A mobile home demolition in Polk County has three parts: the permit (sewer cap or septic abandonment first, then the demo permit), the teardown (one day for a single-wide with our excavator), and the haul-off (one to two 40-yard loads, metal separated for scrap). We quote all three as one number and tell you the permit steps before you commit.
What is included
- Walkthrough, written scope and a fixed price
- Permit checklist for Polk County or your city, and help with the application if you want it
- Removal of decks, steps, skirting, tie-downs and piers
- Excavator teardown and loading into 40-yard containers
- Separation of the steel frame, axles and aluminum for scrap
- Haul-off to a permitted facility with disposal included
- Rake-clean site, optional rough grading
- Optional: concrete pad removal, well or septic abandonment coordination, lot clearing
The permit part, plainly
Polk County will not issue a demolition permit until the sewer is capped by a licensed plumber under a plumbing permit that has been inspected and finalized, or — on septic — until the Health Department has issued a septic-abandonment letter. The application also needs a notarized letter from the property owner authorizing the demolition, the parcel ID, contractor licensing information, and a recorded Notice of Commencement when the job is over $5,000. The county requires a pre-demolition inspection scheduled 24 hours ahead and proof of how the debris will be disposed of. If the home sits inside Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow or another city, that city's building department issues the permit under similar rules.
Budget two to four weeks for permitting. We have done this enough times to know which office wants which form; read the full Florida mobile home demolition guide.
Demo day
- Utilities confirmed off. Power meter pulled, gas capped, water off at the meter. We check before the first bucket moves.
- Strip the extras. Decks, steps, skirting, awnings and the AC unit (refrigerant recovered by a licensed tech).
- Take it down. The excavator collapses the structure inward, away from neighbors and trees, and loads the container in place.
- Sort the metal. Frame, axles, hitch and aluminum are separated — that scrap offsets your cost.
- Clear the pad. Piers pulled, debris raked, and the site left ready for the next home, a slab or grass.
What it costs
Price depends on size (single vs. double-wide), what is attached (decks, additions, carports), what is under it (slab or piers), access for the excavator and truck, and whether we are handling the permit. A single-wide with good access is a one-day job and one to two 40-yard loads; a double-wide with additions is closer to two days and three loads. Disposal is at the county's construction-and-demolition rate, $46 per ton as of October 2025, and included in the quote.
Also demolished
Sheds, pole barns, carports, detached garages, decks, pergolas, above-ground pools and small block structures. Same crew, same day in most cases.
Send photos and the parcel address
We will tell you the permit path for your jurisdiction and quote the whole job, teardown to clear pad.