U.S. LawnsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A U.S. Lawns franchise requires a total initial investment of $72K – $200K, including a $49K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.4M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 18.9% charge-off rate across 79 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $72K – $200K
- 15th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- 39th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 210
- 68th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 18.9%
- 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 10.3x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1986. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 210 to 209 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $72K – $200K including a $49K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.4M/year (median $976K).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 18.9% across 79 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
- U.S. Lawns, Inc.
- Parent company
- Clintar, Inc. (d/b/a EverSmith Brands)
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 6700 Forum Drive, Suite 150, Orlando, FL 32821
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $22.2M
- vs $35.0M prior year
Overview
About
U.S. Lawns franchisees operate residential and commercial lawn maintenance and landscaping services, handling mowing, trimming, chemical applications, and seasonal cleanup. Day-to-day operations involve crew scheduling, equipment maintenance, customer billing and service quality control, and managing seasonal staffing fluctuations typical of outdoor service businesses.
- CEO
- Kenneth Hutcheson
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1986
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 34
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49K | $49K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $25K | $100K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $0 | $51K |
| Total initial investment | $72K | $200K |
Source: U.S. Lawns 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$153K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
77%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
16 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $72K – $200K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $100K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $39K – $49K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Sliding scale: 6% of Gross Billings for $62,500 or less; …
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Sliding scale: 6% up to $62,500, 5% from $62,500-$125,000, 4% above $125,000 |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $299 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $976K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 171 units
- vs category median 25 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $26K→$9.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
Revenue is 10.3x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Home Services averages
How U.S. Lawns Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 210
- Opened
- 16
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 14
- Terminated
- 9
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.7%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 7.1%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +1.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 9
- Transfer rate
- 4.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 93.8%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 4.8%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 1.9%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 27 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 79
- Loan volume
- $33.1M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 18.9%
- 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)
- 80.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 20.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 35
- Defaults
- 7
Vintage analysis
U.S. Lawns charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into U.S. Lawns'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 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 21-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
U.S. Lawns presents caution-level risk due to stagnant system growth, missing profitability disclosures, and the inherent seasonality and margin pressure of lawn care services.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem stagnation: Only 1.0% YoY unit growth over 210 locations indicates mature/declining system with minimal expansion
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure: Average net income not disclosed prevents accurate ROI validation and suggests weak franchisee profitability
- 03MINORHigh initial investment-to-average-revenue ratio: $71,500-$200,000 investment against $1.39M average revenue raises questions about capital efficiency and payback period
- 04MINORSeasonal business model risk: Landscaping/lawn care is highly weather and seasonality dependent with cash flow volatility
- 05MINORCompetitive intensity: Low barriers to entry in lawn care market create pricing pressure and customer acquisition challenges
- 06MINORRoyalty structure concern: Sliding scale rewards scale but 6% on lower volumes erodes margins for struggling locations
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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 10 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Orlando, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 35 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 15 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and pre-opening
- POS system
- QuickBooks
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
81 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
U.S. Lawns · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a U.S. Lawns franchise?
The total investment to open a U.S. Lawns franchise ranges from $72K – $200K, with an initial franchise fee of $49K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do U.S. Lawns franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the U.S. Lawns FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.4M. The median is $976K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is U.S. Lawns's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, U.S. Lawns has a charge-off rate of 18.9% across 79 loans, meaning 18.9% 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 U.S. Lawns franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, U.S. Lawns has 210 total units in the United States, including 210 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 16 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is U.S. Lawns a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates U.S. Lawns as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 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.