The short answer
Getting rid of a piano in LA or Orange County usually means selling it, giving it away, or hiring a hauler, because many city bulky-item programs exclude pianos or anything that needs more than two people to lift. If the piano still plays, try to rehome it first. If nobody wants it, a hauler can carry it out and take it away.
Want it handled for you? See our piano removal service.
1. Check your city's bulky pickup (most say no)
This is the one household item where the free city pickup rarely works. Several LA County programs name pianos on their do-not-take lists, and many more set a two-person lifting limit that an upright piano fails.
- Torrance: its Large Item Pick Up excludes items needing more than two people, and names spas, hot tubs, pianos and organs.
- Carson and Gardena (WM): both exclude spas, pianos and camper shells, plus items requiring more than two people to lift.
- Hawaiian Gardens and Lynwood (WM, since May 1, 2026): the same exclusion of spas, pianos and camper shells.
- Pico Rivera (NASA Services): 10 free on-call pickups a year, but every item must be movable by a two-person crew.
More on this: bulky item pickup rules across LA and OC · Torrance Large Item Pick Up · Carson bulky pickup rules
Sources: City of Torrance: Large Item Pick Up; WM: Carson Residential Service Guide 2026; WM: Gardena Residential Service Guide 2026; WM: Hawaiian Gardens Residential Service Guide 2026; WM: Lynwood Business & Multifamily Service Guide 2026; City of Pico Rivera: Trash Services, checked Nov 2026
Piano pickup in Orange County
None of the OC program pages we checked mention pianos by name, but the weight and crew limits do the same job:
- Santa Ana (Republic Services): excludes any single item that can't be handled by two workers.
- Costa Mesa Sanitary District: nothing over 150 lb, and items must be liftable by two people.
- Newport Beach and Lake Forest (CR&R): items must be manageable by a two-person crew.
- Laguna Woods (CR&R): excludes items that can't be safely loaded by two people.
More on this: Costa Mesa large item collection
Sources: City of Santa Ana: Bulky Item Pickup; Costa Mesa Sanitary District: Large Item Collection; City of Newport Beach: Additional Waste Services; City of Lake Forest: New Solid Waste Agreement FAQs; City of Laguna Woods: Residential Waste Services, checked Nov 2026
2. Sell it or give it away first
A piano that holds a tune and has no cracked soundboard can find a new home. Churches, schools, music teachers and families with kids learning to play sometimes take free pianos, but almost nobody pays to move one.
List it free with the brand, the type (upright, spinet or console), a photo of the keys, and an honest note about tuning. Be clear that the new owner arranges the move. If nobody bites in a week or two, it's time for the other options.
3. Donating a piano
Most thrift stores don't accept pianos because of the weight and the space they take. Call any donation center before you plan a move, and ask whether it picks up. Expect to be told no more often than yes, especially for an older upright that needs work.
4. Taking it to a transfer station
Self-hauling a piano means a truck with a ramp or liftgate and several strong helpers. None of the facility pages we checked list pianos by name, so call ahead. The places whose pages cover the materials involved:
- DART, Downey: takes garage clean-up and furniture loads, open to the public with no residency rule stated.
- California Waste Services Downtown LA: lists furniture, wood and lumber, and metal and steel.
- Crown Recycling Services, Sun Valley: lists wood and scrap metal, and markets drop-off to people clearing out a home.
More on this: DART in Downey · Crown Recycling Services
Sources: Athens Services: DART; California Waste Services: Los Angeles; Athens Services: Crown Recycling Services, checked Nov 2026
5. Hire a hauler for the piano
For most people this is the realistic answer. Roa Solution Junk Removal carries out upright, large upright, baby grand and grand pianos, taking them apart when they won't fit through the door, and hauls them away, along with the bench and anything else you're clearing out.
Pianos are priced from photos. Text two pictures to (562) 219-9266: one of the piano, and one of the path from the room to the street, so we can see doorways, turns and steps. Pricing starts at $190. Same-day or next-day pickup depending on availability.
More on this: our piano removal service
What it usually costs
Giving it away is free if the taker moves it. A dump charges by weight. A hauler prices a piano from your photos based on its weight, the path out and the labor, so a spinet in a ground-floor living room costs less than an upright at the end of a long, tight hallway. Pricing starts at $190.
More on this: piano removal cost
Sources
- City of Torrance: Large Item Pick Up
- WM: Carson Residential Service Guide 2026
- WM: Gardena Residential Service Guide 2026
- WM: Hawaiian Gardens Residential Service Guide 2026
- WM: Lynwood Business & Multifamily Service Guide 2026
- City of Pico Rivera: Trash Services
- City of Santa Ana: Bulky Item Pickup
- Costa Mesa Sanitary District: Large Item Collection
- City of Newport Beach: Additional Waste Services
- City of Lake Forest: New Solid Waste Agreement FAQs
- City of Laguna Woods: Residential Waste Services
- Athens Services: DART
- California Waste Services: Los Angeles
- Athens Services: Crown Recycling Services
- City of Lawndale: Bulky Item Pickup
Rules change. Check the city or county page before you rely on a limit, fee or date.