What hot tub removal costs in St. Louis

The short answer

A standard hot tub or spa is $390 to remove and haul away; a large 6-8 person tub is $501. That includes getting it off the deck or pad and out to the truck, loading and disposal. You need to have the power disconnected by an electrician and the water drained before the crew arrives.

Why hot tubs are their own job

A hot tub is not a big piece of furniture. It is a fiberglass or acrylic shell, a wooden or composite cabinet, a steel frame in some models, pumps, heaters, plumbing and foam insulation, all bolted together. Empty, many weigh several hundred pounds. They do not fit through a standard gate, they do not fit in a pickup bed, and they cannot go in the City's bulky pickup, which stops at 100 lbs and 6 ft.

Most removals involve cutting the tub into sections on site, which is why it takes a crew and tools rather than a few friends.

Hot tub and backyard prices

A backyard reset in Ballwin — standard hot tub plus the above-ground pool the kids outgrew — is $390 + $145 = $535. A big spa and the old patio table: $501 + $89 = $590.

What you need to do first

1. Disconnect power. Hot tubs are hard-wired, usually to a dedicated GFCI disconnect. Have an electrician shut it off and disconnect the wiring safely. Crews do not do electrical work.
2. Drain it. Use the drain valve or a submersible pump, and let the shell dry for a day if you can.
3. Clear the path. Move patio furniture, grills and planters between the tub and the driveway, alley or street.
4. Check the gate width. Not to decide whether we can do it — we can — but so you know whether it will be cut apart.

The do-it-yourself route, honestly

People do take hot tubs out themselves, and it helps to know what that day looks like. After the electrician and the drain, you need a reciprocating saw with plenty of blades, eye protection and gloves, and several hours of cutting through fiberglass, foam and framing. Then the pieces have to go somewhere.

City residents can self-haul to the North or South transfer station, weekdays 8:00 to 4:00, up to 12 loads a year. A load is what fits a half-ton pickup, up to 5 by 8 by 4 feet, so a cut-up tub plus its cabinet and cover is often two loads, and you need ID and a water or solid-waste bill each time. County and Metro East residents have their own municipal or district rules and would need to find where a load like that is accepted.

Add up a saw, blades, a truck or trailer, a helper and a weekday off, and $390 starts to look like the simpler number, especially with a tub on a raised deck.

St. Louis backyard access

Access varies a lot across the metro.

• City yards in neighborhoods like St. Louis Hills, Lindenwood Park and Tower Grove South are compact, often reached from the alley through a garage or gate. Alley access usually helps.
• Inner-ring suburbs like Kirkwood, Webster Groves and Maplewood have side yards and mature trees that make large pieces awkward.
• West County subdivisions in Chesterfield, Ballwin and Wildwood often have tubs on raised decks over walkout basements, and HOA rules about what can sit in the driveway.
• Metro East homes range from bluff-top subdivisions in O'Fallon and Edwardsville to older river-town lots in Granite City and Alton.

None of these change the price. A tub on a second-story deck is $390 just like one on a ground pad.

Timing it with the seasons

St. Louis has hot, humid summers and cold winters. Many owners decide to remove a tub in fall, rather than winterize a unit they no longer use, or in spring, when they see what the winter did to it. If a tub has frozen and cracked, removal is the same job. Avoid booking right after a heavy rain if the tub sits on soft ground you would rather not rut.

Storms are the other trigger. Spring severe weather can drop limbs on a tub or tear its cover, and after the May 2025 tornado many yards from Clayton and Richmond Heights into North City had damaged outdoor equipment to clear. A broken tub is removed the same way and at the same price. We work 8am to midnight, seven days, and same-day works when you book by 4 PM.

Selling the house with a tub in the yard

A dead hot tub is a common item on a pre-listing list. Buyers and inspectors notice a tub that does not run, and a cracked shell under a sagging cover photographs badly. If the house is going on the market in spring, removing the tub in late winter leaves time to seed the spot or repair the deck.

It also pairs well with a garage or basement clear-out before photos. A standard tub plus a quarter truck of garage clutter is $390 + $241 = $631, done in one visit. If the tub works and the buyer wants it, leave it; if not, the price is the same whether it runs or not.

After the tub is gone

Removing the tub is only half the backyard project. A few things to plan for:

• The pad or deck. A concrete pad stays unless you remove it. If you are breaking it up, concrete and masonry debris is $219 per quarter truck. A deck section built around the tub may need repair or removal; lumber is $41 per bundle.
• The electrical. The dedicated circuit and disconnect box stay on the house. Have your electrician cap or remove them properly.
• The cover and steps. Usually go with the tub; mention them in the photo so they are on the quote.
• The ground. Grass under a tub is long dead. Plan for seed or sod in spring or fall.

A full reset — standard tub plus two bundles of deck lumber — is $390 + $41 + $41 = $472. Hot tubs are mixed materials, so metal frames, pumps and motors can often be recycled, and the shell and foam generally go to disposal. We recycle whatever we can. Send a photo of the tub and the route out at the instant quote page and you will see the flat price before booking.

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