Concrete and Asphalt Driveways
Tuscaloosa Demolition Pros: Driveway Removal in Tuscaloosa, AL
A cracked or sunken driveway broken up, loaded out and the base left ready for a new pour or for grass, priced in writing first.
- Tuscaloosa, Northport and towns within 20 miles
- Licensed, insured local contractors
- Houses, mobile homes, garages and pools
- Written price before work starts
- Debris hauled and the lot graded
Tuscaloosa Demolition Pros connects Tuscaloosa homeowners and landlords with local contractors who break out and haul away old driveways, from a single-car strip of cracked concrete to a long rural drive with heaved slabs. This page covers driveway removal in Tuscaloosa and the towns nearby: what cost guides put the work at, how the slabs come out, what the City expects where the driveway meets the street, and where the broken concrete goes once it leaves your property.
Breaking out a failed driveway costs $600 to $1,800 in HomeGuide's demolition guide; pour new concrete over the cracked slabs instead and you risk paying later to remove both layers at HomeBlue's Tuscaloosa rate of about $4 per square foot.
Why Tuscaloosa Driveways Get Torn Out
Most driveways come out because they have cracked into plates that rock, sunk where the base washed away, or heaved over a tree root. Some are torn out for a wider drive, a garage addition or a new house on a cleared lot. Others are what is left after a teardown: once a house is gone, the City's property maintenance code, Sec. 6-51(d), calls for abandoned slabs, foundations, sidewalks and driveways to be removed and the ground returned to a natural state. The contractor who quotes your job measures the drive and checks its thickness at an edge.
Driveway Removal Cost and What Changes It
$600 to $1,800
Driveway demolition for a typical home, from HomeGuide's 2026 cost guide, How Much Does It Cost to Demolish a House? Thicker slabs, rebar, a long drive or a hard haul push a quote toward the top.
HomeGuide's 2026 guide prices driveway demolition at $600 to $1,800. For concrete in general, HomeBlue's Tuscaloosa figure is about $4 per square foot for a 4 to 6 inch slab, and HomeGuide lists $1 to $3 per square foot for slab removal. Length and thickness lead the list of price drivers, then reinforcing: wire mesh breaks out easily, while rebar takes longer to cut and separate. Asphalt over concrete, a drive that crosses the sidewalk, and how far the trailer has to travel all count. Ask whether grading the base and hauling are included.
How a Concrete Driveway Is Broken Out
The slab is cut where the driveway meets anything that stays, such as the garage floor, the walk or the street, so the break stops at a clean line. A breaker or a skid steer then cracks the concrete into pieces a machine can lift, and the slabs are loaded into a dump trailer or a roll-off. Wire mesh and rebar are pulled out and cut. Water meter boxes and sewer cleanouts in the drive are marked and protected. Once the concrete is gone, the base is graded so it drains, then left ready for gravel, a new pour or topsoil and seed.
Right-of-Way Permits and Concrete Disposal in Tuscaloosa County
Removing a driveway approach in the City right-of-way, the part between your property line and the street, needs a land development permit under Tuscaloosa Code Sec. 21-219, and a roll-off parked in the street needs a right-of-way permit of its own. Alabama 811 must be notified at least two working days before demolition, so buried lines are marked before the breaker starts.
ADEM does not count clean concrete, brick, block or asphalt as regulated solid waste, which lets a recycler take it. For driveway removal in Coker, no permit page was found; ask the Town Hall on Eisenhower Drive, open Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Signs It Is Time to Replace the Driveway
- Slabs that rock or clunk when you drive over them
- A section has sunk and holds water after rain
- Tree roots have lifted the concrete into a ridge
- Cracks wide enough for grass to grow through
- The edge has broken off where tires leave the drive
- Patches and sealer no longer hold
Price Your Driveway Removal in Tuscaloosa
Give us the length, the width and what it is made of, and a local contractor will call back with a written price.
Call (205) 590-9261Driveway Removal Available In
Frequently Asked Questions
Driveway Removal Questions From Tuscaloosa Owners
How much does it cost to remove a concrete driveway in Tuscaloosa?
HomeGuide's 2026 cost guide puts driveway demolition at $600 to $1,800. HomeBlue's Tuscaloosa figure for slab removal is about $4 per square foot. Length, thickness, rebar and how far the concrete has to be hauled decide where your quote lands.
What are the signs a driveway should be removed, not patched?
Slabs that move under the car, sunken sections that pond water, ridges from roots, and cracks wide enough for grass. Once the base underneath has washed out, a patch sits on nothing, and removal plus a new base is the lasting fix.
Do I need a permit to remove my driveway in Tuscaloosa?
If the work reaches the approach in the City right-of-way, Tuscaloosa Code Sec. 21-219 requires a land development permit, and a roll-off in the street needs a right-of-way permit. Call the Building and Inspection Division at 205-248-5110 for anything on the rest of the drive.
What happens to the broken concrete?
Clean concrete is not regulated solid waste under ADEM's rules, so it can go to a recycler rather than the landfill. Mixed loads with dirt, wood or trash are a different story. Ask the contractor where the concrete goes and whether disposal is in the price.
Can the driveway be removed and left as grass?
Yes. After the slabs come out, the base can be graded, covered with topsoil and seeded. If the drive served a house that has been torn down, the City's Sec. 6-51(d) expects the ground returned to a natural state anyway.