Excavation cost in San Bernardino, CA
Verdemont Excavation publishes these ranges so you know what a fair quote looks like before anyone walks your yard. They are what licensed contractors in San Bernardino County quote inside for residential and small commercial work in 2026.
Excavation price table
| Job | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Machine and operator, hourly | $185 to $325/hr | Machine size, attachments, how hard the ground digs |
| Mobilization, equipment in and out | $300 to $850 | Distance from the yard, mountain roads, trailer moves |
| ADU pad and footing excavation | $4,000 to $11,000 | Pad size, slope, backyard access width, compaction testing |
| House or garage pad, rough grade and compaction | $4,500 to $14,000 | Cut and fill volume, hillside keyway, soils report |
| New pool excavation, dig only | $3,000 to $8,500 | Access, cobble or boulders, where the dirt goes |
| Pool removal, partial fill in | $7,000 to $14,000 | Pool size, deck removal, compaction of the fill |
| Pool removal, full with engineered backfill | $14,000 to $30,000 | Shell haul-off, imported fill, compaction reports for a future build |
| Sewer lateral replacement, open trench | $4,500 to $12,000 | Run length, depth, clay or Orangeburg pipe, street cut |
| Septic tank and leach field, installed | $15,000 to $32,000 | Perc rate, tank size, leach line footage, slope |
| Seepage pit system or engineered alternative | $22,000 to $45,000 | Slow perc, pit depth, granite, engineered design |
| Perc test and septic site evaluation | $1,500 to $3,500 | Engineer or REHS fees, number of test holes |
| Utility trench, per linear foot | $25 to $70 | Depth, cobble, hand digging near lines, surface patch |
| Drainage swale or French drain, per linear foot | $35 to $95 | Depth, gravel and pipe spec, outlet to the street |
| Driveway cut and base rock | $3,000 to $9,500 | Length, grade, base thickness, curb cut permit |
| Slab, shed or garage demolition and haul-off | $2,500 to $12,000 | Size, slab thickness, rebar, dump fees |
| Lot clearing and fire break, per acre | $1,800 to $6,500 | Brush density, slope, chipping versus haul-off |
| Spoil export, per truckload | $175 to $400 | Haul distance, clean fill or mixed, loading access |
| Emergency dig for a broken water or sewer line | $1,500 to $5,000 | After hours, depth, how fast the leak is located |
Ranges are for typical residential jobs and include machine time and labor. City or county permit fees, soils reports and engineering are usually separate lines.
What pushes a job up or down its range
Rock. The foothill side of the valley, from Devore and Verdemont to Alta Loma and Highland, sits on alluvial fans full of cobble and boulders. A breaker day can add $1,500 to $2,600 to a job. The sandy valley floor in Fontana, Rialto and south San Bernardino digs fast.
Access. A tract backyard behind a 4 or 5 foot gate means a mini excavator and a skid steer, more trips and more hours. An open lot or an alley lets a bigger machine work.
Where the dirt goes. Spoil that spreads on your own lot costs nothing extra. Spoil that leaves costs $175 to $400 a truckload, and a pool dig can be 8 to 12 loads.
Slope and engineering. Hillside pads need a keyway, compaction testing and often a soils report. Mountain septic often needs seepage pits after a slow perc test.
Season. Mountain work bunches into spring through fall, and rainy season erosion control adds cost to any grading between fall and spring.
How to get a quote that holds
- 1
Measure the access
Gate width, overhead wires and where a truck can park. Text photos.
- 2
Ask for a site walk
A contractor who digs a test hole or probes the ground quotes rock once.
- 3
Get the quote in lines
Mobilization, machine time or job price, haul off, permits, restoration.
- 4
Check the license
Class A or C-12 for excavation, C-42 for sewer and septic, at the CSLB lookup.
- 5
Confirm DigAlert and permits
Who files them and when, before the start date.
Useful references: the CSLB license lookup, DigAlert for the two working day notice, the State Water Board septic policy and San Bernardino County Building and Safety for unincorporated parcels.
Cost questions
How much does excavation cost per hour in San Bernardino?
A machine with an operator runs $185 to $325 an hour. A mini excavator sits at the low end; a full size excavator with a breaker sits at the top. Mobilization of $300 to $850 is usually added once per job.
How much does excavation cost per cubic yard?
Residential digs often work out to roughly $40 to $120 per cubic yard including haul off, but most contractors here price by the job or the hour because access and rock vary so much. Ask for the job price.
Why did my quote come in above the range?
Usually one of three things: rock that needs a breaker, a tight access that forces compact machines and more trips, or a lot of spoil to haul. Ask the contractor which line moved, and compare it to the table here.
Are permits included in these prices?
Contractor permit handling is usually in the quote, but city or county permit fees, soils reports, engineering and septic design are often separate lines. Ask for them to be listed.
Does insurance ever pay for excavation?
Homeowners policies sometimes cover sudden water damage, and a service line endorsement can cover a broken sewer or water line. Planned work like a pool or ADU is never covered.
Turn a range into a written quote
One licensed contractor walks the site and puts the exact number on paper.