How much does a Lawn Care Franchise cost to buy?

A typical Lawn Care Franchise sells for 2x to 3x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $45K, expect to pay roughly $90K to $135K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

What are the profit margins for a Lawn Care Franchise?

The average profit margin for a Lawn Care Franchise is around 18%. Labor, franchise royalties (6-10%), equipment, fuel, materials, and local marketing are the primary costs.

How much does it cost to start a Lawn Care Franchise?

Startup costs range from $40K to $100K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Service

Lawn Care Franchise

Proven playbook, built-in brand, recurring mowing revenue

Bottom line

Accessible entry point; validate local supply before buying.

Lawn care franchises provide mowing, fertilization, and basic landscaping services under an established brand with proven systems. Franchises like Lawn Doctor, Weed Man, and Spring-Green provide training, marketing support, and operational systems in exchange for royalty fees. It is a lower-risk entry into the landscaping industry.

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Acquisition score

Strong

Avg Revenue

$250K

Profit Margin

18%

Acquisition Multiple

2x - 3x

Startup Cost

$40K - $100K

How It Works

Purchase a franchise territory. Follow the franchisor's system for marketing, sales, and operations. Service residential and commercial clients on recurring schedules. Pay royalties (typically 6-10% of revenue) in exchange for brand recognition, national marketing, and operational support.

Revenue Range

Low End

$100K

Typical

$250K

High End

$500K

BizBite underwriting snapshot

Watch / verify

Lawn Care Franchise has enough high-level data for a first look, but BizBite has not assigned a category-specific operating model yet. Treat the score as preliminary.

Speculative / 100

Data confidence

medium

52/100

Financing fit

medium

Category-level fit before lender-specific diligence.

Confidence cap

Weak source data caps the final score.

Why it may work

+SBA dataset shows 212 recent comparable loans

Be careful

!Source link status has not been verified yet
!No last-checked date yet
!No category operating model yet
!No category model yet

Real Acquisitions in This Category

SBA 7(a) change-of-ownership loans · NAICS 561730 · Landscaping Services

Deals tracked

577

212 in last 24 mo

Median loan

$531K

$236K–$1.2M p25/p75

Implied deal size

$625K

median · ~85% LTV

Charge-off rate

—

not enough resolved loans

Deal Size Distribution

<$150K

$150K–500K

176

$500K–1M

127

$1M–2M

116

>$2M

Deal Flow Over Time

12-month momentum

-39.4%

deal volume vs prior 12 mo

Median loan Δ

+61.0%

80 recent · 132 prior

Financing Profile

Median rate

9.75%

15% 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

The Huntington National Bank64

Live Oak Banking Company23

First Internet Bank of Indiana13

BayFirst National Bank12

Beacon Bank and Trust12

Where deals happen

FL83

PA30

TX30

MI27

CO26

MN26

CA24

UT21

OH19

AZ18

Recent Comparable Deals

Closed	State	Loan	Implied deal	Jobs	Franchise
Mar 2026	NY	$135K	$159K	2	—
Mar 2026	NJ	$150K	$177K	6	Monster Tree Service
Mar 2026	NJ	$1.4M	$1.6M	6	Monster Tree Service
Mar 2026	CA	$333K	$392K	4	—
Mar 2026	MN	$83K	$97K	1	—
Mar 2026	IL	$1.2M	$1.4M	6	—
Mar 2026	MA	$100K	$118K	10	—
Mar 2026	FL	$1.2M	$1.4M	16	—
Feb 2026	SC	$480K	$565K	11	—
Feb 2026	IN	$990K	$1.2M	11	—

Volume rank #10/544Deal-size rank #366/544Momentum rank #298p90 loan: $2.0MData 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

+Proven business model with training and support
+Brand recognition helps with customer acquisition
+Recurring revenue from maintenance contracts
+Lower risk than starting an independent business

Cons

-Royalty fees reduce margins compared to independent
-Less flexibility — must follow franchisor's system
-Franchise fees and territory costs add to startup

Best For

First-time business owners who want structure and a proven playbook

Operating Costs

Labor, franchise royalties (6-10%), equipment, fuel, materials, and local marketing are the primary costs.

SBA Financing Estimator

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

$-3253/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $630K

Range: $380K (2×) to $1.0M (3×+)

Down payment — 15% ($95K)

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

Interest rate — 9.75%

SBA median for this category: 9.8%

Loan term — 10 years (120 mo)

SBA median for this category: 120 months

Down payment

$95K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$536K

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$7K/mo

$305K total interest

Monthly profit

$4K/mo

at 18% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

$-3253/mo

Margin does not cover debt service at these terms. Lower the deal price, increase the down payment, or extend the loan term.

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.