How much does concrete removal cost in Arizona?
Concrete removal cost runs $2 to $6 per square foot in Angi’s 2026 guide, with dumping included. HomeGuide’s national guide puts it at $3 to $8 per square foot, including disposal. Angi puts the national average at $1,139, and most homeowners pay $542 to $1,744. These are national ranges, and a real number needs a look at the site.
Before a new slab goes in, the old one has to come out, and that tear-out has its own price. DC Construction and Development does this work in Queen Creek and across the East Valley. It is the first stage of our concrete repair and replacement service. Our crew breaks out cracked or settled driveways, patios, slabs and sidewalks, then pours new concrete in their place.
This plain-English guide uses national ranges from HomeGuide and from Angi’s 2026 guide. They are market numbers, not a quote, and your site can move a real job either way. It starts with price per square foot and by project, then what pushes the number up. Later sections cover tear-out and replace, overlays, and what Arizona ground and law add.
What does concrete removal cost per square foot?
Angi’s 2026 guide prices concrete removal at $2 to $6 per square foot, which covers both labor and dumping fees. HomeGuide’s national guide puts it at $3 to $8 per square foot, including disposal. Most of Angi’s rate is labor, and the low end fits unreinforced concrete broken up by hand.
Angi’s national average is $1,139, based on 1,330 verified projects from Angi Pros. Most homeowners pay between $542 and $1,744, a spread Angi ties to thickness, rebar and disposal fees. HomeGuide notes that smaller removal jobs cost more per square foot than large projects. Angi’s range leaves out the new pour, which follows removal and base work on our tear-out and replacement jobs.
What does it cost to remove a driveway, patio or slab?
HomeGuide’s national guide puts removing a 10 by 10 slab at $300 to $800. It prices a 200 to 600 square foot driveway at $1,200 to $4,500. Angi’s 2026 guide lists driveway removal at $1,000 to $2,500 and patio removal at $1,000 to $2,000.
HomeGuide says breaking up a driveway costs more than slab demolition because the job needs an excavator. Patio removal also costs more when the patio is attached to the home or has masonry built into it. We tear out and replace concrete driveways across Queen Creek and the East Valley. Old patios come out the same way when we rebuild patios and walkways.
Published national removal ranges, not a quote. HomeGuide sizes are in parentheses. Angi’s 2026 rows list no size.
| Project | HomeGuide (national) | Angi 2026 (national) |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway | $1,200 to $4,500 (200 to 600 sq ft) | $1,000 to $2,500 |
| Patio | $1,200 to $3,000 (20 by 20 ft) | $1,000 to $2,000 |
| Slab | $300 to $800 (10 by 10 ft) | $800 to $2,500 |
| Sidewalk | $750 to $1,250 (50 ft long) | $900 to $2,500 |
| Pool deck | Not listed | $1,000 to $2,000 |
| Garage or concrete floor | $1,000 to $3,500 (2-car garage) | $500 to $2,000 (concrete floor) |
What makes concrete removal cost more?
Thickness, steel, access and disposal all push a removal price up. Angi’s 2026 guide treats 4 to 6 inches as the standard thickness for removal projects. HomeGuide adds $1 to $3 per square foot for cutting and disposing of rebar. Hard-to-reach slabs and longer hauls cost more as well.
- Thickness: HomeGuide says slabs thicker than 4 inches need more heavy-lifting equipment and take longer to remove. Angi says going past 6 inches, even by 1 or 2 inches, can prompt contractors to double their price.
- Rebar and mesh: Angi puts reinforced concrete at about $6 per square foot or more to remove. It calls that the most expensive type to demolish.
- Access: Angi says hard-to-reach or steep areas raise the cost, often to $6 per square foot or more.
- Disposal: some contractors bundle it into the rate, and others add $0.50 to $2 per square foot, Angi says.
What does it cost to tear out and replace concrete?
HomeGuide’s national guide puts tear-out and replacement of a concrete slab at $8 to $18 per square foot. That one figure covers the removal and the new pour. Angi’s 2026 guide lists replacing a concrete driveway at $2,700 to $9,700, a common follow-on project.
Angi says bundling related work with the same contractor can sometimes lower your overall cost. It also suggests asking whether removal is included in the price when you are replacing the concrete. When we replace a slab, the tear-out, base work and new pour are planned as one job. For a new driveway’s price, see what a concrete driveway costs in Arizona.
When does an overlay make more sense than removal?
HomeGuide’s national guide says an overlay is best for concrete with minor cracks less than 1/4 inch wide. It says to remove concrete with large cracks, crumbling edges or structural problems. A sound slab that only needs a new surface can skip the removal bill.
Our concrete resurfacing and overlay work bonds a cement-based overlay to sound concrete, so nothing gets hauled away. HomeGuide adds that contractors typically do not resurface old pavement twice unless they installed the first overlay. A slab that has heaved or cracked clean through needs tear-out, since its movement comes back through a new layer. For that call, see whether to repair or replace cracked concrete.
How do Arizona soil and law affect concrete removal?
In Arizona, the soil under an old slab and the state’s utility marking law both affect a removal job. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension calls caliche a common problem in southern Arizona soils. Under A.R.S. 40-360.22, excavation may not begin until buried utility lines are marked.
Caliche is soil cemented together by calcium carbonate, in layers that range from fairly loose to hard and rocklike. When a tear-out moves on to regrading the base, a hard layer can slow the work. Monsoon season runs June 15 to September 30, so tear-out and the new pour get planned around storms. We work year-round, and in summer we start early to beat the heat.
Arizona law counts grading and digging as excavation, so base work after a tear-out can fall under the marking rule. Utility operators have up to two working days to mark their buried lines after a request. Excavating may not begin before the marking is complete. Weekends and legal holidays do not count, so a Friday request can mean no marks until Tuesday.
If an old slab is cracked through or sinking, our concrete repair service covers the tear-out and the new pour. Request a free estimate, and we will look at the site before putting a number on it.