SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026
Lawn Doctor Franchise Failure Rate: 4.2% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 24 Lawn Doctor SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Landscaping Services average of 7.0%.
Between 2010 and 2019, 24 Lawn Doctor franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 4.2% charge-off rate, 0.6x the Landscaping Services average of 7.0%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
What is the Lawn Doctor franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Lawn Doctor is a Landscaping Services franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Lawn Doctor franchisees: 24 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 1 was charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201924
- Charged off1
- Charge-off rate4.2%
- Landscaping Services franchise benchmark7.0%
- Brand vs industry0.6x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$154,900
- New SBA loans since 202042
- Early charge-offs since 20201
How does Lawn Doctor compare with other Landscaping Services franchises?
The table sets Lawn Doctor's charge-off rate beside its Landscaping Services peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | Lawn Doctor | Landscaping Services | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 4.2% | 7.0% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 24 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 1 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $154,900 | — | — | — |
What has Lawn Doctor SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Lawn Doctor franchisees have taken 42 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 7 | 1 | 14.3% |
| FY2019 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 11 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 11 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 4 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 4 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 9 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 3 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Lawn Doctor's figure rests on 24 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 24 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 4.2 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Lawn Doctor figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 24 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Frequently asked
- What is Lawn Doctor's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
- Between 2010 and 2019, 24 Lawn Doctor franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 4.2% charge-off rate, 0.6x the Landscaping Services average of 7.0%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
- Is Lawn Doctor a safe franchise investment?
- Between 2010–2019, Lawn Doctor franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 4.2% versus a 7.0% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Lawn Doctor franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 4.2% (1 of 24 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/lawn-doctor/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)