NaturaLawn of AmericaFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A NaturaLawn of America franchise requires a total initial investment of $58K – $123K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 9.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.2M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 11.8% charge-off rate across 21 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $58K – $123K
- 10th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $2.2M
- 45th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- 42nd pct Home Services
- Units
- 99
- 53rd pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 11.8%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 24.7x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1989. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $58K – $123K including a $30K franchise fee, 9.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.2M/year (median $1.1M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 28/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 11.8% across 21 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- NaturaLawn of America Inc.
- Predecessor
- NaturaLawn
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- MD
- HQ
- 1 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701
- Auditor
- Hildebrand Limparis & Associates, CPAs, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $7.1M
- vs $8.0M prior year
Overview
About
NaturaLawn franchisees operate organic lawn care and landscaping services, performing weed control, fertilization, and pest management using natural/chemical-free methods. Day-to-day activities include customer acquisition, service delivery via crews, seasonal scheduling, and equipment/supply management. Revenue depends on customer retention, service frequency (typically monthly to quarterly), and regional market density.
- CEO
- Philip Catron
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 1987
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 27
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 14 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.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$200K
9.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
215%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $58K – $123K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $5K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- Gross Sales · 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 |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.1M
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 38 units
- vs category median 25
- Range (low → high)
- $223K→N/A
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
Revenue is 24.7x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Home Services averages
How NaturaLawn of America Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 99
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 10
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 90%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +6.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +9.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 5
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 20 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
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 28 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo Item 19 (Net Income) disclosure prevents ROI validation despite $2.2M average revenue claim
- 02MINORSlow unit growth of 6.0% YoY suggests market saturation or franchisee satisfaction issues in mature 99-unit system
- 03MINORHigh initial investment range ($57.5K-$122.6K) combined with 9% royalty creates breakeven uncertainty without profit data
- 04MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), increasing renewal/renegotiation risk
- 05MINORLawn 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | Household count |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 90 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at Restaurant and at franchisor location
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Real Green Service Assistant 5
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Real Green Service Assistant 5
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
36 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 $58K – $123K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. 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?
According to Item 19 of the NaturaLawn of America FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.2M. The median is $1.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
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 99 total units in the United States, including 11 franchised units and 10 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is NaturaLawn of America a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates NaturaLawn of America as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 28 out of 100, 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.
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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.