How much does a Fire Door Inspection Service cost to buy?

A typical Fire Door Inspection Service sells for 2x to 3.5x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $231K, expect to pay roughly $462K to $809K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Fire Door Inspection Service?

Startup costs range from $18K to $55K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Service

Fire Door Inspection Service

Q: What are the profit margins for a Fire Door Inspection Service?

The average profit margin for a Fire Door Inspection Service is around 42%. Primary costs: technician wages ($22–$38/hr), van and fuel, inspection software (e.g., Door Intel, DoorCheckPro), liability insurance, and annual FDAI recertification fees. Materials cost is low unless repair work is included.

The law says every fire door gets inspected annually. You do the inspecting.

Bottom line

Strong cash-flow candidate with manageable operations.

NFPA 80 mandates annual inspections of all fire-rated door assemblies in commercial buildings — hospitals, hotels, schools, warehouses, and offices. Fire door inspection companies send certified technicians to inspect, document, and repair fire doors on recurring annual contracts. It's compliance-driven, invisible to competitors, and deeply sticky.

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Acquisition score

Excellent

Avg Revenue

$550K

Profit Margin

42%

Acquisition Multiple

2x - 3.5x

Startup Cost

$18K - $55K

How It Works

Technicians earn FDAI (Fire + Egress Door Assembly Inspector) certification through IFDIA. Each commercial building must have every fire door inspected and documented annually per NFPA 80. Operators sign annual service agreements with facility managers, visit each location once per year, inspect every door (typical commercial building: 50–300 doors), document deficiencies, and bill for repairs. Per-door inspection fees run $18–$40; repair work adds significant upsell. A single hospital contract can be worth $15,000–$60,000/year.

Revenue Range

Low End

$220K

Typical

$550K

High End

$1.2M

Pros

+Legally mandated annual recurrence — clients can't opt out
+Sticky multi-year contracts with facility managers
+Low competition: most operators are unaware this niche exists
+Repair and remediation upsell on every inspection visit
+Scales to multiple technicians without owner involvement

Cons

-FDAI certification required before operating
-Long B2B sales cycle to land initial facility contracts
-Seasonal peaks around lease renewals and annual compliance deadlines

Best For

Operators with a background in fire protection, construction, or facility management

Operating Costs

Primary costs: technician wages ($22–$38/hr), van and fuel, inspection software (e.g., Door Intel, DoorCheckPro), liability insurance, and annual FDAI recertification fees. Materials cost is low unless repair work is included.

SBA Financing Estimator

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

+$3K/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $1.5M

Range: $830K (2×) to $2.5M (3.5×+)

Down payment — 15% ($231K)

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

Interest rate — 8.00%

Current prime-based SBA rates: 7.5–10.5%

Loan term — 10 years (120 mo)

Standard SBA 7(a): 10 years for business acquisition

Down payment

$231K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$1.3M

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$16K/mo

$597K total interest

Monthly profit

$19K/mo

at 42% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

+$3K/mo

Down payment paid back in ~69 months

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.