Dirt disposal cost
How much does it cost to dump dirt in Orange County?
Two different prices. Orange County landfills publish $4.00 per ton for pre-tested clean soil, which requires a lab-tested Soil Acceptance Letter first, and $92.70 per ton for untested soil. OC Dirt Dump prices flat by truck or trailer size, with no scale.
The county rate
The cheap county rate has a lab test attached.
Orange County publishes two rates for soil, and the difference between them is paperwork, not dirt.
Pre-tested clean soil
$4.00 per ton
Available only after the county has approved lab results and issued a Soil Acceptance Letter for that specific soil. It is not a rate you can ask for at the gate with a clean looking load.
Untested soil
$92.70 per ton
The full published gate rate. This is what soil costs when nobody has tested it, which describes most loads coming off most jobs.
Both figures are as published by the county for the fiscal year running July 1 2026 to June 30 2027, accessed August 2026, on the landfill fees page. The testing and letter requirements behind the low rate are on the county soil disposal page. Published fees change with the fiscal year, so check the county before you plan a budget around them.
How we price it
Flat by truck size, at the gate.
OC Dirt Dump is a private yard in the heart of Orange County, less than half a mile off the SR-22. Your load is priced flat by your truck or trailer size. There is no scale, no weigh-in, and no tonnage math to check afterward. You get the number at the gate, before anything leaves the bed.
Your truck or trailer size
A pickup with a one-axle trailer, a dump trailer, a bobtail, a 10 wheeler, a Super 10, a transfer, an end dump. The size of what you pull in with is the main thing the price is tied to.
Clean dirt or a mixed load
Clean dirt prices one way. Loads carrying concrete, asphalt, or rock price another. Tell us which one you have on the phone and the number does not change at the gate.
Nothing on a scale
There is no weigh-in, so a wet clay load and a dry sandy load of the same size are the same price. You are not paying for water.
Priced before you tip
You get the number at the gate, before anything leaves the bed. If it does not work for you, nothing has been dumped yet.
We do not post prices, because the price depends on what you pull in with. Call (714) 493-7597 with your truck or trailer size and what you are hauling and you have the number before you leave the job. Every load leaves with a dump ticket for your records.
Priced before you tip
Before you call
Know how many loads you have.
Cost per load only tells you half the story. The other half is how many loads the job makes. Measure the area and the depth, run it through the calculator, and you have cubic yards, an estimated tonnage, and a Super 10 truckload range.
Yards, tons, and loads
Length times width times depth, divided by 27, gives cubic yards. Weight per yard moves with the material and the moisture, so the calculator gives a tonnage estimate rather than a number to bid against.
Buying material for the return trip
Dumping and buying happen at the same yard. If the next job needs screened fill dirt, road base, or washed sand, load it before you leave instead of paying for a second trip.
Running several trucks a week? A contractor account moves you to weekly billing so your drivers are not stopping to pay every load.
Common questions
Dirt disposal cost questions.
- How much does it cost to dump dirt in Orange County?
- It depends on where you take it. Orange County landfills publish two soil rates: $4.00 per ton for pre-tested clean soil, which requires an approved lab test and a Soil Acceptance Letter before you arrive, and $92.70 per ton for untested soil, as published for July 1 2026 to June 30 2027. OC Dirt Dump is a private yard and prices each load flat by truck or trailer size, with no scale and no weigh-in.
- Why is the county's clean soil rate so much lower?
- Because the low rate is not for soil that simply looks clean. It applies to soil the county has already accepted on paper: a lab test from a California ELAP-certified laboratory, results reviewed, and a Soil Acceptance Letter issued for that specific project. Without the letter, the load is untested soil and pays the full published gate rate.
- Do you charge by the ton or by the load?
- By the load, priced on your truck or trailer size. There is no scale at the yard, so there is no tonnage to argue about and no weigh-in on the way in or the way out. Call with your truck size and what you are hauling and you get the number before you leave the job.
- Is dirt disposal cheaper than paying a hauler to take it away?
- They are two different purchases. A hauler charges to load the material, drive it, and pay the disposal at the other end. If you already have a truck and a driver, you are only buying the disposal, and at a private yard priced by truck size you know that number up front.
- How do I know how many loads I have before I call?
- Measure the area and the depth and run it through the material calculator on this site. It turns length, width, and depth into cubic yards, an estimated tonnage, and a Super 10 truckload range, which is enough to plan the trips and get a price on the phone.
Sources
- Orange County landfills (oclandfills.com), Landfill fees. Source of the $4.00 per ton pre-tested clean soil rate and the $92.70 per ton gate rate, as published for July 1 2026 to June 30 2027, accessed August 2026.
- Orange County landfills (oclandfills.com), Soil disposal. Source of the soil testing, application, and Soil Acceptance Letter requirements the low rate depends on, accessed August 2026.
Get your number before you load.
Call the yard with your truck or trailer size and what you are hauling. You get a flat price for the load, and directions to a yard in the heart of Orange County.
Call ahead for after-hours or weekend service. Business hours Monday to Friday, 6am to 6pm.