Spring-green Lawn Care Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Spring-green Lawn Care franchise requires a total initial investment of $119K – $135K, including a $27K – $45K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $209K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 17 loans[1]. 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
- $119K – $135K
- 37th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $209K
- 3rd pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 156
- 46th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business 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
- Total investment $119K – $135K including a $27K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $209K/year (median $929K).
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 94/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 17 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Spring-Green Lawn Care Corp.
- Parent company
- Spring-Green Enterprises, Inc.
- Predecessor
- None disclosed
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President
- Theodore T. Hofer
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 11909 Spaulding School Drive, Plainfield, Illinois 60585
- Auditor
- DHJJ
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.6M
- vs $8.3M prior year
Overview
About
SpringGreen franchisees offer professional lawn care, pest control, and related services to residential and commercial customers within a designated territory.
- CEO
- Theodore T. Hofer
- Headquarters
- Illinois
- Founded
- 1977
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 24
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 52% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $27K | $27K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $6K | $8K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $86K | $100K |
| Total initial investment | $119K | $135K |
Source: Spring-green Lawn Care 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
- $119K – $135K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $6K – $8K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $27K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Sliding scale: 10% of Gross Sales up to $250,000; 9% of G…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $260 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $3K |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 84% below the business services norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
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
$31K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $209K
- Per unit/yr · from the Item 19 franchised-cohort breakdown (no single system-wide average disclosed)
- Median gross sales
- $929K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical_gross_sales
- Sample size
- 72 units
- vs category median 38
- Range (low → high)
- $123K→$5.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
Compared against 356 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How Spring-green Lawn Care Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 156
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.8%
- Company-owned
- 30
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 81%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- Outlier
- Reported value implausible. See FDD Item 20
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 24 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.
24
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.
- Total loans
- 17
- Loan volume
- $2.1M
- Median loan
- $80K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 13
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 6.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 5617
- Jobs supported
- 34
- 1.6 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 18%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Top lenders financing Spring-green Lawn Care franchisees
Showing 3 of 13 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.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 17 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% 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
Litigation (Item 3)
None disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DHJJ
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
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | 60,000 SFDUs (single-family dwelling units) |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
None disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 58 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 67 hrs
- Training location
- Our headquarters, a local venue, or virtually
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 67 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Spring-green Lawn Care franchise?
The total investment to open a Spring-green Lawn Care franchise ranges from $119K – $135K, with an initial franchise fee of $27K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Spring-green Lawn Care franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Spring-green Lawn Care FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $209K. The median is $929K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Spring-green Lawn Care's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Spring-green Lawn Care has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 17 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 Spring-green Lawn Care franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Spring-green Lawn Care has 156 total units in the United States, including 126 franchised units and 30 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Spring-green Lawn Care a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Spring-green Lawn Care as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 94 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.