How this page works
First sentence answers the question; the rest stops the answer misleading you. Dollar figures are Mandurah and Peel guide bands current at August 2026, explained fully — scenario table and all — on what it costs. Permit and register answers summarise the WA rules covered, with sources, on the approvals page.
Money questions
Cost: $4,200–$7,800 for an accessible fibreglass pool, up to $9,500–$17,500 for concrete on a tight canal lot. The scenario — access, shell, water table — matters more than the pool type.
The inspection fee: stops only when the council confirms removal and updates its register. Write to them; don't assume.
DIY fill: legal in parts, rarely the saving it looks like, and unengineered fill costs you twice — settlement now, disclosure and build-over limits forever.
Rules questions
Permit: BA5 under the Building Act 2011 (WA), from Mandurah, Murray or Rockingham depending on your suburb.
The fence: stays compliant until the shell can't hold 300 mm of water. Not negotiable, and enforced.
Neighbours: written permission before anything crosses the boundary, and a written fence agreement before a shared panel comes down.
Asbestos: pre-1990 fencing and surrounds are guilty until tested. Ten square metres or more of bonded material is a licensed removalist's job — full stop.
Ask the question the page can't answer
Your pool, your side path, your water table — that's a site visit, not a webpage. Call (08) 9516 1339 with the pool type, rough size and access width, and the enquiry goes to an independent Peel contractor who can give you a written number. Suburb coverage is listed on around the Peel.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to remove a pool in Mandurah?
As at August 2026: $4,200 to $7,800 for a standard backyard fibreglass pool with good machine access, $6,800 to $12,500 for a concrete pool on an open block, and $9,500 to $17,500 for a concrete pool on a tight canal-estate lot where everything is broken small and walked out. Above-ground pools with their decks run $1,600 to $4,400, spas and plunge pools $2,600 to $5,400. Those bands include demolition, cartage, tip fees and standard backfill — the full scenario table, and what moves you within each band, is on the pricing page.
Can I fill my pool in myself?
Parts of it, legally — but think hard before you do. The pool must first be made permanently incapable of holding water (the City of Mandurah requires at least two 500 mm x 500 mm openings cut through the deep-end base, with filtration disconnected), the safety barrier has to stay compliant until that point, the council still needs a permit or sign-off, and fill tipped in without layered compaction will settle for years — leaving a sinking lawn, a footprint you can't build over, and something you should disclose when you sell. DIY usually saves less than a skip bin's worth once machine hire, sand cartage and your weekends are priced. If you do any of it yourself, still notify the council so the pool comes off the inspection register.
Does removing the pool get rid of the pool inspection fee?
Yes — once the council confirms the pool is gone. WA councils charge to inspect private pool barriers on a rolling cycle; the City of Mandurah runs a four-yearly schedule with the cost recovered through rates. Its published process is to notify the City in writing with the property address and, where possible, before-and-after photos; the City may inspect, and once removal or decommissioning is confirmed the pool comes off the inspection schedule and the fee comes off future rates notices. The Shire of Murray and City of Rockingham run their own programmes with the same logic. The fee doesn't stop when the pool does — it stops when the register is updated.
Do I need my neighbour's OK for machine access?
If the machine, the rubble or the crew crosses their land — yes, and get it in writing before anyone quotes on that basis. A neighbour can refuse, and a verbal yes that evaporates mid-job is expensive. If the plan involves dropping a shared dividing fence panel, that fence is jointly owned under WA's dividing fence laws, so agree in writing on reinstatement and who pays. No neighbour consent is needed when everything stays on your side of the boundary — which is exactly why access width is the first question any contractor asks.
Do I need a permit to remove a pool in Mandurah?
Generally yes — a demolition permit applied for on form BA5, because an in-ground pool is an incidental structure under the Building Act 2011 (WA). The permit authority depends on your suburb: City of Mandurah, Shire of Murray for the riverside settlements, or City of Rockingham for Golden Bay, Secret Harbour and Singleton. Fees are set by each council and indexed, so take the current figure from their fee schedule. The approvals page walks through the whole sequence, including the written notification that gets the pool off the barrier-inspection register afterwards.
Does the pool fence have to stay up during the removal?
Yes, until the shell physically cannot hold more than 300 mm of water. WA's barrier rules keep applying right through demolition, so the existing fence stays — or compliant temporary fencing replaces it — until the pool is breached and drained. Building and Energy's guidance describes acceptable temporary fencing as non-climbable to 1200 mm, or 1800 mm minimum if climbable. Taking the fence down on day one to open up machine access, before the shell is breached, is the most common compliance mistake in pool removal — and with winter rain refilling half-demolished shells, not a theoretical one.
Should I choose partial fill or full removal?
Choose on what the ground needs to do next, not on this year's invoice. Partial removal — shell breached, top of the walls broken down, hole filled — is the cheaper path and fine for a footprint that will only ever be lawn or garden. But a partially removed pool generally can't be built over without engineering that outweighs the saving, and the buried shell should be disclosed to future buyers. Full removal with fill compacted in layers, ideally with a compaction certificate ($350 to $1,000), returns the space to ground a future slab can sit on. If there's any chance of an extension, granny flat or shed on that spot, buy the full version once.
How long does pool removal take?
Two to five working days for most Peel jobs, once the permit is in hand. A fibreglass shell on an open sandy block can be out with the hole filled inside two days; a concrete pool behind a narrow canal-lot side path can stretch to a week or more of breaking and walking material out. The other local variable is groundwater — estuary, canal and riverside blocks often hit water within the pool's depth, and pumping or staged work adds time. The permit itself is the slow part: allow two to four weeks for the council before any machine arrives.
What if the old pool fence or surrounds contain asbestos?
Stop at suspicion and get it tested — never cut, break or drop suspect sheeting to find out. Pools installed before 1990 around Mandurah were often fenced or screened with asbestos-cement products, and if testing confirms it, removal of 10 square metres or more of bonded material (or any friable material) is legally a job for a WorkSafe WA licensed asbestos removalist — a separate trade this site simply refers around, not a line item on a demolition quote. Sampling costs little and settles the question. No answer on this page is a substitute for testing, and no removal method for asbestos will ever be described here.
Does this website do the pool removal itself?
No — enquiries to (08) 9516 1339 or the form are referred to an independent local pool removal and strip-out contractor serving Mandurah and the Peel, who quotes, contracts and carries out the work as their own business. The operator of this site does not perform demolition and does not verify any contractor's licence or insurance, so before engaging anyone — from here or anywhere — check any required licence with WorkSafe WA and ask for a current certificate of currency for their insurance. The disclaimer page spells out both checks.