Jefferson County
Fill dirt delivery in Birmingham, AL
Revised October 2026
Raise a low spot, build a pad, fill a hole or bring a lot to grade. Delivered to Crestwood, Avondale, Forest Park and the rest of Birmingham.
Most fill orders in Birmingham are about water and grade: a low spot that stays soft, a pad that needs building up, a slope that needs holding. Red clay fill is what gets delivered most around here, because it packs hard and sheds water. If the job is a pad or backfill, ask for clay. If you will be spreading it by hand around Crestwood, screened fill is easier to work.
Fill dirt jobs in Birmingham
Most of the city sits in Jones Valley, a long northeast-southwest trough floored by limestone, dolomite and shale with chert-rich red clay on top. Red Mountain forms the south wall, so Southside, Glen Iris and Forest Park lots climb steep slopes while the valley floor along Village Creek and Valley Creek stays flood-prone. Older neighborhoods have settled foundations, filled yards and in places old mine spoil (Ensley, Pratt City, Wylam), so fill often has to correct sunken grades rather than build new pads. Expect rock close to the surface on the ridges and heavy, poorly draining clay in the low areas.
What it is for
- Raising a low spot that holds water
- Building up a pad for a shed, pool or driveway
- Backfilling a trench, a stump hole or an old pool
- Filling behind a retaining wall or a new foundation
Fill dirt is not for growing anything. Grass and plants need topsoil on top of it, usually four to six inches.
Getting the truck in
Narrow pre-war streets, tight alleys and on-street parking limit where a dump truck can turn around, and hillside lots in Southside and Forest Park often have steep or shared driveways. Downtown and Avondale deliveries usually mean curbside or alley drops.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between fill dirt and topsoil?
Fill dirt is subsoil: clay, sand and rock with almost no organic matter. It is for structure, raising grade and filling holes. Topsoil is the dark upper layer with organic matter that grass and plants grow in. If you are building something, you want fill. If you are growing something, you want topsoil on top of it.
How many yards of fill dirt are in a dump truck?
A single-axle dump truck carries about 8 cubic yards. A tandem, the most common delivery truck around Birmingham, carries 10 to 14 yards. A tri-axle carries 14 to 18 yards. Dirt is heavy, so a truck often carries fewer yards of wet clay than of dry fill.
Can a dump truck reach my spot in Birmingham?
Narrow pre-war streets, tight alleys and on-street parking limit where a dump truck can turn around, and hillside lots in Southside and Forest Park often have steep or shared driveways. Downtown and Avondale deliveries usually mean curbside or alley drops. Say what the access is like on the quote form and the price will allow for the right size truck.
What does fill dirt cost delivered to Birmingham?
Typical fill dirt prices for Birmingham are in Table 1 above: $150 to $350 a truckload. The delivered price depends on how far the yard or quarry is from your address, so ask for a quote with your zip.
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