Drain and demolition
The pool is drained to a sewer clean-out, then the shell is broken up and the decking cut out.
- 03
Fill in lifts
Engineered fill goes in in layers, each one compacted and tested rather than dumped.
- 04
Compaction report and close-out
The report is what you hand a buyer. Without it the removal is invisible on paper.
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