How Much Does Concrete Removal Cost in Florida?

National cost guides put concrete removal at about $2 to $7 per square foot. That price covers breaking the concrete out and disposing of it. One guide puts the typical job at $585 to $2,790, with a national average of $1,380. Where a job lands in that range comes down to thickness, steel, access and the haul.

One national guide lists Tampa higher. Its city table puts a 500 square foot slab in Tampa at $6 to $10 per square foot. These are market numbers, not our price list. We price concrete removal after we see the concrete, and the estimate is free.

What does concrete removal cost per square foot?

Contractors usually price concrete removal by the square foot. The steel inside the concrete splits the price. Plain concrete breaks up faster than concrete with rebar or wire mesh, so it costs less to remove.

Every row comes from national cost guides. The whole-job rows are one guide’s national averages. A second guide lands close on driveways, at $1,175 to $2,170, and puts a sidewalk at $990 to $2,185. Walkways and pool decks get measured the same way, by the square foot.

To use the per square foot rows, multiply the length by the width. A Florida-published guide sizes a standard home driveway at 400 to 600 square feet. At $2 to $7 a square foot, our own math puts that at $800 to $4,200. The whole-job driveway row sits inside that span.

How much do thickness and rebar add?

National guides treat 4 to 6 inches as the standard thickness for removal. Past 6 inches, one guide says costs often double. Another treats concrete driveways as reinforced and says patios usually are not.

One national guide breaks the price out by thickness and steel.

Its numbers start a little higher than the first table. It puts smaller projects at $3 to $8 per square foot. We check the thickness and the steel at a broken edge before we price a job.

What else moves the price on a Tampa Bay job?

Size comes first. Small jobs carry a floor, because the equipment and the truck still have to make the trip. One national guide starts very small or simple jobs at $265.

Access is next. A driveway a dump truck can back onto comes out faster than a patio behind the house. One national guide says hard to reach areas can need more labor or special equipment.

Then comes the haul. A Florida-published guide puts a cubic yard of concrete at roughly 4,000 pounds. Disposal fees run by weight, at $51 to $100 per ton in one national guide. The farther the recycling or disposal site, the more truck time each load takes.

One national guide says many recyclers take concrete free of charge or for a small fee. Crushed concrete can go back into landscaping and building projects. On our jobs, broken concrete leaves in dump trucks and trailers. It is the same haul as our construction debris removal work.

When the concrete comes out, the ground under it may sit low or uneven. Low spots take fill, and a yard may need land grading so water runs off. If a builder is setting a new slab there, the ground needs site prep and pad work first. Ask whether a quote stops when the concrete is gone or includes the grading.

Do you need a permit to remove a driveway in Hillsborough County?

The apron where a driveway meets the road can sit in the county right of way. Hillsborough County requires a right-of-way permit to do construction work there. Driveway connections at the road have their own county application. The county lists a $50 base application fee per permit, with other fees on its fee list.

Inside Tampa, Plant City or Temple Terrace, the city’s own office applies. For concrete on your own lot, ask the permit office that covers your address before work starts.

Digging has its own rule. Florida law requires notice to Sunshine 811 at least 2 full business days before excavation or demolition. That notice stays valid for 30 calendar days. We make that call before we break ground.

What about house slabs and pool decks?

Concrete removal on its own suits a lot where the building is already gone. That can be a shed pad, a carport slab, an old patio or a cracked driveway. When the house is still standing, the slab comes out with the teardown. Our house demolition cost guide covers slab and foundation removal after a teardown.

If a pool is coming out too, its deck can go in the same job. Our pool removal cost guide lists the published deck range with the shell and fill numbers.

How can you keep concrete removal cost down?

Put the concrete jobs together. Every job carries the cost of the trip. A patio and a walkway in one visit spread that cost over more square feet. Move cars and planters off the concrete before the work day.

Ask where the concrete goes. One national guide notes that recycling can avoid landfill fees. Decide what happens to the ground before the concrete comes out. Then fill and grading can go in the same visit.

How do you get a real number for your concrete?

A published range is a planning tool. The real number comes from the concrete itself: its thickness, the steel inside, the square footage and the haul.

Global Construction and Home Repair is based in Valrico and works about 50 miles out. That covers Hillsborough, Polk and Pasco counties. We look at the concrete and quote the job before any work starts. See how our concrete removal work runs, then call or text (813) 239-4231 for a free estimate.