Short version: mobile home removal cost in Mid-Missouri runs $4,000 to $7,000 for a single-wide and $6,000 to $10,000 for a double-wide, torn down, hauled off and the pad left clean. Decks, add-on rooms, a septic tank to cap and a unit full of contents push it higher. A bare unit with a gravel drive right to the door lands near the bottom of the range.
We are the mobile home removal contractor on a lot of these jobs in Boone County and the counties around it. Chris bids every one himself and runs the crew. Here is how we price them in 2026, what moves the number, and what you need lined up before the excavator shows up.
In This Guide:
Mobile Home Removal Cost: The Numbers
Two things set the base price: how wide the unit is and how much is bolted onto it. Everything below is a typical range for Columbia and the surrounding counties. A site visit gets you a firm written number.
| Line item | Typical range (Mid-Missouri) |
|---|---|
| Single-wide (14-18 ft wide, 600-1,100 sq ft, 8-12 tons) | $4,000 - $7,000 |
| Double-wide (24-32 ft wide, 1,000-1,800 sq ft, 15-25 tons) | $6,000 - $10,000 |
| Add-ons: decks, porches, built-on rooms, carports | $500 - $2,000 each |
| Septic tank pump and cap | $400 - $900 |
| Disposal (pass-through at actual loads and tonnage) | $40 - $90 per ton |
| Steel frame scrap | Credited back on the invoice |
Here is how the bid is built. Mobilization, the excavator, the trucks and the crew are a fixed price. Disposal is a pass-through: you pay what the landfill charges us, at actual loads and tonnage, scale tickets attached. Mid-Missouri landfills run $40 to $90 per ton for demolition debris, so disposal is $400 to $2,200 of the total, which is why we do not bury it in a lump sum. The steel chassis goes the other way: 2,000 to 4,000 pounds of I-beam on a single-wide, and the scrap yard pays for it. We credit that back on the invoice.
Want a Firm Number?
Send us the address and a couple of photos and we will come look at it. The written bid lists the fixed price and the disposal estimate as separate lines.
How Much Does It Cost to Demolish a Mobile Home vs. Haul It Away Intact?
This is the first question on most calls, so here is the straight comparison.
Demolish it: $4,000 to $10,000 depending on width and add-ons, done in one to two days, unit gone, pad clear. Condition barely matters. A rotted, roof-caved 1978 single-wide costs about the same to tear down as a clean one.
Move it intact: a licensed mobile home transporter typically charges $3,000 to $8,000 to pull the skirting, lift the unit onto its axles and haul it a short distance, plus another $2,000 to $5,000 to block, level, tie down and reconnect it on the new lot. That is before permits, an escort if the load is over width, and any repairs required to pass inspection at the destination. Older units also need a roof and running gear that can survive the highway. Most pre-1990 trailers cannot.
The rule of thumb we give people: if the unit is newer than about 2000, in good shape, and somebody actually wants it on a lot within an hour, moving it can pencil out. If it is older, damaged, or nobody has a lot lined up, demolition is cheaper and it is over in two days. On a rental lot where the unit was abandoned, demolition is almost always the answer.
Trailer Removal Cost by Situation
The width sets the base. The situation sets the rest. These are the four we see most.
Abandoned unit on a rental lot
Landlords and park owners call us for these. The tenant left, the unit sat, and now it is full of belongings, trash and sometimes water damage. Budget the base price plus $500 to $1,500 for contents, because everything inside goes to the landfill at the same $40 to $90 per ton, and a full single-wide adds 3 to 5 tons. Missouri has a notice process for abandoned mobile homes on leased lots (last known owner and any lienholder) before the unit can be disposed of. Finish that paperwork before you call. We will not tear down a unit somebody else still legally owns.
Inherited unit
A parent's or grandparent's trailer on family land, often 30 to 50 years old, with a deck, a built-on room and a shed. These usually price at $5,500 to $9,000 once add-ons are counted, and the older ones need an asbestos inspection first. Sort out the title early (more below). If the estate is still open, the executor signs the contract.
Replacing with a new manufactured home
The most common job we do. The dealer needs the old unit gone and the pad ready before the new one is delivered. We tear down, haul off, pull the old piers, grade the pad, and leave the utility stubs in place if the new unit is going in the same spot. Coordinate dates with your dealer, because their delivery schedule drives ours. Removal plus pad prep typically runs $5,000 to $9,000.
Fire or flood damaged unit
Fire jobs are a little slower because the debris is loose and the frame is often warped, and the insurance adjuster usually wants photos before anything moves. Flood-damaged units are heavier: wet drywall, wet insulation and wet carpet run 30 to 50 percent more tonnage than dry material. Expect the top of the range. If the loss is insured, the policy's debris removal provision usually covers it. See our posts on whether insurance covers demolition and fire damage demolition.
What Drives the Price
Size
A 14x70 single-wide is about 980 square feet and one steel frame. A 28x60 double-wide is 1,680 square feet and two frames, twice the roof, twice the floor and twice the trucks. Width is the biggest single factor.
Add-ons
Decks, porches, carports, built-on rooms and skirting foundations are separate structures with their own footings, and they were often built by whoever lived there. Each one is a line item, $500 to $2,000. A built-on room with a concrete floor is at the top of that range because the slab has to come out too.
Contents
Empty is cheaper. Furniture, appliances and belongings add time and tonnage, and appliances with refrigerant have to be handled separately. Pull out anything you want to keep before the site visit so the bid is accurate.
Access
We need to get a 20,000-pound excavator and a roll-off within reach of the unit. A gravel drive to the door is ideal. A narrow lane, soft ground in March, or a unit tucked behind trees means smaller equipment, more handling, and a higher number.
Distance to the landfill
A site 10 minutes from the transfer station and a site 45 minutes out in Moniteau County have different hauling costs on the same trailer. A few hundred dollars, not thousands, but it is real.
Asbestos in pre-1980s units
Trailers built before about 1980 frequently have asbestos in the vinyl floor tile and mastic, ceiling texture, and some wallboard and siding. Missouri DNR requires an asbestos inspection before demolition of most structures. If regulated material turns up, a licensed abatement contractor removes it first and DNR gets a 10-working-day notification before demolition starts. We coordinate abatement; we do not perform it. Figure $300 to $600 for the inspection and $1,500 to $4,000 for abatement if needed. Most 1990s-and-newer units come back clean.
What's Included in Our Price
- Demolition of the unit down to the frame with the excavator
- Cutting and loading the steel chassis for scrap
- Removal of skirting, block piers, tie-downs and anchors
- Loading, hauling and disposal at a licensed landfill, billed at actual tonnage
- Clearing the pad footprint and rough grading it level
- Permit and disconnect coordination
Quoted separately: decks and add-ons, septic pump and cap, contents removal, concrete pads and steps, asbestos inspection and abatement, and finish grading or gravel if you want the pad ready for something new. Those are on the same bid, just as their own lines, so you can see what each one costs.
Permits: Inside Columbia vs. Boone County
Inside Columbia city limits: City of Columbia Building and Site Development issues the demolition permit. Plan on a few days to a week once the application and utility disconnect confirmations are in.
Outside city limits in Boone County: Boone County Resource Management handles it. Requirements are lighter than the city's, but you still need documented utility disconnects and the asbestos inspection on older units.
Step-by-step details are in our guide to demolition permits in Columbia.
Utility disconnects come before any of it. Electric service has to be cut at the pole or meter by the utility, gas or propane capped by the supplier, water shut off at the meter, and the sewer or septic line capped. We coordinate the calls, but the utility accounts are in your name, so the requests come from you. Allow one to three weeks for the utilities to get to you.
Title and Paperwork
In Missouri a mobile home has a title, like a vehicle, unless the owner filed an affidavit of affixation that made it part of the real estate. Before we tear one down, we need to know which one you have and that the person signing the contract has the right to scrap it.
- You have the title: after demolition, surrender it to the Missouri Department of Revenue as junked and tell the county assessor so it comes off the personal property roll.
- Lost title: apply for a duplicate through the Department of Revenue first. A couple of weeks.
- Inherited: the estate transfers the title or the executor signs. Bring the letters testamentary.
- Abandoned on your lot: finish the state notice process, then we schedule.
- Lien on the title: the lienholder has to release it. We will not demolish a unit with an open lien.
None of this is hard, but it is the thing most likely to delay a job by a month. Start it the week you call us.
Timeline
- Site visit and written bid: usually within 2 to 4 days of your call.
- Disconnects, permit and title: 1 to 3 weeks, mostly waiting on utilities.
- Asbestos inspection (older units): 2 to 5 days for results; add 10 working days if abatement is required.
- Demolition and haul-off: 1 day for a single-wide, 1 to 2 days for a double-wide, another half day for a big deck or add-on.
- Pad graded and site cleared: same day the last truck leaves.
Call to cleared pad, figure three to five weeks on a typical job. With utilities already off and a clean title, we have done it in under two.
Get a Written Bid on Your Mobile Home Removal
Fixed price for the work, disposal at actual tonnage, scrap credited back. Serving Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton, Moberly, Fayette, Boonville, Ashland and the rest of Mid-Missouri within about 45 minutes of Columbia.
Get a Written Bid Mobile Home Removal ServiceFrequently Asked Questions
How much does mobile home demolition cost in Mid-Missouri?
$4,000 to $7,000 for a single-wide and $6,000 to $10,000 for a double-wide, including demolition, hauling, disposal and leaving the pad level. Decks, add-on rooms, septic caps and contents are extra line items. Disposal is billed at actual tonnage, $40 to $90 per ton, and the steel frame scrap is credited back.
How much does it cost to demolish a mobile home versus move it?
Demolition is $4,000 to $10,000 and takes one to two days. Moving a unit intact typically costs $3,000 to $8,000 for transport plus $2,000 to $5,000 for setup at the new lot, and the unit has to be in good enough shape to survive the trip. For anything older than about 2000 or in rough condition, demolition is the cheaper option.
What does trailer removal cost if the unit is full of stuff?
Add $500 to $1,500 to the base price. Contents get loaded and hauled with the rest of the debris at the same per-ton rate, and a full single-wide adds 3 to 5 tons. Appliances with refrigerant are handled separately. Pulling out anything you want to keep before the site visit keeps the bid tight.
What is the cost to remove a mobile home outside Columbia city limits?
The demolition price is the same; the permit side is lighter. Outside the city, Boone County Resource Management handles demolition, and many rural sites in surrounding counties require only documented utility disconnects. Hauling distance to the landfill can add a few hundred dollars on sites 40 minutes or more from Columbia.
Does manufactured home removal cost more than a mobile home?
Same job, same price. "Manufactured home" is the post-1976 HUD-code term for what most people call a mobile home or trailer. Newer manufactured homes are a little easier to price because they almost never need asbestos abatement. Modular homes on permanent foundations are different and price like a house demolition.
Do I need a permit to demolish a mobile home in Boone County?
Inside Columbia city limits, yes, from City of Columbia Building and Site Development. Outside city limits, Boone County Resource Management handles it. Either way you need utility disconnects documented, and units built before about 1980 need a Missouri DNR asbestos inspection first. We coordinate all of it as part of the job.
How long does mobile home removal take?
One day on site for a single-wide, one to two days for a double-wide. The full process, from your call to a cleared pad, runs three to five weeks because of utility disconnects, permits and title paperwork. With utilities already off and a clean title, under two weeks.
Next Step
If you have a mobile home, manufactured home or trailer that needs to go, get a written bid or send us the address and we will come look at it. We serve Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton, Moberly, Fayette, Boonville, Ashland and the rest of Mid-Missouri.
Related: mobile home removal in Boone County, how debris disposal is priced, house demolition costs, and the mobile home removal service page.