How much does concrete removal cost in Tampa?

LawnStarter’s city table puts Tampa at $6 to $10 per square foot to remove a 500 square foot slab. That covers demolition plus disposal, against LawnStarter’s national range of $2 to $7. Disposal is part of the gap, since the guide ties local prices to labor rates and disposal fees.

What is the concrete removal cost per square foot?

LawnStarter’s guide, updated in December 2025, puts concrete removal at $2 to $7 per square foot nationally. LawnStarter’s Tampa row runs higher, at $6 to $10. Lawn Love gives a national range of $2 to $6 per square foot.

Steel inside the slab raises the price. LawnStarter prices plain concrete at $2 to $4 per square foot. In LawnStarter’s table, concrete with rebar or wire mesh runs $4 to $7. Lawn Love’s split is close, at $2 to $4 plain and about $4 to $6 with steel.

Thickness matters too. LawnStarter says standard slabs of 4 to 6 inches fall in its normal $2 to $7 range. For slabs thicker than 6 inches, LawnStarter says costs often double.

Lawn Love says slabs typically run 4 to 12 inches thick, and contractors treat 4 to 6 inches as standard. By Lawn Love’s count, even an inch thicker can double the price.

Every price on this page comes from published cost guides. None of them are our quotes. For a number on your own driveway or slab, ask us about concrete removal in Tampa.

How much does it cost to remove a concrete driveway, patio or slab?

LawnStarter also prices whole projects. The table shows its national averages, and each one covers demolition plus disposal.

In LawnStarter’s table, concrete driveway removal cost runs $1,140 to $3,000. Only foundation removal costs more. LawnStarter says most homeowners pay between $275 and $7,500 in total. These averages are national, and the Tampa row runs higher per square foot.

Other guides show how wide the spread is. Lawn Love puts the national average at $1,380, with prices usually ranging from $585 to $2,790. Thumbtack’s guide, updated in July 2026, says most people pay around $1,132. Thumbtack’s national range runs $640 to $2,087.

A slab or pool deck that comes out with a house is part of a bigger job. We break those out as part of tearing down the house.

What drives the cost to remove concrete?

Thumbtack says the total depends largely on the size of the area and site access. Size sets how many tons leave the property. Access sets how the pieces get to a truck.

Steel adds work at both ends of the job. LawnStarter says rebar and wire mesh call for more labor and special equipment. Thumbtack notes that rebar must be cut by hand. It also says concrete with rebar costs more to leave at the dump.

Thickness adds weight and time. College Hunks Hauling Junk says the typical home slab is about four inches thick. Its guide says denser concrete takes longer to break apart and fills hauling trucks faster.

Hard access costs extra. LawnStarter lists disposal fees and added labor for hard to reach sites as hidden costs. A back patio behind a narrow gate takes more handling than a driveway at the street.

Why do haul-off and disposal matter in Hillsborough County?

Concrete is heavy. College Hunks Hauling Junk says a single cubic yard weighs about 4,000 pounds.

At four inches thick, a 500 square foot slab holds about 6 cubic yards. That comes to roughly 12 tons of broken concrete. At 6 inches thick, the same slab comes to more than 18 tons.

Weight drives the dump bill, since a local landfill likely charges by weight. College Hunks Hauling Junk puts tipping fees on large jobs at about $40 to $100 per ton. LawnStarter lists disposal fees of $51 to $100 per ton.

Distance adds to it. Lawn Love says contractors usually charge more in metro areas than in rural ones. One reason it gives is that the concrete will probably be hauled a long way for disposal.

In Hillsborough County, two county sites turn concrete away. The Southeast County Landfill in Lithia lists construction and demolition debris, including concrete and asphalt, as not accepted. The county’s Resource Recovery Facility takes only burnable waste, so construction debris is not accepted there either. Concrete is also missing from the item list at the county’s community collection centers.

Where does removed concrete go in Tampa?

With those county sites closed to it, broken concrete goes to recyclers and construction debris sites. The county’s recycling office gives out a list of recycling and disposal service providers on request. LawnStarter also points readers to the recycler directory of the Construction and Demolition Recycling Association.

Curbside pickup is not a route either. Homes with City of Tampa trash service get one SWEEP bulk pickup a year. The SWEEP list of items not accepted includes building materials such as brick, concrete blocks and rocks.

Recycling can cost less than dumping. College Hunks Hauling Junk says recycling centers often accept concrete at a lower rate than a typical landfill. The same guide says people reuse concrete in road base, gravel fill and aggregate for new pours.

Pulling a slab leaves a low spot where it sat. Our own dump trucks haul the concrete off and bring fill dirt for backfill.

Do you need a permit to remove a driveway in Tampa?

It depends on where the concrete sits. The City of Tampa oversees all construction work within its rights of way through a permit process. Its permit page names sidewalk and driveway construction or repair in city rights of way.

A driveway apron or sidewalk may sit in the city right of way. If it does, removing it needs a right of way permit. The city says review takes about 12 to 15 business days. You apply on the city’s Accela website.

Outside city limits, Hillsborough County handles its own right of way. It requires a permit for construction work there, and its Driveway Access permit covers driveway connections for homes. The county does not issue these permits inside Tampa, Plant City or Temple Terrace. For the county, you apply in the HillsGovHub portal.

For budgeting, LawnStarter says a removal permit typically costs $38 to $300 where one is needed. Ask the city or county for the current fee when you apply.

How do you get a concrete removal quote you can compare?

Quotes only compare when they price the same job. Measure first, then ask every contractor the same questions.

• Measure the length and width of each slab, then multiply them for square feet.
• Check the thickness at a broken edge, and note anything over 6 inches.
• Look for rebar or wire mesh showing at cracks and edges.
• Note where a truck can park and how wide any gates are.
• Ask if hauling and disposal are in the price. College Hunks Hauling Junk says many contractors bundle them, but not all.
• Ask where the broken concrete will go, such as a recycler or a construction debris site.
• Ask what happens to any base rock or sand under the slab.
• Ask who pulls the right of way permit if the apron or a sidewalk comes out.
• Ask each contractor for a price per square foot and a total, so the quotes line up.
• Ask whether the price changes if the slab turns out thicker than expected.
• Get the full scope in writing, from breakout to final grade.

A slab that comes out for good leaves bare ground to finish. We can wrap up the job by regrading the yard so water runs away from the house.