Lawn Doctor franchise unit economics
Lawn Doctor franchisees sell annual lawn treatment programs to households from a vehicle, across one or more territories.
Lawn Doctor franchise at a glance
Lawn Doctor’s Item 19 reports 2025 net revenues for 202 owners, average spend and years open per customer, and an average gross margin for 81 franchisees.
Lawn Doctor franchisees averaged $1,170,356 of sales in 2025, with a median of $616,233, according to Item 19 of Lawn Doctor’s 2026 FDD, issued 28 April 2026. The 202 in that group are 30%* of Lawn Doctor’s 672 locations. A Lawn Doctor franchise costs $135,820 to $163,902 to open.
- A Lawn Doctor franchise costs $135,820 to $163,902 to open, including a $118,000 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Lawn Doctor charges a royalty of 10% of sales, a 5% brand fund contribution and a $250 monthly technology fee.
- 30% of reporting Lawn Doctor locations reached the average.
- At the average Lawn Doctor location, cost of goods took 13.4% of sales.
- Work out Lawn Doctor's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Lawn Doctor's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- Royalty and required marketing take 20.0% of revenue at every size above $300,000.That is 10% royalty plus the greater of $30,000 or 10% of net revenues *.
- The published 86.6% gross profit counts treatment products alone.After the 10% royalty and the 10% marketing requirement, 66.6% remains to cover labor, vehicles and every overhead *.
- Average customer years open is 6.80 years at $773.75 a year, $5,262 of revenue.At the median, 4.69 years at $538.65 gives $2,526 *.
- Franchisees with 7 or more territories average $3,887,991 against $639,509 for 1 to 3.Yet the share reaching the group averages holds at 31% to 33% in every group.
- Average net revenues rose 218.8% across seventeen years while the franchisee count fell from 214 to 202.And the share reaching the average has sat between 29% and 36% every single year *.
How much does a Lawn Doctor franchise make?
The average Lawn Doctor unit reported $1,170,356 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $616,233. Item 19 of the Lawn Doctor FDD publishes an average gross margin of 86.6% after treatment products for 81 franchisees, and what an owner keeps depends on the costs set out below. Fees come off the top first, across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Revenue and scale
Revenue by number of territories operated, 2025
| Territories operated | Franchisees | Average net revenues | Median | Lowest | Highest | Reaching the group average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 or more | 19 | $3,887,991 | $2,909,504 | $432,824 | $10,031,296 | 6 (32%) |
| 4 to 6 | 42 | $1,723,081 | $1,126,112 | $278,045 | $12,206,913 | 13 (31%) |
| 1 to 3 | 141 | $639,509 | $400,901 | $15,050 | $3,686,461 | 46 (33%) |
| All 202 | 202 | $1,170,356 | $616,233 | $15,050 | $12,206,913 | 60 (30%) |
As the brand reported it.
About a third of each group reaches its own average. 32%, 31% and 33% of each group reach their own average, against 30% for the system. Holding more territories raises the number a franchisee bills, and leaves untouched the probability of being above or below the pack, the distribution simply scales.
The 4-to-6 group contains the system's highest single franchisee at $12,206,913. Above anything in the 7-or-more group, whose top is $10,031,296. So territory count sets a minimum on scale, and a higher-selling owner with four territories out-bills a lower-selling one with ten.
The 1-to-3 group runs from $15,050 to $3,686,461. That is 245 times, across 141 of the 202 franchisees. That group is 70% of the reporting population and contains nearly the whole range of outcomes in the system. That makes it the honest place for a prospective owner to look.
The median franchisee bills $616,233 against an average of $1,170,356. That is a gap of $554,123. At the system's $773.75 of annual customer revenue, the median business is serving about 796 customers and the average about 1,513 *.
Top performers
What separates the top Lawn Doctor performers
Lawn Doctor splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The top group averaged $3,887,991 a year. The lowest averaged $639,509. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $616,233. The average was $1,170,356. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The top band sells 6.1× the bottom band. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $135,820 to $163,902, a 1.2× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.A minimum fee applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
Live operating levers
- Products and materials.Products and materials take 13.4% of sales. The levers are buying terms, price discipline and waste.
- Visits.Track how many visits happen, what each one is worth, and how many customers book the next one before they leave.
- Memberships and rebooking.A recurring plan turns appointments into a monthly subscription and keeps the schedule fuller. Rebooking before the customer leaves keeps it full.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 202 of 672 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 of the Lawn Doctor FDD publishes an average gross margin of 86.6% after treatment products for 81 franchisees. Ask the franchisor or current owners for any cost line the filing leaves out.
Fees and what it costs to open
Royalty, marketing and technology fees
| Franchisee | Net revenues | Royalty at 10% | Required marketing | Technology | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest reporting | $12,206,913 | $1,220,691 | $1,220,691 | $3,000 | $2,444,382 | 20.0% |
| 7-or-more band average | $3,887,991 | $388,799 | $388,799 | $3,000 | $780,598 | 20.1% |
| System average | $1,170,356 | $117,036 | $117,036 | $3,000 | $237,072 | 20.3% |
| System median | $616,233 | $61,623 | $61,623 | $3,000 | $126,246 | 20.5% |
| 1-to-3 band median | $400,901 | $40,090 | $40,090 | $3,000 | $83,180 | 20.7% |
| Lowest reporting | $15,050 | $1,505 | $30,000 | $1,800 | $33,305 | 221.3% |
We built these by applying the published rates to filed revenue figures.
Royalty, required marketing and technology together come to 20.0% to 20.7% at every size above $300,000 *. Because royalty and the marketing requirement are the same 10%, scale moves the figure very little here. That is unusual in this library, where most fee structures reward volume.
The $30,000 minimum marketing charge binds below $300,000 of net revenues. At the lowest-selling reporting franchisee's $15,050 the combined obligation is $33,305, more than twice the year's entire revenue *. The 1-to-3 group's own median of $400,901 clears the minimum, so this is a first-year and a failing-business problem.
Lawn Doctor revenue earned outside the territory carries 25% in total. That is the standard 10% plus a 15% out-of-territory royalty.
The holiday lighting charge applies even where the service stays unoffered. It is the greater of $6,000 or 5% of the prior year's holiday lighting revenue, from the second full year. 14 businesses offered the service at the end of 2025. So for most franchisees this is $6,000 a year for a line of business they have yet to start.
Opening a business
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $114,950 | $118,000 |
| Additional funds, three months | $12,720 | $22,552 |
| Opening holiday lighting inventory | $0 | $5,000 |
| Training expenses, per attendee | $2,500 | $4,000 |
| Holiday lighting start-up equipment | $0 | $2,800 |
| Service vehicle, first month | $1,800 | $2,500 |
| Opening inventory | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Computers | $0 | $2,000 |
| Insurance | $800 | $1,000 |
| Shipping of power seeder | $0 | $1,000 |
| Rental space | $0 | $1,000 |
| Uniforms | $250 | $600 |
| Computer software | $225 | $500 |
| Sales support resources | $200 | $450 |
| Bookkeeper | $325 | $400 |
| Vehicle tracking and telematics | $50 | $100 |
| Total | $135,820 | $163,902 |
As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.
Discounts available
- Lawn Doctor takes 10% off the $50,000 initial license fee portion (a $5,000 reduction) for qualified U.S. military veterans, minority, Green Industry and first responder candidates.
- Lawn Doctor charges existing franchisees $25,000 for an additional Lawn Doctor business (without the standard training and supply package).
- Lawn Doctor takes $10,000 off the fee for employees of franchisees with 5 years in the Lawn Doctor system.
From Item 5 of the Lawn Doctor 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
The franchise fee is 84.6% of the low column. That is $114,950 of $135,820 *. Everything else (vehicle, inventory, computers, uniforms) comes to under $21,000, because the business runs from a leased vehicle. The fee itself is mostly the $61,600 marketing, training and supply package against the $50,000 license.
A second business costs $25,000 against $118,000. That is 79% less, in exchange for going without the training, support and supplies package *. Set against the finding that franchisees with 7 or more territories average $3,887,991, that discount is the mechanism behind this system's multi-territory concentration.
Working capital (cash to run the business day to day) covers three months at $12,720 to $22,552. That compares with a marketing requirement of at least $30,000 a year and a vehicle lease at $1,800 to $2,500 a month. The first year's marketing is bought inside the franchise fee, which is what makes the short runway defensible, but only for that year.
The build is 0.22 to 0.27 times the system median revenue. That is $135,820 to $163,902 against $616,233 *. Apart from the franchise fee, the Lawn Doctor build costs under $21,000.
The customer
Customer data, 2025
| Measure | Average | Median | Highest | Lowest | Reaching the average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual customer program value | $842.86 | $717.00 | $282,100 | $100.17 | 79 (39%) |
| Annual customer revenue | $773.75 | $538.65 | $240,100 | $100.04 | 63 (31%) |
| Customer years open, years | 6.80 | 4.69 | 51.95 | 0.00 | 71 (35%) |
| Lifetime revenue per customer * | $5,262 | $2,526 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Every figure except the last row is as the brand reported it. The lifetime row is marked *, multiplying annual customer revenue by years open at the average and at the median.
Each household is worth $5,262 of revenue at the average and $2,526 at the median *. That is a 2.1-times gap, driven by years open as much as by annual spend, 6.80 years against 4.69. Retention is the compounding variable in this model.
Program value is $842.86 while revenue collected is $773.75, a gap of $69.11. That is 8.2% of what was sold *. The difference is programs sold and then canceled during the season. On 1,513 customers at the average franchisee, that gap is $104,563 of sold work that failed to turn into cash.
The average franchisee serves about 1,513 customers. That is $1,170,356 of net revenues divided by $773.75 *. Across 2.95 territories each, that is roughly 513 customers a territory. That makes the 6.80-year average customer life the difference between replacing 222 households a year and replacing 323.
Only 31% of franchisees reach the average annual customer revenue. The median of $538.65 sits 30% below the mean. So the typical customer relationship is meaningfully smaller than the headline, and an owner modeling on $773.75 is modeling the upper third of the system.
Seventeen years
Revenue per franchisee, 2009 to 2025
| Year | Franchisees | Average net revenues | Median | Highest | Reaching the average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 214 | $367,108 | $206,592 | $2,947,850 | 29% |
| 2010 | 204 | $393,829 | $228,819 | $3,246,320 | 30% |
| 2011 | 196 | $430,376 | $238,049 | $3,548,984 | 33% |
| 2012 | 173 | $478,130 | $261,770 | $3,589,439 | 34% |
| 2013 | 155 | $534,341 | $349,166 | $3,794,198 | 34% |
| 2014 | 163 | $598,806 | $375,736 | $4,391,138 | 33% |
| 2015 | 160 | $630,462 | $400,065 | $4,756,989 | 35% |
| 2016 | 173 | $634,278 | $397,221 | $4,879,391 | 35% |
| 2017 | 177 | $671,848 | $407,456 | $5,256,201 | 36% |
| 2018 | 178 | $715,399 | $421,253 | $5,580,914 | 34% |
| 2019 | 184 | $768,910 | $442,415 | $6,005,754 | 34% |
| 2020 | 184 | $816,756 | $473,181 | $6,532,589 | 31% |
| 2021 | 191 | $922,043 | $529,499 | $8,085,392 | 29% |
| 2022 | 196 | $1,010,244 | $545,004 | $9,619,076 | 30% |
| 2023 | 192 | $1,114,402 | $655,952 | $10,204,658 | 30% |
| 2024 | 205 | $1,130,477 | $659,073 | $11,372,439 | 29% |
| 2025 | 202 | $1,170,356 | $616,233 | $12,206,913 | 30% |
As the brand reported it.
Average net revenues rose 218.8% and the median rose 198.3%. That is $367,108 to $1,170,356 and $206,592 to $616,233 *. Steady compounding across seventeen years, with a visible acceleration from 2020 onward that has since slowed.
The share reaching the average has sat between 29% and 36% in every one of seventeen years. It was 29% in 2009 and 30% in 2025. A distribution that has held its shape for nearly two decades while tripling in size tells a prospective owner something useful. The odds of landing above the average have been the same throughout.
The median fell 6.5% in 2025 while the average rose 3.5%. That is $659,073 to $616,233 against $1,130,477 to $1,170,356 *. The only year in the recent series where the two move in opposite directions, which means the gains landed at the top of the distribution.
The reporting count went from 214 to 202 across the period. The low point was 155 in 2013. So the system has rebuilt its base while roughly tripling revenue per franchisee, growth by consolidation into larger multi-territory operators.
The largest franchisee grew from $2,947,850 to $12,206,913. 4.1 times, and in every single year of the series it set a new high. That consistency across seventeen years, including 2020, says the ceiling in this model has been rising without interruption.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does a Lawn Doctor franchise make?
Lawn Doctor franchisees averaged $1,170,356 of sales in 2025, with a median of $616,233, according to Item 19 of Lawn Doctor’s 2026 FDD, issued 28 April 2026. The 202 in that group are 30%* of Lawn Doctor’s 672 locations. A Lawn Doctor franchise costs $135,820 to $163,902 to open.
What should a Lawn Doctor business be billing?
The 202 franchisees trading at least two full years at 31 December 2025 averaged $1,170,356 of net revenues across all their territories. The median was $616,233, ranging from $15,050 to $12,206,913. 60 of the 202, 30%, reached the average. By territory count: 141 franchisees with 1 to 3 territories averaged $639,509 with a median of $400,901. 42 with 4 to 6 averaged $1,723,081, and 19 with 7 or more averaged $3,887,991. At that date 672 franchised businesses were operated by 228 franchisees, roughly 2.95 territories each.
What is a customer worth at Lawn Doctor?
Annual customer program value averaged $842.86 with a median of $717.00, and annual customer revenue collected averaged $773.75 with a median of $538.65. Average customer years open was 6.80 years and the median 4.69. Multiplying gives about $5,262 of lifetime revenue at the average and $2,526 at the median. 39% of franchisees reached the average program value, 31% the average customer revenue and 35% the average years open. Program value counts programs sold during the 2025 season including those later canceled, so the $69.11 gap between it and revenue collected is season cancellation.
What margin does the work have at Lawn Doctor?
One margin figure exists: an average gross margin of 86.6% with a median of 86.1%, across 81 of the 196 franchisees trading at least one full year at 31 December 2024, with 48.1% reaching the average. It subtracts treatment products alone. Every other cost, including all labor, vehicles and overhead, sits below it. Royalty and marketing reduce it further, and those two come to 20% of net revenues between them, leaving 66.6% to cover everything else.
What fees does Lawn Doctor charge?
The royalty and service fee is 10% of net revenues, collected weekly. The marketing and promotion requirement is the greater of $30,000 or 10% of net revenues each calendar year. Contributions to the franchisor's national and regional marketing funds, up to 5% of net revenues, are credited against that requirement. Any unspent balance is payable to the franchisor within 60 days of the year end. A technology fee of $150 a month applies, rising to $250 once cumulative net revenues reach $1,000,000, capped at $500. The out-of-territory royalty is 15% of net revenues earned outside the territory, on top of the 10%. There is also a holiday lighting advertising charge of the greater of $6,000 or 5% of the prior year's holiday lighting revenue from the second full year, payable even where the service stays unoffered.
Who does bookkeeping for a Lawn Doctor franchise?
Three things shape the close here. Royalty is collected weekly on net revenues, defined as cash actually collected. With an 8.2% gap between program value sold and revenue received, a business that tracks bookings will overstate its revenue. Second, the marketing requirement is a minimum with a true-up. Whatever is left unspent against the greater of $30,000 or 10% becomes payable to the franchisor after the year end. That makes the classification of marketing spend a cash question and the running total worth watching monthly. Third, the 15% out-of-territory royalty means revenue has to be coded by where the work was done as well as by who paid for it. At 25% all-in a misclassified job is expensive. Underneath all three, the 86.6% margin excludes labor entirely. So an owner’s own wages and vehicle costing is the only route to a real bottom line. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- Item 19 of the Lawn Doctor FDD gives no profit after every cost. It publishes an average gross margin of 86.6% after treatment products for 81 franchisees, so what an owner keeps after all costs is not disclosed.
Questions worth putting to Lawn Doctor
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- How would wages and rent at a new Lawn Doctor location compare with the figures in the filing? Item 19 of the Lawn Doctor FDD publishes an average gross margin of 86.6% after treatment products for 81 franchisees.
- Which factors does Lawn Doctor see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Lawn Doctor locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →How long does your customer stay at Lawn Doctor?
We review your unit economics, cash forecast and reporting, built around customer value, years open and the 20-point load that sits above your labor line.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Lawn Doctor, Inc.’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Lawn Doctor® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Lawn Doctor, Inc., 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 28 April 2026.
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Lawn Doctor reads against the rest of the lawn, pest and irrigation group: Conserva Irrigation · Mosquito Joe · Mosquito Shield · Mosquito Squad · Pestmaster · The Grounds Guys. The lawn, pest and irrigation guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?It explains what each role owns and when the next hire pays for itself.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?It traces where the extra revenue went, line by line.