1970s Citrus Heights Pools — What We Find at the Estimate
The era and the lot pattern are remarkably consistent across Sunrise Oaks, Birdcage Heights, Sylvan, Mariposa, and the older Arcade Creek and Park Oaks neighborhoods. Knowing what to expect before mobilizing saves time and money.
- Typical pool size: 14×28 to 16×32 rectangles and kidney shapes; gallon capacity 14,000–22,000 — not 3,500 to 6,000 — wall heights 3.5 ft shallow to 7.5–8 ft deep
- Construction: pneumatically applied gunite shell typically 6–10 inches thick at the walls, 8–12 inches at the floor, steel rebar grid behind
- Plaster condition: original 1970s plaster is long gone; most pools have one or two resurface coats — Diamond Brite, Pebble Tec, or plain marcite
- Plumbing: copper or galvanized return lines from the original install; PVC where partial replumbs were done in the 1990s
- Equipment pad: original sand filter long replaced; current setups usually a DE or cartridge filter and single-speed pump scheduled to be replaced under California's variable-speed pump mandate
- Decking: 4-inch broom-finish concrete deck, often cracked along expansion joints from settling on Citrus Heights' silica-cemented hardpan sub-base
- Coping: bullnose precast or cantilevered concrete — easier to break than poured-in-place spillover edges
Partial vs Full Pool Removal in Citrus Heights
Both methods are common here. The right choice depends on what you plan to do with the yard afterward — and how Citrus Heights Building & Safety will view future use of the footprint.
Partial pool removal in Citrus Heights typically involves breaking the gunite shell into the deep end, drilling drainage holes through the floor at 4–6 ft spacing, demolishing the top 24–36 inches of wall and coping, and backfilling with crushed concrete and on-site soil in compacted lifts. Total cost: $8,000–$14,000 for a typical 14×28 pool. The footprint becomes non-buildable on city records — no structures, no ADUs over that footprint. That's the trade-off for the lower price. Full removal extracts the entire shell, plumbing, and equipment pad, breaks the gunite into haul-sized chunks, removes them to WPWMA in Lincoln (about 25 miles NE on Athens Ave), and backfills the void with engineered fill compacted to 90% relative compaction in 12-inch lifts. Total cost: $14,000–$22,000 depending on access, soil import volume, and depth. The footprint is then buildable — required if you're planning a detached ADU, room addition, garage, or any permitted structure over what used to be the pool. We run a compaction test report from a third-party engineer on full removals so the city has documentation when future building permits are pulled.
Permits and Inspections Through Citrus Heights Building & Safety
Citrus Heights issues its own permits — this is the most common source of confusion from out-of-area contractors who assume Sacramento County still handles them. The city has been independent since incorporation in 1997.
- Pool demolition permit: Citrus Heights Building & Safety, 6360 Fountain Square Dr, Citrus Heights CA 95621 — 916-727-4760
- Online submittal: Citizen Access Portal at citizen.citrusheights.permitcity.com
- Lobby hours: M–F 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. for in-person submittal and pickup
- Permit fees: typically $200–$450 for residential pool demolition depending on scope
- Required inspections: plumbing cap-off (water and gas if applicable), shell breaking documentation, backfill compaction (engineer's report for full removals), final grade
- Hardpan note: San Joaquin and Fiddyment series soils dominate Citrus Heights — both carry a silica-cemented hardpan at 12–40 inch depth that affects backfill compaction and post-removal drainage; we account for it in the engineered fill spec
- We pull the permit, schedule inspections, and provide the city's compaction report on full removals as part of our standard scope
Pool Removal When an ADU Is Going In
The pool-to-ADU sequence has become the most common reason for full pool removal in Citrus Heights. The city's build-out status — almost no new subdivisions, just teardowns and infill — pushes ADU-eligible lots into the spotlight.
- Pool removal must be a full removal (not partial) if any portion of the ADU footprint overlaps the pool footprint — Citrus Heights will not permit habitable structures over partially filled pools
- Compaction testing: required on all engineered fill that will support structural loads; the third-party engineer's report goes into the ADU permit submittal
- Soil import: most Citrus Heights pool voids need 60–120 cubic yards of clean engineered fill above what we get from breaking the deck and shell — we source from local pits and price the import per cubic yard
- Sequencing: ADU permit and pool removal permit are separate; the pool work usually completes first, then the ADU foundation goes in over verified compacted fill
- Setbacks: Citrus Heights ADU setbacks (4 ft side and rear, varies for front) apply to the new structure, not the old pool — we coordinate with the ADU designer to confirm the buildable envelope before backfill begins
- Utility coordination: pool plumbing usually shares trenches with sewer/water/gas in 1970s yards — we map and protect those before demolition
What Citrus Heights Pool Demolition Costs
Honest pricing reflects the actual inputs: shell size and thickness, plumbing complexity, deck size, soil import volume, haul distance, and permit fees. We line-item the estimate so you can see where the cost lives.
- Partial pool removal, 14×28 gunite with 4-ft concrete deck: $8,000–$11,000
- Partial pool removal, 16×32 or larger with extended deck: $10,000–$14,000
- Full pool removal with engineered backfill, 14×28: $14,000–$18,000
- Full pool removal with engineered backfill, 16×32 or kidney with diving well: $17,000–$22,000
- Soil import (clean engineered fill): $35–$65 per cubic yard delivered and placed
- Compaction report (full removals): $400–$700 from third-party engineer — included in our quoted price on ADU-prep jobs
- Decorative deck and coping removal beyond pool perimeter: priced per square foot, typically $4–$8/sf
- Permit fees: pulled and itemized separately — no markup
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Sacramento County permit for pool demolition in Citrus Heights?
No. Citrus Heights has been an incorporated city since January 1997 and operates its own Building & Safety Division. Pool demolition permits go through the City of Citrus Heights at 6360 Fountain Square Drive (916-727-4760), not Sacramento County. Online submittal is through the Citizen Access Portal at citizen.citrusheights.permitcity.com. The county still handles some regional services, but building permits for everything inside city limits — including all of Sunrise Oaks, Birdcage Heights, Sylvan, Mariposa, and the older Arcade Creek and Park Oaks neighborhoods — is a city function. We pull the permit as part of our scope and handle inspections directly with city staff.
Can I build an ADU where my pool used to be in Citrus Heights?
Yes, but only after a full pool removal with engineered fill and compaction testing. The city will not issue an ADU permit for habitable structures over partially backfilled pools — partial removal disqualifies that footprint from future structural loading. Full removal extracts the shell completely, the void is backfilled with clean engineered fill compacted to 90% relative compaction in 12-inch lifts, and a third-party engineer documents the compaction with a stamped report. That report goes into the ADU permit submittal. The pool removal permit and the ADU permit are separate applications, and the pool work typically completes first. Plan on $14,000–$22,000 for the full pool removal alone, before any ADU construction begins.
What's the difference between partial and full pool removal cost in Citrus Heights?
Partial removal runs $8,000–$14,000 and full removal runs $14,000–$22,000 for typical 1970s Citrus Heights pools. The price gap reflects three real cost drivers: shell breaking volume (full removal extracts the entire 6–12 inch gunite shell instead of just the top 24–36 inches of wall), haul cost (a full 16×32 pool can generate 25–40 cubic yards of broken gunite that needs to go to WPWMA in Lincoln, about 25 miles NE), and soil import (full removal voids typically need 60–120 cubic yards of clean engineered fill versus partial removals that mostly use crushed shell as fill). The partial removal also doesn't require a third-party compaction report, which saves $400–$700.
Where does the broken concrete and gunite go from my Citrus Heights pool job?
Most of it goes to the Western Placer Waste Management Authority (WPWMA) Materials Recovery Facility at 3195 Athens Avenue in Lincoln, about 22–25 miles northeast via Highway 65 or Sierra College Boulevard. WPWMA opened a dedicated Construction & Demolition recycling facility in February 2024 that accepts mixed C&D loads — concrete, gunite shell, deck pieces, rebar, and plumbing. Clean concrete and rebar-free chunks can sometimes go to closer Sacramento-area recycled-aggregate yards (Teichert or Granite Construction sites off Hwy 50 or I-80) at lower tipping rates. Sacramento County's Kiefer Landfill at 12701 Kiefer Boulevard in Sloughhouse is another option about 22 miles southeast. We pick the disposal site based on load type, distance, and current tipping rates — and the haul cost is line-itemed in the estimate.
How long does pool demolition take in Citrus Heights?
On-site work is typically 2–4 days for a partial removal and 4–7 days for a full removal with engineered backfill. Permit timing through Citrus Heights Building & Safety usually adds 1–3 weeks on the front end — straightforward residential pool demos are not complex submittals, but the city's review queue varies seasonally. Inspections add time mid-job: plumbing cap-off, shell breaking documentation, backfill compaction (full removals only), and final grade are typically required. For pool-to-ADU sequencing, plan on a 6–10 week total timeline from permit submittal through final grade — and a separate timeline after that for the ADU permit and construction.