Fill Dirt in Placer County, CA

Fill-dirt is bulk soil used to raise grade, fill low spots, or backfill trenches rather than as a finished surface. In Placer County it is commonly used for yard regrading, utility backfill, and building pad rough-fill, but it should be free of organic material and placed in lifts with compaction if supporting structures. For driveways or finished surfaces, use a structural base (road base or crushed rock) over or instead of raw fill-dirt.

A quick rule: 1 cubic yard covers 324 square-feet at 1 inch depth (so about 0.0031 cubic yards per sq ft per inch). Using a typical fill-dirt weight of about 1.2 to 1.4 tons per cubic yard, that equals roughly 0.0037 to 0.0043 tons per sq ft per inch. Example: a 1,000 sq ft area at 4 inches needs about 12.3 cubic yards or roughly 15 to 17 tons of fill-dirt.

Prices vary by supplier, distance, and project specifics, but expect a rough material-only range of about $8 to $25 per ton for basic fill-dirt in Placer County, with delivery and spreading adding to the cost. Hello Gravel minimum orders start at 3 tons, standard delivery is 2+ business days (next-day available for orders placed before noon CST), and some areas may have free delivery while others include a delivery fee. For an accurate price, check your zip code on Hello Gravel or request a local quote since regional availability and hauling distance strongly affect cost.

Fill-dirt by itself is not recommended as a finished driveway surface; for driveways and rural roads in Placer County you should use a well-graded, compactable granular base (Class II road base, crusher run, or engineered structural fill) topped with appropriate surface material. If using fill-dirt as subgrade, choose clean, non-organic, low-expansive fill placed in compacted lifts and follow a soils engineer's recommendation to address the local clay and decomposed granite soils common in the area. For high-traffic or seasonal-wet areas, import non-expansive engineered fill rather than relying on native dirt.

Yes, many residential building and grading permits in Placer County require a soils report and compaction testing for structural fills and foundations. Typical permit conditions call for engineered fill placed in lifts and tested to specified compaction standards (often 90% standard Proctor or higher depending on the structure), but exact requirements vary by project and permit type. Check with Placer County Community Development Resource Agency/Building Services or your project engineer before placing large volumes of fill-dirt.

Plain fill-dirt alone provides limited erosion control on slopes; it can erode in heavy rains common to lower-elevation and foothill storms if not stabilized. For Placer County slopes, pair compacted fill with drainage measures, erosion-control blankets, native plantings, terraces, retaining walls, or rock armoring as appropriate; for steep or wildfire-affected slopes, engineered solutions are usually a better long-term choice than loose fill. Talk to a local civil engineer or erosion-control specialist to pick the right combination for soil type and slope angle.

Hello Gravel works with a network of local suppliers and contracted dump-truck haulers serving Placer County cities like Roseville, Rocklin, Auburn, Lincoln, and surrounding foothill communities, with regional materials that reflect local geology. Orders are typically delivered by tri-axle dump trucks with a 3-ton minimum, standard delivery in 2+ business days, and next-day delivery available for qualifying orders; tailgate spreading may be requested at checkout but is at the driver's discretion. To get specific suppliers, pricing, and delivery windows for your address, enter your zip code on Hello Gravel or contact our team for a local quote.