Getting rid of a pool nobody swims in
Around $8,000 for a typical pool in northern New Jersey. The part that decides whether it is done once is whether the shell gets broken up or simply buried.
Filling in a swimming pool in northern New Jersey runs around $8,000 for a typical pool, driven by the size of it, which sets how much fill it takes, and by whether trucks can get to the hole. The shell has to be broken up and the bottom perforated so groundwater drains through instead of collecting, because a sealed shell under a lawn is a bathtub and the ground settles into it. Fill goes in in compacted lifts, usually a few truckloads of RCA or DGA. Whether a permit is required varies by town, so ask your construction office before anything starts. And ask where the fill is coming from: New Jersey put soil and fill recycling under A-901 licensing with NJDEP for exactly this reason.
How the job runs
Decide which kind of removal you are buying
Partial removal breaks up the shell, punches the bottom so water drains through, and fills the hole. Full removal takes the whole structure out and hauls it away. Partial is what most people mean and most people get. Full costs more and is worth asking about when something is going to be built on that ground later.
Drain it legally
A pool full of treated water is not rainwater. Where that water is allowed to go is a local question, and chlorinated or salt water going into a storm drain or a stream is the version that causes trouble. It gets settled before the machine arrives, not during.
Break the shell up
This is the whole job and it is the step that gets skipped by a cheap quote. Concrete and gunite get broken and the base perforated so groundwater passes through instead of collecting. A shell left intact is a sealed basin under your lawn, and the lawn eventually finds it.
Fill in lifts, compacted
Fill goes in in layers and each one gets compacted, rather than one big dump and a rake. A typical pool takes a few truckloads of RCA or DGA. Loose fill looks finished the day it is done and reappears as a dish in the yard two springs later.
Grade it to drain away from the house
The finished surface is graded so water leaves, not so it looks flat. A filled pool sits lower than the ground around it for a while regardless, so where the water goes in the meantime matters.
Expect some settlement and plan for it
Even done properly, fill settles. The honest version is that topsoil and seed a season later is normal rather than a failure, and anyone promising a permanently perfect lawn on day one has not filled many pools.
The rules worth knowing first
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who is allowed to bring the fill | New Jersey regulates soil and fill recycling. The Dirty Dirt Law, P.L. 2019 c.397, brought soil and fill recycling businesses under A-901 licensing with NJDEP, which covers the people who collect, transport and sell the material that ends up in your hole. It is worth asking where the fill comes from and who is licensed to move it, because the cheapest truckload is the one with the least said about its origin. |
| Whether the disturbance needs an erosion plan | Disturbing more than 5,000 square feet, about an eighth of an acre, makes the work a project under the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act and needs a plan certified by your county Soil Conservation District. A pool on its own is usually under that. A pool plus the access route, stockpiles and any regrading around it can cross the line, because disturbance counts all of it and not just the hole. |
| The permit question, which is municipal | Whether filling a pool needs a permit varies by town, and it is normally the construction office rather than the health department. Some towns treat it as a demolition, some want the electrical disconnect inspected, some want nothing. One phone call before anything starts, and it is worth making it yourself rather than assuming a contractor has. |
Sources: NJDEP: A-901 licensing and Soil and Fill Recycling (the Dirty Dirt Law, P.L. 2019 c.397) · N.J.S.A. 4:24-39 et seq., the NJ Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act (statute text) · N.J.A.C. 5:23, New Jersey Uniform Construction Code (NJ Department of Community Affairs). Last reviewed 2026-09-18.
What it costs
- Filling one in: around $8,000 for a typical pool.
- What moves it: The size of the pool, which sets how much fill it takes. A typical one is a few truckloads of RCA or DGA.
- What moves it: Access for trucks, because fill has to get to the hole.
Our own northern New Jersey pricing, stated 2026-09-18. Full list on what our work costs.
Related work
A pool fill is excavation, fill and grading, which is the day job. See excavation, grading & drainage for what happens to the water afterwards, and hardscaping if the plan is to put something else on that ground.
What customers say about this work
Very nice, neat, clean work, including the restoration. I'm a heavy equipment operator for a living, I know the difference between good and bad excavating work.
From start to finish, JWSR exceeded all my expectations. They completed the work on time and within budget, and left everything spotless. Highly recommend for any excavation, fiber installation, or heavy-duty projects! 10/10 service!
Common questions
How much does it cost to fill in a swimming pool in New Jersey?
Around $8,000 for a typical pool, with our own northern New Jersey pricing. The two things that move it are the size of the pool, which decides how much fill it takes, and access, because the fill has to physically get to the hole. A pool behind a narrow side yard costs more than the same pool with a driveway to it.
Can you just fill a pool in with dirt?
Not if you want the yard to stay level. The shell has to be broken up and the bottom perforated so groundwater drains through it. Filling an intact shell leaves a sealed basin under the lawn, water collects in it, and the ground above settles into a soggy dish a few years later. That is the difference between a filled pool and a filled pool done once.
What is the difference between partial and full pool removal?
Partial removal breaks up the shell, drains it through and fills it. Full removal takes the entire structure out and hauls it off. Partial is cheaper, faster and fine for a lawn. Full is the one to ask about if anything is going to be built on that footprint later, because a buried shell complicates a foundation and complicates what an engineer will sign off on.
Do I need a permit to fill in a pool in NJ?
It varies by town, so ask yours before anything starts. Some construction offices treat it as a demolition and want a permit, some want the electrical disconnect inspected, and some want nothing at all. It is a single phone call and it is worth making it yourself.
Does a filled-in pool have to be disclosed when I sell?
Treat it as a known condition of the property and raise it with your own attorney or agent rather than with us. What we can tell you is the practical side: a buried shell is findable, it affects what can be built on that part of the lot, and buyers and their inspectors do ask. Having the work documented and done properly is worth more at a sale than having it done quietly.
Where does the fill come from?
Ours is clean RCA or DGA from a licensed source, and you should ask that of anybody quoting this work. New Jersey put soil and fill recycling under A-901 licensing with NJDEP through the Dirty Dirt Law, precisely because material of unknown origin was ending up in holes on private property. Cheap fill is sometimes cheap for a reason you inherit.
Will the ground settle afterwards?
Some, and that is normal even when the fill is placed in compacted lifts. The honest expectation is that the area needs topsoil and seed the following season and may want a little more fill once. A quote that promises no settlement at all is a quote from somebody who has not come back the next spring.
Done with the pool?
We break it up, fill it properly and grade it so the yard stays a yard. Free on-site look anywhere we work.
Call 862-268-2510