What excavation costs in San Bernardino
Shandin Excavation publishes these ranges so a San Bernardino homeowner knows what a fair excavation quote looks like before the first phone call. Nothing here is a quote. The licensed contractor who takes your job prices it after a site walk, and the number should land inside the row for your job unless the lot has a reason it does not.
Three things drive almost every number on this table: how the ground digs, how the machine gets in, and where the dirt goes. Sandy Lytle Creek fan ground in Rialto digs twice as fast as cobble in Highland. A nine foot gate lets a full size excavator in; a six foot gate means a mini and three times the passes. And every truckload that leaves the lot costs $200 to $400 at the landfill or the fill site.
Published price ranges, San Bernardino valley
| Job type | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Machine and operator, hourly | $165 to $285/hr | Machine size, cobble and boulders, how tight the access is |
| Mobilization, equipment in and out | $300 to $800 | Distance from the yard, lowboy versus trailer, second machine |
| New pool excavation | $2,500 to $9,000 | Pool size and depth, gate width, cobble, where the dirt goes |
| Pool removal, partial or full fill | $6,000 to $18,000 | Shell size, full versus partial demo, compaction report, haul fees |
| ADU or garage pad, rough grade and compaction | $3,500 to $10,000 | Pad size, cut and fill, compaction testing, drainage swale |
| Sewer lateral replacement, dig to backfill | $4,000 to $12,000 | Depth at the main, run length, concrete or asphalt to open and patch |
| Utility trench, per linear foot | $20 to $65 | Depth, cobble, number of conduits, surface restoration |
| Septic system, excavation side only | $4,500 to $9,500 | Tank depth, leach line footage, rock, access for the tank truck |
| Conventional septic system, installed | $12,000 to $25,000 | Perc rate, tank size, leach line count, county versus city review |
| Perc test and septic site evaluation | $1,500 to $3,500 | Engineer fees, number of test holes, seasonal groundwater check |
| Footing and foundation excavation | $2,500 to $8,000 | Footprint, hillside benching, export volume |
| Driveway cut and base rock | $3,000 to $9,000 | Length, slope, culvert, base thickness |
| Small structure demolition and haul off | $5,000 to $16,000 | Size, materials, asbestos survey, landfill fees |
| After hours or emergency callout | $600 to $1,500 plus hourly | Time of night, how fast the crew can roll, shoring needs |
| Boulder and cobble excavation, added to a dig | $1,500 to $6,000 | Boulder size and count, breaker time, extra export loads |
| Spoil export, per truckload | $200 to $400 | Haul distance, landfill versus clean fill site, loading access |
Ranges reflect residential and light commercial excavation quotes in San Bernardino, Highland, Redlands, Yucaipa, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Loma Linda and Devore. Permit fees, engineering and the pool builder or plumber’s own scope are separate.
What pushes a dig to the top of its range
- 1
Cobble and boulders
The single biggest variable in this valley. Rounded river cobble slows the bucket; granite boulders over about two feet need a hydraulic breaker or a crane. Figure $1,500 to $6,000 added to a pool or footing dig north of the 210.
- 2
Depth past five feet
Cal/OSHA Title 8 section 1541 requires sloped walls, benching or a trench shield once a trench passes five feet. The crew slows down, the trench gets wider and more spoil comes out. Sewer laterals in Colton and the flat parts of San Bernardino hit this routinely.
- 3
Access through a gate
A side yard under eight feet means a mini excavator and buckets of dirt carried out one at a time, or a conveyor. Removing a fence panel is usually cheaper than the extra machine hours.
- 4
Export volume
A pool produces 60 to 120 cubic yards; an ADU pad on a slope can produce more. At $200 to $400 a load, hauling is often a third of the price. Spreading spoil on site or keeping cobble cuts it.
- 5
Hillside and engineering
Verdemont, the South Hills, Smiley Heights and Chapman Heights lots need a soils report, benched fill and compaction tests at each lift. The city may require a geologist review. The dig becomes an engineered job.
- 6
Concrete and asphalt
A lateral under a driveway or a street cut means saw cutting, breaking, hauling the slab and patching to the city spec. An encroachment permit comes with the street cut.
What brings a dig down
Open access with the truck parked next to the hole. Sandy ground south of the 10 or on the Lytle Creek fan. A place on the lot for the spoil, or a neighbor who wants fill. A sewer main that sits shallow in an alley instead of ten feet under the street. Booking in the off season, roughly November through February, when pool builders slow down and crews have open days. And a clear scope: a homeowner who has the gate measured, the plan drawn and the trees marked gets a tighter quote because the contractor is not pricing in surprises.
Permits, inspections and the 811 ticket
Permit fees are not in the table because each city sets its own. Grading permits in the valley cities run a few hundred dollars for a small pad and more for an engineered plan. An encroachment permit for a street cut is separate. Septic systems in Devore and the unincorporated county go through San Bernardino County Land Use Services and County Environmental Health; inside Yucaipa, Redlands and the other cities the city reviews them. Every dig needs a free locate ticket from California 811 at least two working days ahead, and trench safety follows Cal/OSHA Title 8 section 1541. The permits page lists each city’s office.
Get a written quote against this table
Call (443) 364-3676 or send the form below and one licensed contractor calls you back within one business day.
Cost questions
What does an excavator cost per hour in San Bernardino?
A machine with an operator runs $165 to $285 an hour. A mini excavator that fits a side gate sits at the low end, a 20 ton machine with a breaker at the top. Most contractors bill a four hour minimum plus a mobilization charge of $300 to $800.
How much does it cost to dig a pool?
The excavation alone runs $2,500 to $9,000 for a residential pool, separate from the pool builder’s price. A 14 by 30 shell through a wide gate in sandy ground sits near $3,000. Cobble and boulders, a narrow gate or a spa and sunken area push it toward the top.
Why does my quote say rock allowance?
Because north of the 210 and in Highland the fan material carries boulders that no probe can fully map. A rock allowance is a stated amount for breaker time and extra export loads that is only billed if the rock shows up. It is more honest than a change order after the fact.
How much does hauling dirt away cost?
$200 to $400 a truckload in the valley, with a ten wheeler carrying about 10 to 12 cubic yards. A pool dig produces 60 to 120 yards, so hauling can be a third of the dig price. Spreading spoil on your own lot or keeping cobble for landscaping cuts it.
Are these prices a quote?
No. They are the ranges licensed contractors in the valley quote inside, published so you know what fair looks like before the first call. The contractor who takes your job quotes on their own paper after a site walk.