LAWN DOCTOR Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a LAWN DOCTOR franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2024), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
LAWN DOCTOR discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Net revenues for 192 franchisees operating 2+ years (2023): avg $1.11M, median $656K. 30% met/exceeded average. Gross profit margins avg 83.7% (2022, 83 franchisees). No operating expense/net income data.
What a LAWN DOCTOR franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $122,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 10% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 15% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $133,475 – $149,027 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 10% net revenues; local advertising $30K or 10% net revenues annually; technology fee $150-$250/month; call center $750/month post-year 1.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
LAWN DOCTOR system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 630 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 9 |
| Transferred to new owners | 22 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
2023: 9 terminations, 22 transfers of 630 outlets. Minimal exit activity.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2024. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is LAWN DOCTOR worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 15% of sales | steeper than 90% of home & trade services franchises |
| Startup cost | from $133,475 | pricier than 60% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 2.8%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
Benchmarked against every home & trade services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a LAWN DOCTOR
The franchisor's framing: Net revenues for 192 franchisees operating 2+ years (2023): avg $1.11M, median $656K. 30% … 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
LAWN DOCTOR franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a LAWN DOCTOR franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $133,475–$149,027, including a $122,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do LAWN DOCTOR franchise owners make?
- Net revenues for 192 franchisees operating 2+ years (2023): avg $1.11M, median $656K. 30% met/exceeded average. Gross profit margins avg 83.7% (2022, 83 franchisees). No operating expense/net income data. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the LAWN DOCTOR franchise fees?
- LAWN DOCTOR's FDD discloses a $122,000 initial franchise fee, a 10% royalty on gross sales, a 5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 15% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 10% net revenues; local advertising $30K or 10% net revenues annually; technology fee $150-$250/month; call center $750/month post-year 1.
- What is the LAWN DOCTOR franchise profit margin?
- LAWN DOCTOR does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Net revenues for 192 franchisees operating 2+ years (2023): avg $1.11M, median $656K. 30% met/exceeded average. Gross profit margins avg 83.7% (2022, 83 franchisees). No operating expense/net income data. Recurring fees alone take about 15% 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 LAWN DOCTOR franchise failure rate?
- 2023: 9 terminations, 22 transfers of 630 outlets. Minimal exit activity.
- How many LAWN DOCTOR locations are there?
- LAWN DOCTOR's FDD reports 630 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 22 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does LAWN DOCTOR have complaints or lawsuits?
- LAWN DOCTOR discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a LAWN DOCTOR franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. LAWN DOCTOR scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 15% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare LAWN DOCTOR to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 31481-202404-03 (Clean FDD 2024). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with LAWN DOCTOR or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.