Unlimited
free bulky item pickups for LASAN-served homes
1 day
minimum notice before your regular trash day
5
free monthly drop-off yards, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. one Saturday a month
Every route for a hot tub in Los Angeles, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Los Angeles guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Los Angeles, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
LA Sanitation (LASAN) free bulky item pickup: hot tubs
Free, with a step firstLASAN's bulky item service has no size limit in its rules, but the tub has to be at the curb, drained and disconnected. List it specifically in your request so the right truck is sent, and expect to need help moving it.
Who qualifies: Homes with 1 to 4 units that get trash service from LASAN. Buildings with 5 or more units are served by a recycLA hauler instead; ask your building manager to request bulky pickup through that hauler.
How to schedule: Request it through MyLA311 (website or app) or the 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489, at least one business day before your regular trash day. Have an itemized list ready (one mattress, two chairs, a desk) so the right truck is sent.
Limits: Unlimited. LASAN describes it as an unlimited curbside service at no additional charge. Pickup happens on your regular trash day.
Set-out: Put the items at the curb by your normal collection time on the scheduled trash day, clear of bins and cars. Setting bulky items out without a request counts as illegal dumping in the City of LA.
Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)
FreeFreemoval funds free junk removal and cleanouts for households referred by trusted partner organizations, such as nonprofits, housing programs, and senior services. Families don’t apply directly. A partner submits the request and vouches for the need.
Status in Los Angeles: Not yet available. Freemoval currently serves metro Atlanta and plans to expand nationwide.
How it works where it operates: One free pickup per household, covering hot tubs, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service. Funded by LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates.
If you run a nonprofit or housing program in Los Angeles: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
LA has one of the most generous bulky item pickup programs of any major U.S. city: 10 free scheduled collections per year, with up to 10 items per collection, on your regular trash day. Large electronics get a separate free pickup that doesn’t count against your annual limit. Critical to know: LASAN serves only properties within City of LA limits, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood, Inglewood, Torrance, and Long Beach are NOT served by LASAN. Most apartment buildings use recycLA franchise haulers, not LASAN. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Los Angeles rule for hot tubs: LASAN's bulky item service has no size limit in its rules, but the tub has to be at the curb, drained and disconnected. List it specifically in your request so the right truck is sent, and expect to need help moving it.
Program basics: Unlimited. LASAN describes it as an unlimited curbside service at no additional charge. Pickup happens on your regular trash day. Put the items at the curb by your normal collection time on the scheduled trash day, clear of bins and cars. Setting bulky items out without a request counts as illegal dumping in the City of LA.
What the city will not take: Automotive parts and used oil (including tires), construction materials such as concrete, bricks, and dirt, commercial appliances, paint, solvents and chemicals, medicines and needles, fluorescent lights, and cardboard (that goes in the blue bin).
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: LA Sanitation: Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup (updated September 2026), LA Sanitation: Metal Appliance Pickup, LA Sanitation: S.A.F.E. Centers (household hazardous waste and e-waste), MyLA311 service requests. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Los Angeles. LA operates four S.A.F.E. (Solvents/Automotive/Flammables/Electronics) Collection Centers for residents to dispose of paint, motor oil, propane tanks, sharps, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, electronics, and household chemicals at no charge. Open Saturdays and Sundays 9 AM-3 PM. Limit: 15 gallons or 125 pounds per vehicle per visit. Pack items in cardboard or plastic bins, label original containers, stay in your vehicle during unloading for safety. Several retailers also offer ongoing free recycling: Home Depot for batteries and CFL bulbs, AutoZone for motor oil and car batteries, Best Buy for electronics, and most pharmacies for unused medications. California state law (the Electronic Waste Recycling Act) bans e-waste from regular trash.
Why hot tubs are different from ordinary bulk. Hot tubs combine multiple disposal challenges in one item: weight (a typical 6-person hot tub weighs 300 to 500 lbs empty, 3,000+ lbs filled), size (typically 7 to 8 ft square or larger), specialized utilities (220V electrical, dedicated plumbing connections), and assembly complexity (rigid acrylic shell, foam insulation, frame, decorative skirt, jets, pumps, heaters).
Three mistakes that get hot tubs left at the curb:
For households without time or equipment for DIY disassembly:
Specialized Hot Tub Removal Services
$300 to $1,200Many local junk removal companies have hot-tub-specific service lines. Search “hot tub removal [your city]” for specialists. Pricing ranges $300 to $1,200 depending on size, complexity (above-ground vs. in-ground), and access (basement hot tubs cost more due to stair handling). Always get 2 to 3 quotes, pricing varies dramatically by region.
LoadUp paid hot tub pickup
$80+For households who can’t wait weeks for an LASAN appointment, exceed 10 annual collections, live in 5+ unit buildings, or live outside City of LA limits where LASAN doesn’t serve, LoadUp offers professional removal across Greater LA with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
What’s included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal of your hot tub. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book hot tub pickup in Los Angeles with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Los Angeles proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Los Angeles junk removal guide (every item type, city services, hazardous waste, and how to report dumping) and the national hot tub disposal guide with rules for all 117 cities we cover.
Other free removal guides for Los Angeles: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Los Angeles pick up hot tubs for free?
Possibly. A drained, disconnected tub at the curb can be requested as a bulky item. Getting it there is the hard part.
How much does paid hot tub removal cost in Los Angeles?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single hot tub pickup in Los Angeles starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who can’t wait weeks for an LASAN appointment, exceed 10 annual collections, live in 5+ unit buildings, or live outside City of LA limits where LASAN doesn’t serve, LoadUp offers professional removal across Greater LA with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
How much does professional hot tub removal cost?
Typical pricing ranges $300 to $800 for above-ground hot tubs, $500 to $1,200+ for in-ground or hard-to-access installations. The cost reflects 3 to 6 hours of labor with multiple crew members, specialized equipment for disassembly, electrical and plumbing disconnects, and disposal fees. Always get 2 to 3 quotes, prices vary significantly by region and accessibility.
Can I sell a non-working hot tub?
Sometimes. Non-working hot tubs occasionally find buyers who want them for: (1) Repair and resale, some buyers fix and flip. (2) Parts, the pumps, heaters, and jets have resale value separate from the shell. (3) Scrap metal, the frame contains 50 to 150 lbs of steel. List on Craigslist Free section or Facebook Marketplace at $0 with details about what works and what doesn’t. The key benefit even at $0: the buyer handles removal, saving you $300 to $800 in paid hauler fees.
Can I just drain it and leave it for trash collection?
Generally no. Most U.S. cities explicitly exclude hot tubs from regular bulk pickup because of weight (300+ lbs even drained) and size. A hot tub left at the curb without confirmed pickup will sit there, accumulate code enforcement notices, and may result in fines that exceed the cost of paid removal. Always check your city’s rules before any DIY approach, the city section above has summaries.
Do I need a permit to remove a hot tub?
For above-ground hot tubs, no permit is typically required for removal, just for installation. For in-ground hot tubs, removal may require a permit because of the excavation and electrical work involved. Some HOAs also require notification or approval for hot tub removal, especially if visible from common areas. Check with your municipality and HOA before starting work, and confirm with your removal service that they’ll handle any required permits as part of their pricing.
Is this Los Angeles page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Los Angeles guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
