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Pool removal in San Diego, California
San Diego County, on SDG&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.
San Diego at a glance
| County | San Diego County |
|---|---|
| Serving utility | SDG&E |
| Electricity rate | $0.464 per kWh |
| Water rate | $15.90 per 1,000 gallons |
| Evaporation loss | 12,500 gallons a year |
| Demolition permit | Required |
| Cost to keep it, year one | $4,583 |
What it costs to keep it
What keeping the pool costs in San Diego
What the pool costs in San Diego · year one
| Water lost to evaporationrising 12% a year | $199 |
|---|---|
| Chemicalsrising 3% a year | $615 |
| Pump electricityrising 5.5% a year | $626 |
| Weekly service, labourrising 3% a year | $2,160 |
| Repairs and equipment, amortisedrising 3% a year | $873 |
| Insurance differencerising 3% a year | $110 |
| Year one | $4,583 |
Next 5 years, if it stays
$4,583 in the first year and $24,710 over five. Each line rises at the rate its own cost driver has published, 3.7% 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 San Diego 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.
“When pools are proposed to be removed from a site, a demolition permit is required to obtained.”
City of San Diego, Information Bulletin 712, June 2021
| Filing office | San Diego Development Services Department |
|---|---|
| Plan review | 5-15 business days |
| Open-hole inspection | Required before any fill |
| 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 San Diego Development Services 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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