KOA Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a KOA franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
KOA discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it A.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2025 registration revenue by site class, brand position, season, region. 2024 gross/operating profit per camper night by brand. Conversion revenue history showing 16% avg first-year increase.
What a KOA franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 8% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 10% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $40,050 – $16,659,575 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
8% royalty; 2% advertising; $2,100 annual admin fee; payment platform 0.6%; optional managed services $795–$1,495/month.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
KOA system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 432 |
| Ceased operations | 5 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 7 |
| Transferred to new owners | 21 |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets |
5 ceased operations 2025; 7 terminations 2025; modest churn among 432 franchised units.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is KOA worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 10% of sales | steeper than 74% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $40,050 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade A | more honest than 99% of other franchises franchises |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a KOA
The franchisor's framing: 2025 registration revenue by site class, brand position, season, region. 2024 gross/operat… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
KOA franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a KOA franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $40,050–$16,659,575, including a $45,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do KOA franchise owners make?
- 2025 registration revenue by site class, brand position, season, region. 2024 gross/operating profit per camper night by brand. Conversion revenue history showing 16% avg first-year increase. We grade this disclosure A for honesty.
- What are the KOA franchise fees?
- KOA's FDD discloses a $45,000 initial franchise fee, a 8% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 10% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 8% royalty; 2% advertising; $2,100 annual admin fee; payment platform 0.6%; optional managed services $795–$1,495/month.
- What is the KOA franchise profit margin?
- KOA does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2025 registration revenue by site class, brand position, season, region. 2024 gross/operating profit per camper night by brand. Conversion revenue history showing 16% avg first-year increase. Recurring fees alone take about 10% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the KOA franchise failure rate?
- 5 ceased operations 2025; 7 terminations 2025; modest churn among 432 franchised units.
- How many KOA locations are there?
- KOA's FDD reports 432 total outlets, with 5 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 21 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does KOA have complaints or lawsuits?
- KOA discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a KOA franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. KOA scores A on disclosure honesty, carries about 10% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare KOA to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with KOA or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.