Concrete Removal and Demolition in Austin, TX
Heritage Concrete Austin handles concrete removal and demolition in Austin, Texas: breaking out and hauling away old driveways, patios, walks, steps, pads and slabs, or saw-cutting a clean line where only part of the concrete has to go. Taking out a sidewalk, curb, gutter or driveway approach in the City's right-of-way can't start without a right-of-way permit, and only a licensed contractor may apply for one.
There's no charge for an estimate; ring the number or use the form. We'll ask what has to go, how thick it is, whether there's steel or a post-tension cable inside, and how close a truck can get.
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Taking out a slab, a section or a post-tensioned floor
The whole slab or one section
Where only part of a slab is bad, the usual approach is to saw around it so the concrete that stays keeps a straight edge. Flat saws are the tools for pavement removal, slab sectioning and trenching for utilities under floors, and most commercial slab cuts fall between 6 and 12 inches deep. On a repair, ACI's steps sound the concrete for hollow spots and mark out simple shapes before the edges are cut. For the sawing itself, see concrete cutting.
Post-tensioned slabs
A post-tensioned slab is no place for a casual cut or drill hole: once a tendon is severed, it is very hard to repair, and cutting guidance calls for ground-penetrating radar to find the cables before any cut or core. PTI has published design guidance for post-tensioned foundations on expansive soil since 1980, and millions of homes have been built to it, so it pays to know which kind of slab is coming out before work starts.
Weight, hauling and recycling
Old concrete is heavy: figure about 75 pounds for every square foot of a 6-inch slab, and by NRMCA's figures a cubic foot of normal-weight concrete weighs 140 to 150 pounds. It is also the biggest single part of the country's construction and demolition debris, and most of it is crushed for reuse: the EPA puts the concrete sent to aggregate in 2018 at about 301 million tons. Crushed recycled concrete aggregate can do well as the base beneath new concrete.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862
Austin rules for concrete demolition
Sidewalks, curbs and driveway approaches
Under Austin's Land Development Code, removing a sidewalk, curb, gutter, driveway approach or pedestrian way takes a right-of-way construction permit, one for each lot. Removing or moving an approach also brings a transportation review by Austin Transportation and Public Works, and an unneeded curb opening has to be closed when a new approach is built. Right-of-way work is inspected in two phases, the second a final check that includes cleanup.
Trees under old paving
Paving can be what protects a tree's roots. The City's Environmental Criteria Manual lets an existing patio or driveway serve as tree-protection fencing, but after that hardscape is removed, the bare soil beneath it falls under the tree-protection rules. In the City's tree code, damaging the root system counts as removing the tree, and any work disturbing a regulated tree's critical root zone (trees 19 inches across or larger) calls for a Tree Ordinance Review Application.
What's under the slab
The ground decides the next step once the concrete is gone. On Austin's clay, intense heat can mean deeper excavation, regrading and a thicker gravel layer before a new pour; USDA rates the west side's shallow limestone soils "Very limited" for shallow excavations, with bedrock close to the surface. Texas law requires notice to the 811 one-call center at least 48 hours, and no more than 14 days, before any powered digging that reaches 16 inches down, weekends and holidays not counted. When a new drive follows, see concrete driveway replacement.
Commercial demolition
City permit records show 732 residential and 72 commercial demolition building permits issued in 2025. Commercial Driveway/Sidewalk permits also pay $6.05 a day for each structure in right-of-way usage fees. Heritage Concrete Austin takes on removal for commercial concrete projects, from lots and walks to building slabs.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862Concrete removal cost in Austin
Area, thickness and steel set the price. Austin-area figures for 2026 add $3 to $6 per square foot to demolish sidewalk concrete, with disposal costing up to $90 a ton; a 2024 Austin guide puts demolition of an old driveway lower, at $1.10 to $1.70 a square foot. On the City's own contracts bid from 2022 to 2025, taking out concrete curb drew a median of $14 per linear foot.
Nationally, reinforced concrete runs $1 to $3 more a square foot to remove, for cutting the steel and hauling it off, and a slab only 1 or 2 inches thicker than usual can lead contractors to double the price. Those are published figures; Heritage Concrete Austin prices removal from the real area and thickness, and the estimate is free.
- Old driveway, removal and hauling
- $2–$8 / sq ft
- Old patio, average job
- $550–$1,700
- Old walkway concrete
- $3–$6 / sq ft
- Concrete steps
- $195–$390
- Small slab, 120 sq ft
- $9.03–$11.10 / sq ft
- City bid median, walks and drives
- $4 / sq ft
Typical Austin-area figures, 2026; City of Austin bid median, 2022–2025. Not a quote.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862Concrete removal questions
How to get rid of a small amount of concrete?
Break it into pieces you can lift, then haul it to be recycled or dumped. By national figures, hauling and dumping costs $30 to $65 for a pickup-truck load of as much as 6 cubic yards, and landfill fees run $90 to $160 a ton, depending on local policy. Most demolished concrete ends up crushed into aggregate, and once crushed it can be reused as base beneath new concrete.
What is the best tool for removing concrete?
The one that fits the slab. A sledgehammer or a jackhammer breaks a walk or patio into movable pieces, and a saw cuts sections and clean edges; the largest flat-saw blades reach about 25 inches deep. Where steel has to stay, as in a repair, ACI limits the work to 15- or 30-pound jackhammers, because anything heavier can damage the bars.
What are the best ways to remove an old concrete patio?
Check what is around and under it first, especially a large tree and any utility lines, then break it up and haul it off, or saw-cut the part that goes. Austin-area figures for 2026 put demolition and disposal of an old patio slab at $2 to $6 per square foot; a 2022 Austin guide gave $1.30 to $2.00 per square foot for the demolition.
Does removing concrete in Austin need a permit?
In the public right-of-way, yes: sidewalks, curbs, gutters and driveway approaches need a Driveway/Sidewalk permit, which must be filed by a licensed right-of-way contractor, at $345 for a new permit (fees effective October 1, 2026). On private property, the City's building-permit exemptions include a sidewalk, driveway or concrete flatwork outside the right-of-way, though exempt work still has to meet City codes, the tree rules included.
Why does replacing concrete cost more than pouring new?
Because the old concrete has to be torn out and disposed of first, and whatever damaged it, such as tree roots or plumbing, usually has to be fixed too. National figures for 2025 put tearing out and replacing a slab at $8 to $18 per square foot.
Get a free estimate on concrete removal
Tell us what needs to come out and roughly how big it is, or call. Heritage Concrete Austin quotes removal and haul-away free of charge, any hour.