NaturaLawn of America Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
NaturaLawn of America is a home-services franchise providing organic-based lawn fertilization, weed, and pest control for homes and businesses. Franchisees run a route-based operation with technicians on recurring seasonal service plans in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A NaturaLawn of America franchise requires a total initial investment of $98K – $153K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 9.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 11.8% charge-off rate across 21 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $98K – $153K
- 32nd pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- 52nd pct Home Services
- Units
- 93
- 58th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 11.8%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $98K – $153K including a $40K franchise fee, 9.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports per franchised LOCATION, and a location is not a territory: the same FDD counts 43 franchised locations in Item 19 against 83 franchised outlets in Item 20 — roughly two licensed territories behind each reported location — and discloses no single-territory figure. The distribution is also extreme: a high of $18,932,909 against a median of $1,033,748, with only 5 of 38 locations (17%) reaching the average. The source cell is additionally misprinted as '$3,092,7089'.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 63/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 11.8% across 21 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DATAItem 19 reports historical gross sales multi cohort rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- NaturaLawn of America, Inc.
- Predecessor
- NaturaLawn, Inc. (NLI)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President & Treasurer, Director
- Philip Catron
- Incorporated in
- Maryland
- HQ
- 1 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701
- Auditor
- Hildebrand Limparis & Associates, CPAs, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.1M
- vs $8.0M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Philip Catron
- Headquarters
- Maryland
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 27
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 44% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial License Feenot refundable | $10K | $30K | |
| Opening Inventory | $0 | $5K | |
| Real Estate Improvements | — | — | |
| Lawn Care Equipment Purchases | $2K | $4K | |
| Vehicle (purchase or lease cost for 6 months) | $0 | $3K | |
| Office Furniture & Equipment | $0 | $5K | |
| Training Expenses | $0 | $1K | |
| Computer & Technology Expenses | $0 | $1K | |
| Initial Annual Advertising and Marketing | $40K | $60K | |
| Licenses | $250 | $500 | |
| Professional Fees (accounting, legal, etc.) | $1K | $2K | |
| Lease Deposits (rent, utilities, etc.) | $2K | $4K | |
| Insurance Deposit | $2K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds (6 months or more) | $2K | $5K | |
| Total initial investment | $58K | $123K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $98K – $153K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $5K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 9.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $0 – $5K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
NaturaLawn of America did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one NaturaLawn of America unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
53%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports per franchised LOCATION, and a location is not a territory: the same FDD counts 43 franchised locations in Item 19 against 83 franchised outlets in Item 20 — roughly two licensed territories behind each reported location — and discloses no single-territory figure. The distribution is also extreme: a high of $18,932,909 against a median of $1,033,748, with only 5 of 38 locations (17%) reaching the average. The source cell is additionally misprinted as '$3,092,7089'.
- Item 19 type
- historical gross sales multi cohort
- Sample size
- 38 outlets
- vs category median 32
- Range (low → high)
- $231K→$18.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 321 Home Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% (near the Home Services average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports historical gross sales multi cohort rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (-1.2% 3-year CAGR) with 93 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services averages
How NaturaLawn of America Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 93
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.4%
- Company-owned
- 10
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 89%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -1.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -1.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 21 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Virginia
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 21
- Loan volume
- $3.5M
- Median loan
- $100K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 11.8%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 88.2%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 18
- Defaults
- 2
- Typical loan rate
- 8.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 19.3%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 75
- 2.2 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 10%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 60% went to startups / new businesses, 40% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in landscaping services, franchised businesses charge off at 19.3% vs 13.3% for independents — franchising is associated with 45% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing NaturaLawn of America franchisees
Showing 3 of 18 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into NaturaLawn of America's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 14 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 16-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 11.8% — 27% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Mid-stage franchise with undisclosed profitability metrics, slow growth trajectory, and high cost structure relative to transparent earnings data—requires extensive validation before $122K+ investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Largest disclosed settlement: $350,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Hildebrand Limparis & Associates, CPAs, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 63 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORSlow unit growth of 6.0% YoY suggests market saturation or franchisee satisfaction issues in mature 99-unit system
- 02MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), increasing renewal/renegotiation risk
- 03MINORLawn care is seasonal/weather-dependent with thin margins; no disclosure of average net income raises profitability concerns
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 40,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 9 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 9 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Maryland (Frederick, MD — franchisor's principal place of business) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 70 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor's home office in Frederick, Maryland (up to 4 weeks classroom), plus 2 additional weeks of operations training at a company location in Maryland or Virginia; additional field/agronomic/office/equipment training at franchisee's own location.
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee, with franchisor advice and required approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- WorkWave/RealGreen Service Assistant 5
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: WorkWave/RealGreen Service Assistant 5
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
32 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
NaturaLawn of America · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a NaturaLawn of America franchise?
The total investment to open a NaturaLawn of America franchise ranges from $98K – $153K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do NaturaLawn of America franchise owners earn?
NaturaLawn of America does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the NaturaLawn of America FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the NaturaLawn of America FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is NaturaLawn of America's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, NaturaLawn of America has a charge-off rate of 11.8% across 21 loans, meaning 11.8% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many NaturaLawn of America franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, NaturaLawn of America has 93 total units in the United States, including 83 franchised units and 10 company-owned units.
Is NaturaLawn of America a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates NaturaLawn of America as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 63 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.