How much does fill dirt delivery cost in Tampa?
Fill dirt delivery in Tampa usually runs $150 to $600 for a truckload of 10 to 15 cubic yards. Material alone costs about $5 to $25 per cubic yard. One Tampa Bay supplier posts $28 per cubic yard on an 18 yard truckload. Haul distance and spreading raise the final number.
Every price on this page comes from published cost guides and posted supplier rates. None of them are our quotes. Yard prices swing by supplier, dirt type, and how far the truck drives. For a real number on your property, ask us about fill dirt delivery in Tampa.
What does fill dirt cost per cubic yard in Tampa?
Plain fill dirt runs about $5 to $15 per cubic yard at the low end, and $12 to $28 once it is screened or hauled a distance. Topsoil and sand cost more. A Tampa Bay supplier lists clean fill dirt at $28 per cubic yard delivered.
| Material | Cost per cubic yard |
|---|---|
| Fill dirt, common or unscreened | $5 to $15 |
| Fill dirt, clean or screened | $12 to $28 |
| Fill sand | $15 to $30 |
| Topsoil, unscreened | $12 to $20 |
| Topsoil, screened | $20 to $35 |
| Bagged topsoil, per yard equivalent | $54 to $162 |
HomeGuide puts fill dirt at $5 to $25 per cubic yard. Angi reports a national average of $841 for a fill dirt job. Most homeowners in that data land between $344 and $1,338. Soil911, a supplier covering Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas, posts $28 per cubic yard for clean fill.
How much does a dump truck load of fill dirt cost?
A full dump truck load of fill dirt costs about $150 to $600 delivered in most markets. That covers 10 to 15 cubic yards. Bigger tri-axle loads of 18 yards cost more per trip and less per yard. Delivery fees alone run $50 to $150.
| Haul distance | Typical delivery fee |
|---|---|
| Under 10 miles | $50 to $100 |
| 10 to 20 miles | $75 to $150 |
| Over 20 miles | $100 to $250 and up |
Some suppliers add $5 to $10 per mile past their free zone. This is why a half load often costs almost as much as a full one. The truck still drives the same route either way. Order the full load when you can use it.
How many truckloads will your job need?
Count the cubic yards first, then divide by truck size. A standard single-axle dump truck holds 10 to 14 cubic yards. A tri-axle holds 15 to 22. Most Tampa fill jobs land between one and four loads. Order 10 to 20 percent extra for settling.
The math is simple. Multiply length by width by depth in feet. Divide that number by 27. The answer is cubic yards.
| Job | Rough size | Cubic yards | Loads at 14 yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raise a low yard spot | 20 by 30 ft, 6 in deep | 11 | 1 |
| Build a shed or slab pad | 20 by 20 ft, 12 in deep | 15 | 1 to 2 |
| Fill a small inground pool | 15 by 30 ft, 5 ft deep | 83 | 6 |
| Build up a house pad | 40 by 60 ft, 12 in deep | 89 | 6 to 7 |
What do Tampa homeowners use fill dirt for?
Tampa sits low and flat, so water pools where the grade dips. Most fill jobs raise a low yard spot or build up a pad. Others fill an old inground pool, backfill a trench, or prep bare ground for sod.
Pool fills are the big ticket item here. Angi puts the full job at $2,000 to $19,000, with an average near $8,000. That price covers breaking up the shell and hauling debris, which is excavation and demolition work, not just dirt.
Fill that blocks the path water takes off your lot creates a new problem. Sometimes the real answer pairs fill with a French drain, which has its own cost range.
What makes fill dirt delivery cost more?
Four things move the price. Volume, haul distance, spreading, and access all change the total. A backyard with a narrow gate can double the labor time. Wet ground in the rainy season slows every load. Dirt type matters too, since screened fill costs more than raw fill.
Dumped in a pile is the cheapest option. Machine spreading adds about $50 to $100 per cubic yard. Hand spreading with wheelbarrows runs $150 to $260 per cubic yard. HomeGuide puts basic spreading and installation at $200 to $400 on a typical job.
If the dirt has to sit at a true finished elevation, that becomes land grading work. Building a pad before a slab pour falls under site preparation.
Do you need fill dirt, topsoil, or sand?
Fill dirt is subsoil with no organic matter. It packs tight and holds shape, so it goes under pads, pools, and low spots. Topsoil is dark and rich, meant for grass and plants. Sand drains fast and levels well under pavers. Most Tampa jobs need fill first, topsoil last.
Paying topsoil prices for structural fill wastes money twice over. Organic matter breaks down underground, and the ground above it sinks.
Is it cheaper to buy bags of topsoil or have it delivered?
Bulk delivery wins on anything past a few yards. Bagged soil works out to roughly $54 to $162 per cubic yard. It takes about 36 bags to fill a single yard. Bulk fill dirt runs $5 to $28 per yard delivered. Bags only make sense for tiny patch jobs.
At 11 cubic yards for one low spot, you would need close to 400 bags. One truckload handles it for a fraction of that.
Do you need a permit to bring in fill dirt?
It depends on how much fill and where it goes. Hillsborough County requires new home site plans to match an approved lot grading plan. The other options are an engineer sealed grading plan or a no fill attestation. That attestation limits fill to the foundation and drainfield.
Under that option, minor foundation grading cannot go past 6 feet from the building footprint. Pinellas and Pasco set their own rules. A small yard fill usually needs nothing, but confirm your case with the county building department before the trucks roll.
What will your fill dirt job actually cost?
Every lot prices out differently. Construction Site Development is a family-run demolition and site development company in Tampa. We haul with our own dump trucks across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties, so there is no middleman on the load.
Call 813-453-5883 for a free estimate, or send us your project details. We answer Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm.