Demolition Debris Removal in California
A California demolition is paperwork first and a container second: the survey and the notification come before the machine starts.
This page covers what is specific to California. For container sizing, accepted and prohibited materials and how the rental works, see Demolition Debris Removal.
The survey and the notification come first
Before a building is demolished in California, suspect asbestos-containing material has to be surveyed, and your local air district has to be notified before the work begins - the South Coast, Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and the other districts each run their own notification process, with a waiting period. Housing built before 1978 brings lead paint into the same conversation, and both answers change what may go in an open container.
This is not a container question, but it is the reason demolition schedules slip. Asbestos and lead abatement waste leave the site under their own rules with their own documentation, and the roll-off takes what is left: framing, lath and plaster, flooring, roofing, masonry and fixtures. Book the box around the notification date, not the other way round.
Treated wood, and the material that cannot ride along
California treats pressure-treated wood as its own waste stream rather than ordinary lumber, and not every facility will take it. Fence posts, retaining-wall timbers, deck framing, sill plates and landscape ties therefore need to be kept out of the mixed demolition box and dealt with separately, or the whole load can be turned away at the scale.
The same goes for the other items a demolition turns up: refrigerant appliances, fluorescent tubes and ballasts, batteries, paint, solvents, fuel and anything from a sprinkler or hydraulic line. California handles those as universal or hazardous waste and they are banned from the container. Tell us what the building had in it and we will tell you which piles need to exist before the box arrives.
Full teardown, soft-story retrofit, or interior strip
The three jobs produce different debris. A full residential teardown is a mixed, bulky load with masonry at the bottom and needs 30 or 40 yards with a swap planned. A soft-story or foundation retrofit - common across Los Angeles and the Bay Area under local ordinances - is concrete, cut stucco and steel, which is dense, so it wants smaller boxes and more of them.
An interior strip is light and voluminous: cabinetry, drywall, flooring, ceilings and trim fill a 30 yard without approaching its weight limit. On those we would rather give you the big box, because volume is the constraint. Say which of the three you are doing and the sizing answers itself.
Sizes we quote in California
Same containers statewide. The tonnage allowance behind them is set by the county facility that receives your load.
| Size | L × W × H | Included tons | Pickup loads | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yard | 22′ × 8′ × 6′ | 4 - 5 | 9 - 12 | Whole-home renovations, framing waste, mixed demolition debris. |
| 40 yard | 22′ × 8′ × 8′ | 5 - 6 | 14 - 16 | Commercial tear-outs, large demolition, bulky light debris. |
California questions
Do I need an asbestos survey before demolition in California?
For suspect material, yes, and your air district also has to be notified before work starts. The survey decides what may legally go into an open container, so it is worth having before you book one.
Can pressure-treated wood go in the demolition container?
No. California handles treated wood as its own stream and not all facilities accept it. Keep posts, deck framing, sill plates and landscape timbers in a separate pile and tell us the volume.
What size container for demolishing a house?
A 40 yard with at least one swap planned, or a run of 30 yards. The weight sits in the masonry and roofing, so we often stage a smaller box for the dense material and a large one for the framing and finishes.
Does demolition debris count toward CALGreen diversion?
Yes, and demolition is usually where a project earns its diversion rate. Separated concrete, metal and clean wood divert at a much higher rate than a single mixed box, and we send weight tickets for each load.
Other debris types in California
Where we deliver in California
All 1,598 cities and communities, in every one of the 58 counties.
Get this container on site in California
Tell us the ZIP and the volume. We will confirm the size, the weight allowance and the delivery day.