How much does a The Grounds Guys franchise cost?
Opening a The Grounds Guys franchise takes a total initial investment of $74,570 to $224,770, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median annual gross sales of $568,201 across 87 outlets.
The Grounds Guys franchises businesses engaged in commercial, residential and municipal property maintenance, landscaping and hardscaping services; snow and ice maintenance services; trash and debris removal; arboriculture services; lawn renovation; turf care services; irrigation maintenance, installation and repair services; landscape lighting; and related services and products. Category: Home Services.
Item 7
What it costs to open a The Grounds Guys franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $74,570 to $224,770. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Vehicle ($7,000 to $82,000), Equipment, Supplies & Inventory ($21,000 to $41,000), and Additional Funds - 3 Mo. ($5,000 to $30,000). Together they make up about 68% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $35,000, about 47% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $35,000 | $35,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Software Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $1,920 | $1,920 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Vehicle2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $7,000 | $82,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Equipment, Supplies & Inventory2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $21,000 | $41,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Insurance2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $1,200 | $3,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Advertising & Promotional and Local Marketing Spending2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $550 | $15,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Training, Travel, Lodging & Food2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $2,700 | $5,850 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Deposits, Permits & Licenses2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $50 | $3,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Professional Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $150 | $2,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Real Estate2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $0 | $6,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Additional Funds - 3 Mo.2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $5,000 | $30,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $74,570 | $224,770 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
Source The Grounds Guys, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 19
What The Grounds Guys franchisees actually report earning
Median Annual Gross Sales
$568,201
The Grounds Guys' 2025 FDD, Item 19, for the calendar year 2024 (the “Reporting Period”). Basis: franchised businesses.
Sample size: 87 outlets. The FDD also reports average annual gross sales of $854,816. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- 31 franchised businesses that opened during the year 2024 and as a result did not report data for at least 9 months of the Reporting Period were excluded.
- 11 franchised businesses that underwent a change of ownership transfer in 2024 and as a result did not report data for at least 9 months of the Reporting Period were excluded.
- 9 franchised businesses that only reported Gross Sales data to us on an aggregated basis for the franchised businesses and therefore we were unable to use such data in this Item 19 were excluded.
- 28 franchised businesses that operated less than 9 months of the year due to the seasonality of their business and as a result did not report Gross Sales data to us for at least 9 months of the Reporting Period were excluded.
- Twenty-eight franchised businesses were excluded from this Item 19 because they closed during the Reporting Period and so they were not in operation for the entire Reporting Period.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new The Grounds Guys outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source The Grounds Guys, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 73, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 20
How many The Grounds Guys outlets there are, and how many closed
The Grounds Guys ended 2024 with 228 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year 31 franchised outlets opened and 28 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, The Grounds Guys opened 107 franchised outlets and 74 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 33, from 195 to 228 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 47 were terminated, 6 were not renewed, and 21 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 12% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 9.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 225 | 31 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 228 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 79 |
| 2023 | 211 | 42 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 225 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 79 |
| 2022 | 195 | 34 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 211 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 79 |
Source The Grounds Guys, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 79, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Compare
How The Grounds Guys compares with other Home Services franchises
Measured against the 105 Home Services franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of The Grounds Guys' estimated range is $149,670. It costs less to open than 64% of Home Services franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 12% for The Grounds Guys. That is higher than 75% of the 82 Home Services franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. The Grounds Guys' franchised system grew 17%. The typical Home Services franchise here grew 5.5%.
- Earnings disclosure. 77 of the 105 Home Services franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. The Grounds Guys is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Home Services franchise side by side.
Alert me when The Grounds Guys files a new FDD
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