Pool Removal Contractors Working in Riverside

Pool removal in Riverside needs a demolition permit from the city's Building and Safety Division, and Pool Removal California found 7 businesses offering in-ground pool removal there, 2 with an active state licence. The city's handout leaves the shell in place, with two 2 ft square holes in the floor, the top cut 12 inches below grade and fill compacted to 90%.

This directory groups Riverside under Inland Empire. Each listing below was matched to Riverside because the business names the city on its own website, serves it through a named region, or appears for it on Google Maps. Licence numbers were checked at the Contractors State License Board lookup on 11 October 2026, and businesses with an active licence are listed first.

Contractors serving Riverside

Another 5 businesses show no licence number or only a Google Maps listing for Riverside. They are being checked by phone before being listed.

A pool removal in Riverside needs a licensed contractor or an owner-builder permit, because Industry Bulletin 24-07 keeps permitted work outside the $1,000 unlicensed-work exemption. The state classification guide explains the A, C-12, C-21 and C-53 classes most pool jobs use.

Riverside Pool Removal Permit Rules

Riverside's Building and Safety Division requires a demolition permit to remove a gunite in-ground pool or spa. The city's fee schedule for 2026-27 lists residential demolition at $125 per structure plus a $41 permit issuance fee, which carries a 14% surcharge, and has no line written for pools. The city's pool demolition handout (revised October 2015) asks for a site plan showing the pool and the other structures on the lot, and it tells owners to consult a geotechnical engineer before starting.

Inspections and paperwork on a Riverside job

Riverside's handout sets the order of the job:

1. Approval from the Environmental Compliance Division at 951-351-6140 before the pool is drained.
2. Drainage holes broken and the perimeter cut to 12 inches below grade.
3. Electrical conductors removed at the panel, conduits removed or capped, and the gas line to the heater capped.
4. An inspection by the building inspector, who must authorize backfill before any fill goes in.
5. Fill placed and compacted, with the geotechnical engineer's report showing 90% or better.
6. Drainage slopes re-established across the yard, then the final inspection.

The handout is dated October 2015 and does not appear on the city's current forms page, so a call to Building and Safety confirms it is still the version inspectors use.

Partial fill-in or full removal in Riverside

Riverside's handout covers one method, a partial removal. Crews break a 2 ft square section out of the floor at the deepest point and another in the shallow end, or a 1 ft square on a spa, then remove the coping, gunite and rebar around the whole perimeter to at least 12 inches below grade. The geotechnical engineer approves the fill, and the engineer's report has to show 90% compaction or better. The handout warns that following it does not guarantee a future addition will be allowed over the area, so anyone planning to build there should ask Building and Safety about full removal first.

The fill-in questions page sets the two methods side by side, with typical timelines of one to four days for a partial fill-in and three to seven for a full removal.

What a Riverside job costs

No contractor publishes Riverside prices, so statewide figures apply: about $3,500 to $12,000 for a partial fill-in and $8,000 to $30,000 for a full removal. Riverside's own costs sit on top, starting with the $125 demolition fee and the $41 issuance fee. The geotechnical engineer the handout requires adds a compaction report, which typically runs $1,500 to $4,000.

The California pool removal cost guide covers what moves a quote, from side-yard access to fill dirt and the compaction report.

Hauling the debris in Riverside

Riverside's construction and demolition recycling page says recyclable building materials may not go in residential cans. It lists Burrtec on Agua Mansa Road as taking clean dirt, concrete and asphalt, and Geo-Engelauf on Market Street as taking concrete and asphalt. Projects inside the city's construction and demolition program must divert at least 65% of their debris by weight and file hauler tickets before final inspection. The program ties residential projects to new or added living space, so Building and Safety confirms whether a pool-only job is included.

Pool water has to go somewhere before demolition starts. Riverside asks owners to call Environmental Compliance at 951-351-6140 before draining, and the city's sewer FAQ names the home's sewer clean-out as the preferred route. Water may go to the storm drain only when its chlorine residual is below 0.1 mg/L, and water with hazardous levels of algae or chemicals is pumped out and hauled away.

Sellers in Riverside should keep the finaled permit, because the state's seller disclosure form asks about fill on the property and about unpermitted work.

Nearby areas

Contractors listed for Riverside also work in neighbouring communities, including Moreno Valley, Corona, Jurupa Valley, Norco, Grand Terrace and Perris. Neighbouring cities set their own permit rules, so a job outside Riverside city limits follows that city's building department or, in unincorporated areas, the county.

Other Inland Empire pages in this directory: San Bernardino, Fontana, Moreno Valley, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga.

Common Riverside questions

What does a Riverside pool demolition permit cost?
$125 for residential demolition plus a $41 issuance fee with a 14% surcharge, on the 2026-27 schedule.

How far down must a Riverside pool shell be cut?
At least 12 inches below grade around the whole perimeter, with two 2 ft square holes in the floor.

Where can Riverside pool water be drained?
Call Environmental Compliance at 951-351-6140 first. The sewer clean-out is preferred, and the storm drain is allowed only below 0.1 mg/L of chlorine.

Does a Riverside pool removal need an engineer?
Yes. The pool demolition handout (revised October 2015) tells owners to consult a geotechnical engineer, who approves the fill and signs the compaction report.

Can a Riverside homeowner build over a filled pool?
The handout gives no guarantee that a future addition will be allowed, so Building and Safety is the office to ask about full removal before work starts.