Dirt disposal guide
Dirt disposal in Orange County
Dump dirt at OC Dirt Dump, a private yard in the heart of Orange County, less than half a mile off the SR-22 in Garden Grove. No soil test, no acceptance letter, no appointment. The other option is a county landfill, which wants paperwork first and sits out at the county line.
The short version
Two ways to get rid of dirt here.
One runs on lab results and mailed forms. The other runs on your truck size and about five minutes at a gate. Which one you want usually comes down to how much paperwork the load is worth.
A county landfill
Orange County publishes 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. Both figures are as published for the fiscal year running July 1 2026 to June 30 2027 on the county fees page, accessed August 2026.
The county sites also sit at the outer corners of the county, in Brea, Irvine, and San Juan Capistrano, so a job in the middle of Orange County sends a loaded truck out to the county line and back for every load.
A private yard, in the middle
OC Dirt Dump is open to the public at 11611 Westminster Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92843, less than half a mile off the SR-22. Clean dirt and mixed loads drive in and dump the same day, priced flat by truck or trailer size, with no scale and no weigh-in. No soil test, no acceptance letter, no appointment.
Gate hours are Monday to Friday, 6am to 6pm. Extended hours, weekends, and overnight available by request. Call ahead. Every load leaves with a dump ticket or material receipt, and you can load screened fill dirt, base, or sand for the return trip.
Start with your question
Five things people ask before they haul.
Each one is a full answer with the sources cited, written for whoever is actually moving the dirt.
How much does it cost to dump dirt in Orange County?
The county publishes two soil rates and the cheap one has a lab test attached to it. A private yard prices your load flat by truck size instead.
Read the answer
Do I need a soil test to dump dirt?
At a county landfill, once the load is over 5 cubic yards or 8 tons, yes. At a private yard open to the public, no test and no acceptance letter.
Read the answer
What do you do with the dirt from a pool job?
A dig makes truckloads of spoil to haul out. A pool removal needs yards of fill hauled in. Both directions run through the same yard.
Read the answer
Is it illegal to dump dirt on private property in California?
Without the owner's consent, yes. Penal Code 374.3 covers dirt, rock, concrete, and asphalt, and one cubic yard is already a commercial quantity.
Read the answer
What counts as a clean dirt load?
Soil and the rock that came out with it. Concrete, asphalt, roots, sod, or trash make it a mixed load, or a stop at the gate.
Read the answer
One yard, both directions
Already know what you need
Straight to it.
Dumping, buying material, working out yardage, setting up billing for a crew that runs several trucks a week.
Not sure whether your load passes? Text a photo to (714) 493-7597 with your truck or trailer size before you leave the job and we will tell you straight.
Sources
- Orange County landfills (oclandfills.com), Landfill fees. Published soil rates, as published for July 1 2026 to June 30 2027, accessed August 2026.
- Orange County landfills (oclandfills.com), Soil disposal. The county's soil testing, application, and Soil Acceptance Letter requirements. Accessed August 2026.
Got a load? Bring it in.
Call the yard with your truck size and what you are hauling for a flat price, or get directions and drive in. In the heart of Orange County, off the SR-22.
Call ahead for after-hours or weekend service. Business hours Monday to Friday, 6am to 6pm.