---
title: Pool Fill-In & Removal Cost in Coastal NC
description: Partial fill-in $8,000-16,000, full removal $15,000-30,000. Permit pulled, shell broken up, fill compacted in lifts. Pender, New Hanover, Onslow.
---

Hampstead · Wilmington · Surf City · Topsail Beach · Jacksonville NC Licensed Swimming Pool Contractor (S) · Insured  ·  [(910) 277-5560](tel:+19102775560)

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[Home](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/?hsLang=en) › Pool Fill-In & Removal

Pool fill-in & removal

# Pool fill-in and removal, done so it stays done.

**A partial fill-in runs $8,000–16,000 and takes two to four days. A full removal runs $15,000–30,000 and takes about a week. Both need a county permit, and the paperwork matters more than people expect.** We build pools, which means we know exactly what is under yours and what it takes to make the ground behave afterward. A cheap fill-in is not a finished job. It is a problem you hand to the next owner.

[Get a Free Site Visit](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/contact?hsLang=en) [See the cost breakdown →](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-fill-in/#detail)

![Inground pool filled in and sodded with the decking kept in place in Wilmington NC](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/hubfs/IMG_5275.jpeg)

## What you get back, and what you give up

### What you get back

- **The yard.** Usable ground again instead of a fenced-off liability.
- **The maintenance.** Chemicals, service, power and water. Typically $2,000–4,000 a year, gone.
- **The worry.** No open water behind the house, and one less thing on the insurance conversation.
- **The repair bill.** A pool needing a liner, a surface and equipment can pass $30,000. Sometimes filling it is the rational answer.
- **The patio, usually.** On most partial fill-ins the decking and the coping border stay right where they are. You lose the pool, not the whole backyard.

### What you give up

- **Building on it.** After a partial fill-in that footprint is not buildable. No addition, no garage, no slab.
- **Disclosure.** You have to tell a buyer. It is on the property disclosure and it belongs in the file.
- **Some resale.** Some buyers want the pool. Others are relieved it is gone. It cuts both ways in this market.
- **Reversibility.** Putting a pool back means digging the old shell out first. Budget it as a full new build plus demolition.

Step by step

## How the work actually goes

1. 01
   
   ### Drain and disconnect
   
   Water goes to an approved discharge point. Pump, heater and salt cell come out, and the electric gets capped by a licensed hand.
2. 02
   
   ### Break the shell
   
   The floor is broken open and the walls are collapsed in. Punching a few holes in the bottom is what causes the settling you see in other yards.
3. 03
   
   ### Backfill in lifts
   
   Engineered fill placed in roughly twelve-inch lifts and compacted as it goes. Dumping a load of dirt in a hole is not backfill.
4. 04
   
   ### Grade, seed and document
   
   Final grade pitched to drain away from the house, seed or sod, and the permit and inspection paperwork for your file.

What it costs

## Fill-in and removal pricing in coastal NC

Ranges from completed work in Pender, New Hanover and Onslow counties. Your number is fixed after a site visit.

| Option | Installed | Timeline | What moves the number |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Partial fill-in | $8,000–16,000 | 2–4 days | Pool size, machine access, haul distance for fill |
| Full removal | $15,000–30,000 | About a week | Shell type, decking area, spoil hauling |
| Above-ground removal | $800–2,500 | 1 day | Deck, and whether the pad comes out |
| Decking removal | $2,500–7,000 | 1–2 days | Square footage, and on grade or raised |
| Permit & documentation | In every quote | — | We pull it and hand you the closed-out paperwork |

Access is the single biggest variable here. A backyard a machine cannot reach means hand work and smaller equipment, and that can move a quote several thousand dollars.

## Not sure yet?

### Renovation

Surface, tile, decking and equipment brought up to date. Often cheaper than you think.

[See renovation](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-renovation?hsLang=en)

### Resurfacing

If the shell is sound, a replaster is $7,000–15,500 and buys another decade.

[See resurfacing](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-resurfacing?hsLang=en)

### The full write-up

Our longer article on fix it or fill it, with the whole process.

[Read the guide](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/blog/filling-in-a-swimming-pool-cost-process-coastal-nc?hsLang=en)

Common questions

## Fill-in questions

How much does it cost to fill in a pool in coastal NC?

$8,000 to $16,000 for a partial fill-in, $15,000 to $30,000 for a full removal.

The spread is mostly access and pool size. If a machine can get to the backyard the job is straightforward. If it cannot, the labor climbs fast.

Partial fill-in or full removal?

Partial if you want the yard back. Full if you might ever build on that spot.

A partial leaves the broken shell in the ground, which is fine for lawn, beds or a patio but not for a structure. Full removal costs roughly twice as much and takes the whole thing out, so the land stays buildable and there is less to disclose.

Do I need a permit?

Yes. Pender, New Hanover and Onslow all require one.

We pull it, we schedule the inspection, and you get the closed-out paperwork. That document is what protects you at closing when a buyer's agent asks what happened to the pool.

Will it settle?

Not if the shell is broken up properly and the fill is compacted in lifts.

The sunken rectangles you see in other yards are almost always one of two things: a shell that was never really opened up, or fill that was dumped rather than compacted. On sandy coastal soil the second one shows up within a season or two.

Next step

## Tell us about the pool

We’ll come look, tell you honestly whether it is worth saving, and send a written quote either way.

| Phone | [(910) 277-5560](tel:+19102775560) |
| --- | --- |
| Email | [sales@sunrisepoolsinc.com](mailto:sales@sunrisepoolsinc.com) |
| Hours | Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 · Sat by appointment |

### Request your free site visit

We’ll call within one business day to set up a site visit.

[SUNRISE*.*POOLS INC](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/?hsLang=en)

[(910) 277-5560](tel:+19102775560)  
[sales@sunrisepoolsinc.com](mailto:sales@sunrisepoolsinc.com)

Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 · Sat by appointment

#### Pools

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- [Hot tubs](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/spas?hsLang=en)
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#### Commercial

- [Commercial pools](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/commercial-pools?hsLang=en)
- [HOA & community](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/commercial-pools/hoa-community-pools?hsLang=en)
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- [ADA compliance](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/commercial-pools/ada-compliance?hsLang=en)

#### Service

- [Repair](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-repair?hsLang=en)
- [Resurfacing](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-resurfacing?hsLang=en)
- [Renovation](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-renovation?hsLang=en)
- [Maintenance](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-maintenance?hsLang=en)
- [Yard drainage](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/drainage?hsLang=en)
- [Pool fill-in](https://www.sunrisepoolsinc.com/pool-fill-in?hsLang=en)

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