Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Seal King is a home services franchise providing residential and commercial driveway sealcoating and asphalt maintenance. Franchisees run local operations, managing crews, estimates, and seasonal accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating franchise requires a total initial investment of $58K – $108K, including a $20K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $58K – $108K
- 11th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 34th pct Home Services
- Units
- 23
- 31st pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
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 $58K – $108K including a $20K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 71/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Seal King, Incorporated
- CEO title
- President and CEO
- Benjamin Nelson
- Incorporated in
- Minnesota
- HQ
- 21720 Hamburg Avenue, Lakeville, MN 55044
- Auditor
- Linda M. Muhlenhardt, LTD
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.9M
- vs $1.8M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Benjamin Nelson
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 1991
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 63% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $8K | $12K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $30K | $76K |
| Total initial investment | $58K | $108K |
Source: Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $58K – $108K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $8K – $12K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- $1,000
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating 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 Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
73%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 7.0% — below the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (0.0% 3-year CAGR) with 23 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 Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 23
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- 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 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
Established 23-unit sealcoating franchisor (since 1997) with healthy financials: net worth $458,743, net income $422,135 on $1.83M revenue. No litigation or bankruptcy. The only concern is no Item 19 earnings disclosure.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Linda M. Muhlenhardt, LTD
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 71 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 earnings disclosure
- 02MINOROtherwise clean: no litigation, no bankruptcy
- 03MINORPositive financials: $422,135 net income, $458,743 net worth
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 3 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 3 years |
| Territory type | Municipality |
| Protected territory | No |
| 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 |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 5 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 4 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
12 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating franchise?
The total investment to open a Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating franchise ranges from $58K – $108K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating franchise owners earn?
Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating 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 Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating 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 Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating (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 Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating has 23 total units in the United States, including 23 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 71 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Seal King Professional Driveway Sealcoating, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.