Pool removal · Palm Beach County
Pool removal in Palm Beach County
In unincorporated Palm Beach County a pool needs a demolition permit, the same as a house. The inspector looks for one of two results: the bottom broken out and filled with earth, or the pool removed. Your plans for the yard decide which.
PPM PB-O-110 lists swimming pools among the structures that need a demolition permit, because a permit was needed to build them. On a house teardown, the pre-demolition inspection checks the pool for the same broken-out bottom or full removal.
Breaking out the bottom and filling takes less work where the area becomes lawn. If an addition, a slab or a new pool will sit over the spot, talk to your engineer first. Buried shell and backfill can limit what goes on top, and full removal with compacted fill may be the better choice.
Licensed electrical and plumbing contractors disconnect the pool equipment before break-out. Concrete and tile go to SWA-permitted recycling facilities, and in Wellington the roll-off hauler needs a village permit.
Send photos of the pool, the deck and the access path from the street. We will price both options so you can compare them.
Sequence
- Confirm the permit route and whether partial or full removal fits your plans.
- File the Sunshine 811 ticket.
- Have licensed trades disconnect the equipment and electrical feeds.
- Drain the pool and manage groundwater.
- Break out the bottom or remove the shell, then haul the concrete.
- Place and compact fill, grade, and pass the final inspection.
The usual problems
What tends to go wrong, and how it is handled
Water trapped in the shell
A shell with an intact bottom holds water like a tub. Breaking the bottom lets the fill drain, which is why the county inspection looks for it.
Fill that settles later
Fill dumped in thick layers can sink. Where something will be built over the pool, we place and compact fill to the engineer’s specification and arrange testing if it is called for.
Access through a finished yard
Many pools sit behind the house with a narrow side yard. We size equipment and plan protection for fences, landscaping and the drive before mobilizing.
Groundwater under an empty pool
Near the coast and the Intracoastal, groundwater can push up on an empty shell. Romco self-performs dewatering and plans the drain-down so the shell is not left empty and exposed.
Outside our license
Electrical and plumbing disconnects, fence work and new landscaping are separate trades. Fill specifications for anything built over the old pool come from your engineer. We price both removal methods and leave the choice to you.
Questions
About pool removal
Is filling in a pool allowed in Palm Beach County?
In unincorporated areas, PB-O-110 accepts a pool whose bottom has been broken out and filled with earth, or a pool that has been removed. Both need a demolition permit. Each city sets its own rule, so confirm with the building department for your address before choosing.
Can the pool come out while we keep the house?
Yes. A pool can be demolished under its own permit; in unincorporated Palm Beach County it is listed among the structures that need one. We coordinate the disconnects, drainage and fill so the house and its utilities stay in service.
What does a demolition cost, and what moves the number?
We do not publish prices, because the number depends on what surrounds the building. The main drivers are structure type and size, asbestos findings, truck access, the permit and utility requirements for the address, any below-grade work, and the haul to SWA-permitted facilities. Local rules move it too: the Town of Palm Beach requires a bond of the demolition cost plus 35%. Send the survey and photos, and we will price it.
Do you quote demolition of any size?
Yes. Size never rules a job out: we price everything from a single shed or an interior strip-out to a commercial site or a concrete tower. Every job is priced from the same questions: which department issues the permit, what the asbestos rules require, which utility releases are needed, and in what sequence the structure comes down. Send what you have, and we will say what else we need.
Is Romco licensed, and who does the specialty work?
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor. We self-perform demolition, dewatering, Support of Excavation and deep foundations. Asbestos surveys come from independent licensed consultants and removal from licensed abatement firms. Utility disconnects, tree removal, electrical, plumbing, fire sprinkler work and engineering go to the licensed parties for those trades, and we coordinate them under one schedule.
Order of work
From first call to closed permit
Call or send the form
Give the address, what is coming down and anything that must be protected. Photos or a survey help.
Walk the property
We check the structure, live services, truck access, trees, the seawall or neighbor close by, and any association rules.
Scope and price in writing
Removal, protection, haul-off and anything that depends on the asbestos survey are listed line by line.
Notices, letters and permit
The licensed asbestos survey and any health department notice, the utility releases, then the application to the right building office.
Take it down and haul it out
Work runs in the agreed order. Loads go to Solid Waste Authority–permitted facilities, or the hauler your city requires.
Final inspection and close-out
The inspector signs off and the permit closes. You keep a graded lot or the shell you asked for.
Pool removal throughout Palm Beach, including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Palm Beach (the Town), Jupiter, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Lake Worth Beach, Unincorporated Palm Beach County, and every other Palm Beach city.
More demolition
Other demolition we quote
- Interior demolitionStrip-outs inside condos, offices and stores, with the asbestos question settled first.Interior demolition in Palm Beach →
- Selective demolitionOne wing, one floor or one wall removed while the rest of the building stays in use.Selective demolition in Palm Beach →
- Commercial demolitionStores, offices, warehouses and plazas, taken down once the releases are in hand.Commercial demolition in Palm Beach →
- House demolitionSingle-family teardowns, with the sheds, pool and septic tank handled to code.House demolition in Palm Beach →
- Structural demolitionConcrete towers, parking garages and steel frames, taken down in engineered sequence.Structural demolition in Palm Beach →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, patios, walks and footings, broken out after the locates are in.Concrete removal in Palm Beach →
- Mobile home demolitionSingle units or several in one park, with approvals and permits in order first.Mobile home demolition in Palm Beach →
- Storm damage demolitionTaking down what a hurricane or tornado left unsafe, once the adjuster has seen it.Storm damage demolition in Palm Beach →
- Site clearingBrush, stumps, buried slabs and old fill cleared once the vegetation permits are in.Site clearing in Palm Beach →
- Asbestos coordinationLicensed survey, health department notice and licensed abatement, in the right order.Asbestos coordination in Palm Beach →
- Accessory structure demolitionSheds, detached garages, cabanas, carports, barns and signs, one or several.Accessory structure demolition in Palm Beach →
- Something else?Every type of demolition is quoted, whatever the size. If your job is missing above, describe it on the phone.Call (561) 273-9189 →
Every type, every size, all of Palm Beach County
Tell us the address and the scope. We will put a number on it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A single wall or a whole building, each quote arrives as a written scope with a price.