Pool Removal in Adelaide — questions and answers
Short answers on pool removal in Adelaide: what moves the cost, whether you can fill a pool in, where the water goes and whether your council wants an application. Every rule comes from a South Australian government body or a council, listed with its read date. This site sets no prices for the work.
Call (08) 8330 4909Cost
How much does pool removal cost in Adelaide?
It depends on the pool's material and size, the access, whether it is fully removed or filled in, and how much material leaves the site. We do not publish a price because no two jobs share those. The fixed part is the State fees if your council wants an application: A$174.00 for building consent to demolish, plus a lodgement fee from A$98.50. The costs page lists the rest of the drivers. The costs page's Pool removal costs and rules check lists the South Australian rules, State fees and council lines that can apply to your pool, each with its source.
What is the cheapest way to get rid of a pool?
Filling in carts less material away than full removal, but it leaves part of the pool in the ground, may need a development application as partial demolition, and a buyer's notice will later ask whether fill has been used on the site. Compare quotes for both routes on the same job.
Pool removal in Adelaide
What decides the approval question and the first steps
Five questions, in the order an owner meets them, each answered in a South Australian government body's or a council's own words.
Taking out the whole pool is a different question from part
the whole of a building
what the regulations take out of the definition of development, except a local heritage place or a building in a zone, subzone or overlay the Code identifies
Partial demolition is outside that exclusion.
Source: Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017 (SA) · read
Two councils word the answer differently
Removing an existing pool or spa
listed by the City of Mitcham among the work that needs development approval; the City of Marion says demolition of a structure in its entirety does not, outside heritage places
Check with your own council.
Source: City of Mitcham, Swimming pools · read
The State fee to demolish is fixed
A$174.00
the State fee for an application for building consent for the demolition of a building
A lodgement fee, set by the cost of the development, is payable as well.
Source: Planning, Development and Infrastructure (Fees) Notice 2026 · read
Pool water goes to sewer, not the stormwater
sewer
where the City of Marion says swimming pool water and backwash water should be directed
The EPA also lists pool chemicals.
Source: City of Marion, Swimming pool water · read
A skip bin on council land needs permission first
14 days
the least notice Campbelltown City Council asks for before the proposed occupation date
Each council runs its own permit.
Source: Campbelltown City Council, Undertaking works on council land · read
Each figure names its source and the date it was read. None is a quote for your job or a promise about any application.
Process
Can I just fill the pool in?
You can ask for it, but the City of Marion says partial demolition needs development approval, and the application must show the remaining structure will comply. Ask your council first.
Where does the pool water go?
Not into the street. The EPA says pool backwash water and pool chemicals must not go to the stormwater system, and the City of Marion says pool water should be directed to sewer.
Timing
How quickly can someone get to me?
We cannot promise a time. It depends on the provider's bookings. Enquiries are passed to a local provider, who contacts you directly.
Does the pool fence have to stay up during the work?
A pool owner must keep a continuous safety barrier while the pool is there. If the fence is being repaired or maintained, temporary fencing that meets the requirements must be in place.
Permits and approvals
Do I need council approval to remove a pool?
Possibly. The regulations take the demolition of the whole of a building out of the definition of development unless it is a heritage place or in a zone or overlay the Planning and Design Code identifies. The City of Marion says whole demolition needs no approval outside heritage places; the City of Mitcham lists removing an existing pool as needing approval. Enter your address in PlanSA's approval wizard, and confirm with your council before work starts.
Source: Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017 (SA), Schedule 4 clause 10; City of Marion, Demolition fact sheet (July 2025); City of Mitcham, Swimming pools; PlanSA, Find out if you need approval; read 27 September 2026.
Service area
Which suburbs do you cover?
Adelaide: the City of Marion, City of Mitcham, Campbelltown City Council and City of Tea Tree Gully areas. Four pages are written around one council's rule each: Hallett Cove, Blackwood, Athelstone and Modbury. The other suburbs we list are covered on the same terms.
Do you remove the pools yourselves?
No. This site is run by a marketing company, which passes each enquiry to an independent licensed local provider. The provider inspects the job, quotes it and does any work itself; we hold no registration and have no crews or plant.
Thanks — we have your enquiry. Someone will be in touch shortly. Prefer to talk now? Call (08) 8330 4909.
Last reviewed · Updated · First published