Estate cleanout and junk removal in Jacksonville: cost, city bulk pickup, and who to call

Updated November 2026. Cited to the City of Jacksonville, the Duval County Clerk, Florida Statutes, the Florida Bar, IRS and published price guides.

Short answer: junk removal is priced mostly by volume, and national figures put a typical job at $150 to $600 and a full truckload at $450 to $650, so a whole-house estate cleanout in Jacksonville usually costs more than one load.^[1] For a few big pieces, the City of Jacksonville collects household bulk (furniture, mattresses, grills, wrapped glass, cut-down carpet and fencing) on your collection day and picks up appliances and up to four tires by appointment, with no per-item charge listed on those city pages (homes pay a residential solid waste fee on the property tax bill), but it will not take hazardous waste or a contractor's debris.^[2][5][6][7]

Compare local crews and send one free request on our Jacksonville estate cleanout and junk removal page.

What estate cleanout and junk removal cost

We looked for a Jacksonville or Florida price survey that we could read in full and that showed a date, and did not find one. The figures below are national, from Fixr's junk removal guide updated January 31, 2025, and include labor.^[1] Jacksonville quotes may be higher or lower.

Published estimates, not quotes from crews listed on this site.^[1]

Estate cleanouts add sorting, donation runs and a final sweep, so many crews quote after a walkthrough. See property cleanout cost and estate cleanout vs junk removal.

What the City of Jacksonville will haul at the curb

The city defines bulk as large household items that, because of their size, shape or weight, cannot go in the city-issued garbage cart. Collection varies by item type and service area, and everything must be out by 6 a.m. on collection day, within 5 feet of the curb.^[2] In the City and Meridian Waste service areas, bulk is collected weekly on garbage day.^[3] In the Waste Pro (automated cart) area, the city's rules refer to a bulk collection day every other week.^[4] Check your schedule or ask for help at 630-CITY (904-630-2489) or myjax.custhelp.com.^[2]

Lists from the City of Jacksonville Solid Waste Division.^[2][4][6]

• Appliances (refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, water heaters, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, air conditioners, furnaces, heaters and flat panel TVs) are collected separately after you schedule them. Remove or secure doors, empty out food, and set them within 5 feet of the curb.^[5]
• Tires: up to four standard vehicle tires, with or without rims, by appointment. No oversized tires.^[6]
• Building materials from your own small project: up to one cubic yard weekly in the City and Meridian areas, or two cubic yards every other week in the Waste Pro area, with no piece over 5 feet or 40 pounds. Anything a hired contractor tears out is the contractor's to remove.^[4]

Who is covered. The residential solid waste fee is generally charged on parcels with four or fewer residential structures and is listed at $29.50 a month for 2026, billed on the property tax bill whether or not the house is occupied.^[7] The city does not serve multi-family complexes (more than four housekeeping units); their management hires a private hauler.^[8]

Paint, chemicals and electronics: the Household Hazardous Waste Facility

Garages and sheds in an estate often hold paint, pool chemicals, pesticides, fuel, motor oil and batteries. Hazardous waste cannot go out at the curb, and placing it in residential collection is unlawful under Municipal Code section 380.209. The city's Household Hazardous Waste Facility is at 2675 Commonwealth Avenue (32254, 904-387-8847), open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is free for Duval residents, takes appliances and large electronics too, and limits paint and motor oil to 27 gallons of each per resident in 30 days.^[9]

TVs, computers, printers, stereos, phones and small kitchen appliances can be recycled there, with a limit of three CRTs and televisions per customer. If they go in the garbage instead, the city says they cannot be recycled and end up in the landfill.^[9] The city also runs free mobile collection events for Duval residents, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the 2026 dates listed ended October 10, so check the page for the next schedule.^[10]

Hauling it yourself. Trail Ridge Landfill (5110 U.S. Hwy 301 S, Baldwin, 904-748-6015) is open weekdays 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Saturday residential rate is $1 for the first 500 pounds and $30.30 per ton after that. Appliances are $20 each and passenger car tires $1.50 each at the scale house, and both must be declared there or a surcharge applies.^[11]

Donating and reusing what is left

We did not find a City of Jacksonville reuse directory. The city suggests donating used electronics and checking whether retailers take back items like batteries, motor oil and fluorescent bulbs.^[4][9] If the estate plans to deduct donations, keep an itemized list and receipts. IRS Publication 561 says used clothing and household items must be in good used condition or better to be deductible, and a claim of more than $5,000 for one item or a group of similar items generally needs a qualified appraisal.^[12] Ask any crew you hire whether it donates usable items and gives receipts. Our estate cleanout vs estate sale vs donation guide compares the options.

Estate cleanouts and Duval County probate

Before anything leaves the house, make sure the person hiring the crew has the right to decide. Florida calls the executor a personal representative. When the judge appoints one, the court issues Letters of Administration, which are the evidence of that person's authority. Bank or investment accounts that pay on death to someone, or are held jointly with survivorship, may not be probate assets at all.^[14] Whoever holds an original will should deposit it with the clerk in the county where the person lived within ten days after the death.^[13]

• Formal administration appoints a personal representative, who must notify creditors and run the estate under Florida law.^[14] Under Florida Probate Rule 5.030, quoted by the Duval Clerk, a personal representative must have a Florida attorney unless they are the sole interested person.^[13]
• Summary administration is available when the will does not require formal administration and the Florida estate, less exempt property, is worth no more than $150,000, or the person has been dead more than two years.^[15] That limit comes from a 2026 law (CS/HB 1337) effective July 1, 2026.^[16] Older guides, including the Florida Bar pamphlet last updated in 2021, show a lower figure.^[14]
• Disposition without administration applies when the estate is only exempt property plus personal property worth no more than the funeral and final 60 days of medical bills.^[17]

The Duval Clerk lists filing fees of $401 for formal administration, $346 for summary administration (estates of $1,000 or more), $236 for summary administration under $1,000, and $231 for disposition of personal property. The Probate Department is at 501 West Adams Street, Room 1260, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., (904) 255-1990. Clerk staff cannot give legal advice.^[13] More state-by-state detail is in probate basics by state.

If the person rented. Florida lets a landlord recover a unit when the last remaining tenant has died, belongings remain, rent is unpaid, at least 60 days have passed since the death, and the landlord has had no written notice of a probate estate or a personal representative (federally assisted housing is excluded). If you are handling the estate, tell the landlord in writing.^[18] For property left after a tenancy ends, the landlord must send a written notice describing it and giving at least 10 days (hand delivered) or 15 days (mailed) to claim it.^[19] Unclaimed property generally goes to public sale, though a landlord who reasonably believes it is worth less than $500 may keep or dispose of it.^[20]

How to choose a Jacksonville cleanout company

• Ask how they are licensed to haul. For dumpster and roll-off rentals, the city says to make sure the company is properly licensed, and for waste other than construction debris and recyclables it must hold a city franchise.^[21] The city publishes a list of franchise waste haulers, updated April 2, 2026.^[22] We did not find a separate Florida state license for estate cleanout or junk removal companies.
• Proof of insurance. Ask for a current certificate before the crew arrives.
• A written estimate. It should say how the price is set (flat rate, by truckload or by the hour), what is included (sorting, donation runs, appliances, hazardous items, sweeping), and what could change the price on the day.
• Where items go. Ask what gets donated, recycled and landfilled. Under Florida's Litter Law, dumping more than 500 pounds or 100 cubic feet, or any amount for commercial purposes, is a third degree felony.^[23] The city also says it is illegal to dump debris on vacant land, roads or ditches.^[4]
• A keep list. Mark what stays, and set aside documents, photos and valuables before the crew starts. Our printable estate cleanout checklist covers this room by room.

More questions to ask are in how to choose an estate cleanout company.

Hoarding cleanup in Jacksonville

If the person is living, a full cleanout without their involvement often backfires. The International OCD Foundation says unwelcome cleanouts cause intense distress and anger toward relatives and rarely work in the long term, because the clutter tends to return. It suggests harm reduction instead: focus on safety, such as moving bottles away from the stove, and involve the person in the plan.^[25]

Hoarding jobs cost more than ordinary junk removal. Fixr's national figures put professional cleaning of a severe hoarder's house at about $1,000 per day, or $25 to $150 per hour, and biohazard cleanup at a $4,000 average ($3,000 to $5,000 for a 2,000 square foot home), as of January 2025.^[24] Ask how the crew handles biohazards, sharps and documents found in the piles.

This guide summarizes City of Jacksonville, Duval County Clerk and Florida sources and published price guides. It is not legal advice. Cleanout Finder is a directory and does not perform cleanouts. Featured listings are paid placements and are labeled.