Pool removal in Los Angeles ahead of an ADU or rebuild follows Part II of LADBS Bulletin P/BC 2026-111, with the shell hauled out and fill compacted to 90 percent, as 2026 permits reviewed by Pool Removal Directory CA show.
Pool Removal Directory CA read the published job descriptions on 2026 LADBS grading permits for pool backfills across Wilshire, Westwood, Palms, Bel Air, Chatsworth, Hollywood, Encino and Brentwood. Most of the permits fall into two groups. One group places certified or structural compacted fill, often with the shell removed, and that group includes the wildfire rebuilds in Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. The other group leaves the shell in place under uncertified fill. The difference matters most to owners planning an accessory dwelling unit, a room addition or a rebuilt house over the old pool, because only the first group produces ground that LADBS will accept under a new foundation.
Which Pool Removal Route Allows an ADU in Los Angeles?
Only Part II allows it: the shell leaves the site and the fill reaches at least 90 percent relative compaction, while a Part III shell-in-place area stays limited to landscaping.
LADBS Bulletin P/BC 2026-111 took effect on January 1, 2026 and was revised on June 2, 2026. LADBS requires a grading permit on both routes in its swimming pool backfill bulletin. Bulletin P/BC 2026-111 ties the choice of route to the intended future use of the fill.
Part II: structural compacted fill
Part II removes the existing pool shell from the site. Fill goes on natural undisturbed ground or approved compacted fill and reaches at least 90 percent relative compaction under ASTM D1557. LADBS requires testing by a soil testing agency it has approved. The compaction report includes a Certificate of Compliance documenting the achieved densities.
Part III: shell left in place
Part III leaves the shell in place with uncertified fill under Exception No. 1 of LABC Section 7011.3. LADBS limits the backfilled area to landscaping purposes only. Drainage holes at least 12 inches across sit no more than 8 feet apart, with one at the deepest point. LADBS also bars Part III where the pool sits on ground steeper than 10 percent.
The modification form
LADBS publishes Form PC-STR.Mod 44, titled Fill Existing Pool in Lieu of Removing Pool Shell. PC-STR.Mod 44 is a modification request that carries a recorded covenant and $255.06 in listed fees. A recorded covenant is a public record on the parcel, so it is part of the history a later ADU plan starts from.
What 2026 LADBS Grading Permits Say
LADBS grading permit job descriptions name the route in plain words. Pool Removal Directory CA reviewed descriptions on permits approved or issued between February and August 2026, and the wording falls into a few repeating patterns.
Shell-removed permits
A Wilshire permit issued on June 1, 2026 reads "Grading to backfill (E) Swimming Pool with structural compacted fill and remove pool shell per Information Bulletin P/BC 2026-111." A Bel Air permit issued in May 2026 reads "Grading for backfill of (E) swimming pool and removal of pool shell." A permit in Palms issued in August 2026 says only "Backfill of swimming pool with certified fill." Westwood shows a variation, a permit to backfill a portion of an existing pool with certified fill.
Shell-in-place permits
A Chatsworth permit issued on August 21, 2026 reads "Backfill Swimming Pool with Uncertified Fill and Leaving the Pool Shell In-Place." A Hollywood permit from June 2026 backfills a portion of a pool with the shell to remain while excavating to enlarge the pool. LADBS limits that ground to landscaping, which rules out a foundation over the filled area.
Wildfire rebuild permits
Brentwood and Pacific Palisades permits carry a 2025 wildfire tag in the description. One Brentwood permit approved in February 2026 covers site grading for a new single family dwelling together with backfill of the existing pool with certified fill, shell to be removed. An August 2026 permit reads "Grading to backfill existing pool with certified fill. Remove pool shell." Every rebuild permit in the review used the certified fill wording.
Fill volume on the permit
Encino shows the volume field in use, with 51 cubic yards listed on a June 2026 permit for a partial backfill tied to a pool remodel. LADBS asks for the total cubic yards of fill on the Part II grading permit as well.
How Long Did Approval to Issue Take?
Gaps between approval and issue on the reviewed permits ran from same-day issue on a Brentwood rebuild to 59 days in Bel Air, with most between 14 and 32 days.
Bel Air recorded the slowest case: that permit was approved on March 16, 2026 and issued on May 14, 2026. Westwood took 32 days, the Hollywood permit 25 days, the Chatsworth permit 18 days and an August Brentwood rebuild permit 14 days. Encino took 4 days, and a second Brentwood rebuild permit was approved and issued on August 28, 2026, the same day. The gap measures only the time between the approval date and the issue date shown on each permit. Grading work and inspections follow the issue date.
Partial backfills and other features
Westwood and Encino permits show that a pool does not have to disappear in one piece. Westwood records a permit to backfill a portion of an existing pool with certified fill, and the Encino remodel permit above also covers only part of a pool. LADBS used the same structural wording on a Hollywood pond permit issued on June 10, 2026: "Backfill (E) unpermitted pond with structural compacted fill."
State ADU Law and the Old Pool Site
California's ADU rules decide how much of a backyard an ADU can use, and that can bring the pool area into the footprint.
Setbacks and size
HCD dates its ADU fact sheet April 2026, and the sheet covers Government Code sections 66310 to 66342. HCD states that a locality may not require rear and side setbacks greater than four feet for new construction ADUs. HCD also states that a locality may not set a maximum ADU size below 850 square feet, or 1,000 square feet for an ADU with more than one bedroom.
LADBS rules for ADUs
LADBS states on its ADU page that removing covered parking for an ADU does not require replacing it. LADBS also states that fire sprinklers are not required in an ADU when the main house does not need them. Detached ADUs built from scratch must have solar panels. On lots where the pool occupies the backyard, the backfill route becomes part of the ADU plan.
Ministerial review
HCD states that ministerial review is generally required for ADUs in residential and mixed-use zones, and that local ADU ordinances go to HCD within 60 days of adoption. The grading rules in Bulletin P/BC 2026-111 are written as fixed conditions: a route, a compaction percentage, a hole size and a slope limit. Those conditions sit in the building and grading record, separate from the zoning side of an ADU application.
Standard Plans Over a Former Pool
LADBS runs a Standard Plan Program of pre-approved ADU designs. LADBS pre-approves plans prepared by private licensed architects and engineers for the building, residential and green codes.
Site review still applies
LADBS reviews site-specific factors when an owner picks a standard plan, including zoning compliance and foundation requirements. LADBS notes on its approved standard plans list that a plan may not be approved for certain situations or site conditions. LADBS reviews foundation requirements on each site, and a former pool is part of that site.
Plan sizes on the list
The list runs from small to large. ADU62 is a 1-story, 1-bedroom plan of 248 square feet. ADU43 is a 1-story studio of 275 square feet. ADU42 is a 2-story, 1-bedroom plan of 502 square feet. ADU45 is a 1-story, 3-bedroom plan of 1,200 square feet. A larger plan covers more of the yard, and a pool sitting inside that footprint calls for Part II fill under the whole slab.
Customizing a standard plan
LADBS allows some customization of a pre-approved standard plan, such as window and door types and sizes or colors, and approved floor plans can be rotated. LADBS also states that any customization must be completed by the plan's owner. Rotation changes where a plan sits on a lot, which matters when part of the yard holds a former pool.
What Does Part II Add Before Foundation Work?
Part II adds shell removal, testing to 90 percent and a compaction report on top of the inspections, and LADBS allows no foundation until the Department approves that report.
Testing and the report
No foundation construction shall occur until the compaction report has been reviewed and approved by the Department.
The Grading Division reviews the compaction report. Bulletin P/BC 2026-111 places that rule inside Part II, so it applies to every certified pool backfill in the city. Part III permits carry no compaction report, because the bulletin leaves that fill uncertified.
Hillside sites and soils reports
A site inside a Hillside Grading Area needs a Grading Pre-Inspection report on Part II. LADBS can also ask for a soils report from a licensed soils engineer. That report covers temporary excavation, grading specifications and allowable bearing pressures for foundation design.
Inspection order
LADBS lists three inspections for Part II, the same count as Part III, with a different bottom check:
- 1.
An initial meeting and inspection when grading is ready to start.
- 2.
A bottom or excavation inspection after the shell is out and before any fill goes in, with the soils engineer also approving the bottom when LADBS requires it.
- 3.
A final inspection after the fill is complete.
Order of Permits for a Pool-to-ADU Project
The pool grading permit and the ADU building permit are separate records. The order below reflects the bulletin's rule that no foundation goes in before compaction approval.
Records and utilities first
ZIMAS, the city parcel map, confirms whether a parcel sits inside City of Los Angeles limits. DigAlert marking through digalert.org or 811 comes before excavation. The Contractors State License Board lookup confirms an active license for the demolition contractor, and the directory keeps CSLB-checked firm listings for the city.
Plan check paths
LADBS offers Counter Plan Check for small and medium projects at its Metro, Van Nuys and West LA offices, with plans reviewed the same day in about 45 to 60 minutes. Large or complex projects go through Regular Plan Check, reviewed within weeks. A standard plan shortens plan check because LADBS has already reviewed the base design.
Sequence in brief
The grading permit for Part II comes first, then the three grading inspections, then Grading Division approval of the compaction report. The ADU foundation follows that approval. Each stage leaves a record on the property: the grading permit, the inspection entries and the approved compaction report.
Cost Lines That Change With an ADU Plan
Choosing Part II over Part III changes the scope, and the scope changes the quote.
Published ranges
Angi's Los Angeles pool removal cost page puts full removal at $4,550 to $18,200 and partial fill-in at $2,850 to $11,350. Angi lists an engineer at $115 to $225 per hour where code requires one. A local excavation contractor's 2026 guide reports full removal with engineered, compaction-tested backfill at $12,000 to $28,000 or more.
Labor and the average job
Angi puts the Los Angeles average for pool removal at $6,816 and lists labor at $1,150 to $3,400. Angi also lists landscaping after removal at $50 to $85 per hour.
Fill by the cubic yard
Angi lists dirt fill at $9 to $13.75 per cubic yard and gravel at $5.75 to $9 per cubic yard. LADBS asks for the total cubic yards on the Part II grading permit, and fill is priced by the cubic yard.
Where the difference comes from
The same 2026 contractor guide notes that full removal commonly runs 30 to 60 percent above a comparable fill-in. Shell demolition and haul-off, imported fill, testing and the compaction report all sit on the Part II side of the ledger. LADBS limits a Part III area to landscaping, so an ADU over that area would need the Part II work regardless of the first route chosen.
How Can a Buyer Tell Which Route Was Used?
The LADBS Permit and Inspection Report lists each grading permit and its job description, so 2026 wording such as "uncertified fill" or "shell to remain" marks a Part III fill.
Permit and Inspection Report
The LADBS online services portal holds the Permit and Inspection Report, which shows permits, related inspections, code enforcement and parcel profile details for an address. A finaled grading permit with certified or structural compacted fill wording points to Part II. For a list of firms that handle Part II work in the city, click here. A permit naming uncertified fill points to Part III.
Building records and covenants
LADBS also offers Search Online Building Records for documents available as PDFs. LADBS states that its Records Section produces only documents not already available as a PDF through that system. A Part III plot plan carries the uncertified fill note. A PC-STR.Mod 44 covenant appears in recorded documents for the property.
Limits of this review
Pool Removal Directory CA reviewed 11 published 2026 grading permit descriptions, not every pool permit LADBS issued that year. The descriptions are short, and they do not show inspection results or soil test data. A permit that says certified fill shows the route chosen, not proof that the fill passed. The Permit and Inspection Report shows whether the permit was finaled, and the compaction report shows the test results.
Common misreadings
Certified fill and uncertified fill differ by two letters on a permit, and the difference decides whether an ADU can sit on the ground. A finaled Part III permit closes the grading work, but LADBS still limits that area to landscaping. A standard plan pre-approval covers the building design, while LADBS reviews foundation requirements site by site. The 4-foot setback rule in state law sets where an ADU can go on a lot, not what fill it can sit on.
Cases outside the bulletin
Bulletin P/BC 2026-111 governs parcels inside City of Los Angeles limits. Los Angeles County Public Works issues permits for unincorporated areas, according to the County permit portal, and the County building division runs its own plan check. Los Angeles County manual AM J103, posted by La Cañada Flintridge as a County backfill requirements sheet, requires a recorded Covenant for a Restricted Use Area before a shell-in-place permit issues. Pasadena processes building permits through its own Permit Center at 175 North Garfield Avenue. Owners outside city limits check the local handout before planning an ADU over a former pool.
Where the Directory Fits
Pool Removal Directory CA is a referral directory, not a contractor. Its Los Angeles page at poolremovaldirectoryca.com lists pool removal contractors checked against California license records and explains the city permit steps.
The video below covers the City of Los Angeles fill-in rules and the limits on a filled area.
Related guides compare pool backfill rules by permit office across seven offices and lay out a permit-to-final timeline for a City of Los Angeles job.