How much does a Crime Scene Cleanup cost to buy?

A typical Crime Scene Cleanup sells for 2.3x to 3.8x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $126K, expect to pay roughly $290K to $479K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Crime Scene Cleanup?

Startup costs range from $15K to $120K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Service

Crime Scene Cleanup

Q: What are the profit margins for a Crime Scene Cleanup?

The average profit margin for a Crime Scene Cleanup is around 30%. Major costs include PPE, disinfectants, disposal fees, vehicle wraps, certifications, insurance, on-call labor, and occasional subcontracted specialty remediation. Margins improve with strong referral pipelines and disciplined after-hours pricing.

Biohazard work with tiny competition and very high urgency

Bottom line

Worth studying, but do not buy without strong local proof.

Crime scene cleanup companies handle trauma scenes, unattended deaths, hoarding biohazards, and infectious waste remediation for families, landlords, property managers, and police referrals. The surprising angle is how small the niche is relative to the ticket size: a single job can be worth thousands because clients need discreet, immediate help and almost nobody wants to do the work.

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Acquisition score

Strong

Avg Revenue

$420K

Profit Margin

30%

Acquisition Multiple

2.3x - 3.8x

Startup Cost

$15K - $120K

How It Works

Operators respond to biohazard scenes, secure and document the site, remove contaminated materials, disinfect surfaces, and dispose of waste through regulated channels. Revenue comes from emergency callouts, insurance-funded remediation, landlord and property-manager referrals, hoarding cleanouts, and recurring relationships with funeral homes or first responders.

Revenue Range

Low End

$150K

Typical

$420K

High End

$1.2M

Real Acquisitions in This Category

SBA 7(a) change-of-ownership loans · NAICS 562910 · Remediation Services

Deals tracked

35 in last 24 mo

Median loan

$753K

$250K–$1.7M p25/p75

Implied deal size

$885K

median · ~85% LTV

Charge-off rate

—

not enough resolved loans

Deal Size Distribution

<$150K

$150K–500K

$500K–1M

$1M–2M

>$2M

Deal Flow Over Time

12-month momentum

+18.8%

deal volume vs prior 12 mo

Median loan Δ

+96.8%

19 recent · 16 prior

Financing Profile

Median rate

9.50%

0% fixed · last 24 mo

Median term

120 mo

standard 10-yr

Collateralized

of loans secured

Median jobs

supported per deal

Top lenders in this space

Live Oak Banking Company32

Byline Bank9

First Internet Bank of Indiana4

BayFirst National Bank3

City National Bank2

Where deals happen

CA17

FL9

NC8

IN6

TX5

IL5

AL4

MA4

GA4

NY4

Franchise vs independent

Franchised acquisitions finance at $781K median vs $606K for independents — a +29% franchise premium. Franchises make up 39% of deals tracked.

Recent Comparable Deals

Closed	State	Loan	Implied deal	Jobs	Franchise
Mar 2026	AZ	$1.8M	$2.1M	22	Servpro
Mar 2026	AZ	$150K	$177K	22	Servpro
Feb 2026	MD	$2.4M	$2.8M	5	—
Jan 2026	VA	$875K	$1.0M	47	Paul Davis Restoration
Jan 2026	PA	$1.3M	$1.5M	20	—
Dec 2025	NC	$50K	$59K	14	FRSTeam
Dec 2025	NC	$1.0M	$1.2M	14	FRSTeam
Dec 2025	NY	$100K	$118K	4	—
Dec 2025	NY	$984K	$1.2M	4	—
Sep 2025	IL	$1.2M	$1.4M	63	—

Volume rank #80/544Deal-size rank #240/544Momentum rank #102p90 loan: $3.4MData as of Mar 2026

Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA dataset, filtered to acquisitions (loans where business age is "Change of Ownership"). Implied deal size assumes an 85% loan-to-purchase ratio, a common SBA change-of-ownership structure. Charge-off rate shown only when 10+ loans have resolved (paid in full or charged off). Interest rates reflect last 24 months only. Actual deal values vary with equity injections, seller financing, and working capital terms.

Pros

+High-ticket jobs with limited local competition
+Demand is urgent and not easily delayed or shopped
+Insurance can cover many jobs, improving collections
+Small teams can handle meaningful revenue volume

Cons

-Emotionally heavy work and difficult hiring
-Strict training, PPE, and disposal compliance requirements
-Reputation matters a lot in a sensitive niche

Best For

Operators who can handle sensitive emergency work and want a niche with low competition and strong pricing power

Operating Costs

Major costs include PPE, disinfectants, disposal fees, vehicle wraps, certifications, insurance, on-call labor, and occasional subcontracted specialty remediation. Margins improve with strong referral pipelines and disciplined after-hours pricing.

SBA Financing Estimator

Adjust the deal — see if it cash flows after debt service

+$711/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $890K

Range: $760K (2.3×) to $2.0M (3.8×+)

Down payment — 15% ($134K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 9.50%

SBA median for this category: 9.5%

Loan term — 10 years (120 mo)

SBA median for this category: 120 months

Down payment

$134K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$757K

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$10K/mo

$418K total interest

Monthly profit

$11K/mo

at 30% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

+$711/mo

Down payment paid back in ~188 months — long horizon

Estimates only. Excludes owner compensation, capex, working capital draws, and taxes. Margin assumes average occupancy and volume. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower profile.