The short answer
Three numbers do most of the work in Sacramento.
- $75 is the minimum per visit. No job is cheaper than this.
- $126 is a sofa, which is the most common single item anyone books.
- $241 is a quarter truck, which is where most multi-item jobs land.
Everything else sits between and above those, on a published list that does not move for stairs, heat, weekends or which side of the American River you are on.
The truck-fill ladder
Volume pricing is by how much of the truck bed your load occupies. Seven steps, published:
| Load | Price | What it usually is in Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 truck | $241 | A room, or a detached alley garage in Midtown |
| 3/8 truck | $338 | A furnished studio |
| 1/2 truck | $431 | A one-bedroom, or a tidy two-car garage |
| 5/8 truck | $513 | A two-car garage with no floor visible |
| 3/4 truck | $587 | A garage plus the side yard |
| 7/8 truck | $661 | A three-car garage in Elk Grove or Roseville |
| Full truck | $732 | A whole furnished house, or an estate load |
The per-item list
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Sofa / Couch | $126 |
| Loveseat | $119 |
| Sectional Sofa (3-Piece) | $185 |
| Recliner | $98 |
| Mattress, Queen | $103 |
| Mattress and Box Spring Set | $143 |
| Dresser (Standard) | $126 |
| Dining Table (6-8 Seat) | $163 |
| Dining Chair | $45 |
| Bookshelf | $72 |
| Desk (Standard) | $83 |
| Refrigerator (Standard) | $164 |
| Washer | $133 |
| Dryer | $128 |
| TV (42 to 65 inches) | $68 |
| Treadmill | $115 |
| Hot Tub / Spa | $322 |
| Upright Piano | $290 |
| Patio Table | $89 |
| Patio Chair (each) | $30 |
| Small Junk Pile | $82 |
| Medium Junk Pile | $129 |
| Large Junk Pile | $208 |
Where the crossover sits
Both prices are calculated on every job and you are charged the lower one. The question is only which side of the line you are on, and the line sits at roughly four to six pieces of furniture.
Below the crossover, itemizing wins. A Tahoe Park bedroom: Mattress, Queen $103 + Bed Frame (Standard) $68 + Nightstand $57 = $228. That is under the quarter truck at $241, so you pay $228.
At the crossover. An East Sac living room: Sofa $126 + Coffee Table $67 + End Table $52 = $245. Four dollars over the quarter truck, so it books at $241.
Above the crossover, volume wins. A Folsom family room: Sofa $126 + Loveseat $119 + Recliner $98 + Coffee Table $67 + Bookshelf $72 + TV (42 to 65 inches) $68 = $550. The half truck is $431, so it books at $431.
The gap widens fast. By the time you are clearing a whole garage, the volume rate is dramatically lower than the itemized total, which is why nobody prices a garage item by item.
Why Sacramento jobs run bigger than you would expect
Three structural things about this metro push the average load size up.
No basements. The valley floor is a flood plain and houses here are slab or raised foundation. There is no below-grade level, so accumulation goes into the garage, the side yard and the back instead, all of which are easier to fill and easier to forget.
Everybody has a garage. Even the grid, where the garage is a detached single bay off the alley. In the suburbs it is two or three bays with decked rafters above.
Big lots. Elk Grove, Roseville, Folsom, Orangevale, Fair Oaks. Side yards, sheds, RV pads and back fences that things get leaned against and left.
A one-bedroom apartment here costs the same to clear as a one-bedroom anywhere. A single-family house here holds more than most.
What is included, and what is not
Included in the price:
- Carry-out from wherever the item is, any floor, including a Midtown Victorian staircase or a third-floor walk-up off Howe Avenue.
- Loading, hauling, disposal and recycling fees.
- Sorting for donation where items qualify.
- Sweeping up afterwards.
- Breaking items down on site where they will not fit out whole.
Not included, because it is not ours to do:
- Disconnecting gas or electrical appliances. A licensed trade does that first.
- Household hazardous waste: paint, solvents, pool chemicals, propane cylinders, car batteries. Check your county's current drop-off arrangements.
- Cutting standing trees or fallen limbs. Once they are cut and stacked, hauling is straightforward.
What never shows up as a surcharge
- Stairs, walk-ups and long carries. None of them are on the price list.
- Same-day or weekend booking.
- Summer heat. A 105-degree August pickup in Natomas is priced identically to a February one.
- Refrigerant handling on a fridge, freezer or AC unit.
- Distance within the metro. West Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom and Roseville are the same list as the grid.
- Disposal or gate fees. They are inside the quoted number, not added at the end.
How to get an exact number
Photograph what is going, one shot per room or per wall of the garage, say which floor it is on, and say whether the truck should work the street, the alley or a complex lot. The total comes back before anything is dispatched.
If the job changes on the day because you added something, the new item prices off the same published list and you approve the revised total before it goes on the truck. That is the whole mechanism. There is no other way the number moves.
Frequently asked questions
How much does junk removal cost in Sacramento?
The minimum is $75 per visit. Single items run from there, with a sofa at $126 and a fridge at $164. Multi-item jobs price off the truck ladder, from $241 for a quarter to $732 for a full load.
Which is cheaper, per item or by volume?
Whichever is lower, automatically. The crossover is around four to six pieces of furniture. Below that itemizing usually wins, above it the truck ladder does.
Is there a charge for stairs?
No. A sofa out of an upstairs Midtown flat is $126, the same as one already in a driveway.
Do you charge more for same-day?
No. Same-day, next-day and weekend slots are priced identically.
Does the price include dump fees?
Yes. Hauling, disposal and recycling are inside the quoted number. There is no separate gate-rate line.
Do prices vary across the metro?
No. The same list applies from West Sacramento and the grid out to Folsom, Roseville and Elk Grove.