Steri-Clean Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $90K – $273K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (6)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Steri-Clean is a specialty cleaning franchise handling biohazard, crime-scene, and hoarding cleanup. Franchisees run the operations, managing trained crews, hazmat compliance, and sensitive client jobs within a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Steri-Clean franchise requires a total initial investment of $90K – $273K, including a $40K – $80K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% 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: low - issued within the last 12 months
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
- $90K – $273K
- 30th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 56th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 64
- 50th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance 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 $90K – $273K including a $40K franchise fee, 8.0% 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 53/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +9 franchised outlets in the latest year (27 opened, 18 closed); 1 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- FLAG16 units terminated last reporting year (25.0% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Steri-Clean, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Steri-Clean, Inc. (California corporation)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President, Secretary, Chief Financial Officer and Director
- Cory Chalmers
- Incorporated in
- Idaho
- HQ
- 3940 Woodside Blvd, Hailey, ID 83333
- Auditor
- CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.6M
- vs $2.3M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Cory Chalmers
- Headquarters
- ID
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 23
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about typical for a cleaning & maintenance franchise (near the category median).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $65K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $40K | $168K |
| Total initial investment | $90K | $273K |
Source: Steri-Clean 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
- $90K – $273K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $65K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $80K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $100 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $20 |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $7K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Steri-Clean 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 Steri-Clean 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: 2026 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 11.0% — above the Cleaning & Maintenance median of 8.3%.
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 120.0% CAGR over 3 years across 64 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Cleaning & Maintenance medians
How Steri-Clean Compares
Category median of published Cleaning & Maintenance 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 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 64
- Opened
- 27
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 18
- Terminated
- 16
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 28.1%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +120.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +120.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 16
- Not renewed
- 1
- Transferred
- 1
- Reacquired
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 1
- 0.02 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 16
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 23 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.
23
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $1.2M
- Median loan
- $123K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (6)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 6 loans, 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 (6)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (6)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 6
- 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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
One pending arbitration (former Houston franchisee alleging breach, seeking damages, hearing scheduled fall 2024). Prior: Dimattina Holdings litigation/arbitration (fraudulent inducement claims by former franchisee; franchisor later won arbitration award of $157,454.75; separate post-judgment settlement paying franchisor $190,000); Etheridge lawsuit (former franchisee, various claims re: territory reassignment, settled for $50,000 paid by franchisor in 2019).
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 states audited financial statements for FY2024/2023/2022 are attached as Exhibit B, but the Exhibit B pages in this text are blank/redacted (whitespace only); no balance sheet, income statement, or auditor line items are present, so no figures could be extracted.
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 53 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGH4 litigation matters incl. pending arbitration on 55-unit system
- 02HIGHFraudulent-inducement claims history
- 03MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 11.0% 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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Population-based |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 100 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 15 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Ada County, Idaho (JAMS) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Idaho |
| Litigation count | 6 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
One pending arbitration (former Houston franchisee alleging breach, seeking damages, hearing scheduled fall 2024). Prior: Dimattina Holdings litigation/arbitration (fraudulent inducement claims by former franchisee; franchisor later won arbitration award of $157,454.75; separate post-judgment settlement paying franchisor $190,000); Etheridge lawsuit (former franchisee, various claims re: territory reassignment, settled for $50,000 paid by franchisor in 2019).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 49 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee, subject to franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CleanNet
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CleanNet
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
38 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 Steri-Clean franchise?
The total investment to open a Steri-Clean franchise ranges from $90K – $273K, 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 Steri-Clean franchise owners earn?
Steri-Clean 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 Steri-Clean?
Steri-Clean is franchised by Steri-Clean, Inc.. The FDD names no parent company. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Steri-Clean 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 Steri-Clean FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Steri-Clean's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Steri-Clean (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 Steri-Clean franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Steri-Clean has 64 total units in the United States, including 64 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 27 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Steri-Clean a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Steri-Clean as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 53 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
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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.