What We Remove
- Driveways — concrete and asphalt, from a single-car strip in Red Bank to a long rural drive in Soddy-Daisy, including the compacted base if your new surface needs a fresh one
- Patios and walkways — cracked, settled, or just in the wrong place
- Slabs — garage slabs, shed pads, carport slabs, old basketball courts, mobile home runners
- Foundations and footers — the leftover foundation from a burned or previously demolished structure, broken out below grade so the lot is genuinely buildable, not just tidy
- Sidewalks and curbs — including sections tied to larger demo projects
- Retaining walls — failing block, poured, and stone walls (with a straight answer first about whether the wall is holding anything back that needs an engineered replacement plan)
- Pool decks and coping — usually alongside a pool removal, sometimes on their own
If it's steel-reinforced, thick, or oddly placed, that's fine — that's what the equipment is for. Rebar and mesh get separated for scrap; it's all in the price.
How Concrete Removal Works
- Sawcut the edges where the removal meets concrete that's staying — a clean sawcut line is the difference between "removed a section" and "cracked the neighbor's half of the driveway."
- Break it — hydraulic breaker or machine bucket depending on thickness and reinforcement. A 4-inch unreinforced patio breaks fast; an 8-inch reinforced slab is a different day.
- Load and haul — rubble loaded straight into trucks. On tight sites we stage with smaller equipment rather than tracking a big machine across your lawn.
- Separate and recycle — clean concrete goes to a crusher for reuse as fill and road base; rebar and mesh go to metal recycling; asphalt is recycled into new asphalt. Almost none of it needs a landfill.
- Grade the void — the removal area is backfilled or graded per what's coming next: compacted stone base for a new pour, topsoil for lawn.
Utility check, always. Before anything is broken, utility locates are called in through Tennessee 811, as state law requires before excavation — gas services, water lines, and irrigation commonly run under and beside driveways and patios, and finding them with a breaker is the expensive way.
What Concrete Removal Costs in Chattanooga
The working number for this market is $2–$6 per square foot for flatwork removal, haul-off included. Where you land in that range:
- Thickness and reinforcement — 4" plain concrete sits at the bottom; 6–8" reinforced slab or footings at the top
- Access — machine-accessible driveway vs. a backyard patio through a 36" gate (hand-and-mini-equipment work costs more)
- Quantity — mobilization is a fixed cost, so a 600 sq ft driveway costs less per foot than a 100 sq ft stoop
- Asphalt runs cheaper than concrete, commonly $1–$3 per square foot, since it breaks and loads faster
Rules of thumb: a typical two-car concrete driveway (500–700 sq ft) usually lands around $1,200–$3,500 removed and hauled; a backyard patio a few hundred to around $1,500; foundations and walls are quoted per job because depth and reinforcement vary too much for a formula. Call (423) 451-8391 with photos and rough dimensions — quotes are free and firm.
Tearing Out for a New Pour? Sequence It Right
A lot of concrete removal happens because something new is going in its place. We're the demo half of that project, and we play well with the pour half: we coordinate with your concrete or paving contractor so the tear-out lands just before their schedule, and we leave the excavation to their base spec — depth, compacted stone, clean edges — so their crew shows up and pours instead of re-grading. If you don't have a pour contractor yet, we're happy to tell you what a well-prepped site should look like so you can hold whoever you hire to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to remove a concrete driveway?
Most two-car concrete driveways in the Chattanooga area run $1,200–$3,500 to break out and haul off, based on $2–$6 per square foot depending on thickness, reinforcement, and access. Asphalt drives run less. Photos and rough dimensions get you a firm quote, usually same day.
What happens to the old concrete?
It gets recycled. Clean concrete is crushed into fill and road base, rebar goes to metal recycling, and asphalt is reprocessed into new asphalt — cheaper to dispose of than landfill waste, which keeps your price down too.
Can you remove concrete in a fenced backyard?
Yes. Tight-access jobs get mini-excavators and skid steers that fit through standard gates, or a fence panel comes off and goes back on. It costs somewhat more than open-access work, and we'll price it honestly up front rather than surprise you.
Can you remove just part of my driveway or patio?
Yes — we sawcut clean lines where removal meets concrete that stays, so the remaining slab keeps a straight, sound edge. Partial removals and section replacements are routine.
Do I need a permit to remove a driveway or slab in Chattanooga?
Standalone flatwork removal on private property usually doesn't require a demolition permit, but work touching the public right-of-way (sidewalks, curb cuts, aprons) or tied to a structure demolition can — and the city requires a Land Disturbing Application where heavy equipment or foundation removal is involved. We confirm what your specific job needs — see our Chattanooga permits guide for how the city process works.
How long does concrete removal take?
Most residential jobs — a driveway, a patio, a slab — are done in one day, including haul-off. Foundations and large or heavily reinforced removals can run 2–3 days. You'll have a schedule with your quote.