River Pools® Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $114K – $288K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
River Pools is a home services franchise that sells and installs fiberglass swimming pools. Franchisees run local operations, managing pool sales, installation crews, and customer service within a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A RIVER POOLS® franchise requires a total initial investment of $114K – $288K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 12.0% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $114K – $288K
- 41st pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 12.0%
- 79th pct Home Services
- Units
- 17
- 26th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · 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 $114K – $288K including a $50K franchise fee, 12.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 63/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +6 franchised outlets in the latest year (8 opened, 2 closed); 2 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- River Pools Franchising, LLC
- Predecessor
- River Pools Franchising, Inc. (Virginia corporation)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Manager
- Jason Hughes
- CEO experience
- 2019 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Indiana
- HQ
- 840 Commerce Pkwy, Fortville, IN 46040
- Auditor
- Roger L. Handy, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $541K
- vs $82K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jason Hughes
- Headquarters
- IN
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 12
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 20% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $50K | |
| Leasehold Improvements and Signsnot refundable | $0 | $9K | |
| Equipment and Suppliesnot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Inventorynot refundable | $5K | $60K | |
| Vehiclenot refundable | $5K | $30K | |
| Technology and Office Equipmentnot refundable | $3K | $7K | |
| Start-Up Marketingnot refundable | $8K | $10K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Licenses/Bondsnot refundable | $500 | $1K | |
| Lease Deposits | $0 | $10K | |
| Your Out-of-Pocket Expenses While Attending Trainingnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Working Capital (Additional Funds over next 3 months) | $25K | $75K | |
| Total initial investment | $114K | $288K |
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
- $114K – $288K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 12.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 14.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 12.0% |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $60K |
| Total fee load | 14.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
RIVER POOLS® makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one RIVER POOLS® unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 14.0% — above the Home Services median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System expanding at 183.3% CAGR over 3 years across 17 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
Only 19% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 medians
How River Pools® Compares
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 17
- Opened
- 8
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 11.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 18.9%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +183.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +183.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 1
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 2
- 0.12 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 10
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 5.9%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 11.8%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
21 current owners across 16 states.
- GA 2
- MO 2
- NC 2
- TN 2
- UT 2
- AZ 1
- CO 1
- IA 1
- ID 1
- KS 1
- KY 1
- LA 1
- +4 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $25K
- Median loan
- $25K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 1 loan, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern; audited financials. Single concern is no Item 19 earnings disclosure. Otherwise healthy: 17 franchised units, 183.3% net growth, low 11.8% turnover.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Roger L. Handy, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Franchisor's total revenue as of December 31, 2021 was $540,926, per audited financial statements referenced in Item 8
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 63 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 02MINORNo litigation or bankruptcy; audited financials
- 03MINORStrong growth (183.3%), low turnover (11.8%)
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 14.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Specific geographic area |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 100 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Indiana |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 76 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 25 hrs
- Training location
- Virtual, Indiana, and approved franchise locations
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 25 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, subject to franchisor acceptance
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Online Work Order System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Online Work Order System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a RIVER POOLS® franchise?
The total investment to open a RIVER POOLS® franchise ranges from $114K – $288K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do RIVER POOLS® franchise owners earn?
RIVER POOLS® makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns RIVER POOLS®?
RIVER POOLS® is franchised by River Pools Franchising, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2022 filing.
What is Item 19 in the RIVER POOLS® 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 RIVER POOLS® FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is RIVER POOLS®'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for RIVER POOLS® (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many RIVER POOLS® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, RIVER POOLS® has 17 total units in the United States, including 17 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 8 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is RIVER POOLS® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates RIVER POOLS® as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 63 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.