Augusta Lawn Care Franchise: Cost, Revenue, and Diligence (FDD 2026)
A diligence review of the Augusta Lawn Care franchise from the 2026 FDD: investment range, number of units reporting, the consolidated Item 19, growth and terminations, the flat-fee royalty, and year-over-year FDD changes.
Augusta Lawn Care is a lawn and landscape services franchise based in Bellingham, Washington, franchising since June 2019. The 2026 FDD reports 196 franchised outlets and 1 affiliate-owned outlet at year-end 2025 (162 franchised at year-start), with 52 openings and 18 terminations in 2025. Item 19 covers 115 outlets that operated all year (only 71% of starting year outlets): average $456,973, median $353,001, range $49,089 to $3,110,874.
Augusta Lawn Care | Home Services | latest FDD 2026 | 197 outlets | franchising 7 years
Reviewer Highlights
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About the franchisor
Augusta Lawn Care is operated by Augusta Franchise LLC, a Washington LLC formed June 6, 2019 and based at 4152 Meridian Road, Bellingham, Washington (the principal address moved from Blaine in the 2025 FDD). The brand sells exterior property maintenance: lawn mowing, fertilization, leaf and debris cleanup, tree trimming, snow plowing, gutter cleaning, pressure washing, and related services.
An affiliate, Augusta Lawn Care Corporation, has operated the original business in the Bellingham area since March 2014. As of the 2026 FDD, the franchisor sits under parent Mike Hold Corporation (formed December 12, 2024) alongside affiliates Augusta Lawn Care IP, LLC (the IP holder), CoPilot Software LLC d/b/a Homeworks (the recommended CRM, rebranded from Copilot), and Mike Andes Media Group LLC (the recommended media provider), all principal-owned by founder Mike Andes.
Mike Andes has served as Managing Member of Augusta Franchise LLC since formation in June 2019, and is also founder and CEO of the four affiliated entities under Mike Hold Corporation. Lee Park has served as Franchise Consultant since October 2021. The Item 2 disclosure remains a two-officer roster; broader senior leadership is not separately listed.
Growth and system health
The franchised system grew from 99 outlets at start of 2023 to 134, 162, and 196 at year-end 2023, 2024, and 2025 (per Item 20 Table 3). Annual flows were 43 opened / 8 terminated (2023), 49 / 21 (2024), and 52 / 18 (2025). Terminations stepped up from 8-9 in 2022-2023 to 21 in 2024 and 18 in 2025; the 2025 termination rate against the 162 outlets open at year-start is 11.1%.
For a full 5 year churn cohort review, review the company profile on Franchise Signal.
| Year | Opened | Terminations | Non-renewals | Reacquired | Ceased | Outlets (end) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 |
| 2022 | 44 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 98 |
| 2023 | 43 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 134 |
| 2024 | 49 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162 |
| 2025 | 52 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 196 |
Item 20 reports 2 transfers in 2023 (Idaho, Texas), 3 in 2024 (Georgia, Idaho, Tennessee), and 3 in 2025 (Idaho, Virginia, Washington).
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The remaining affiliate-owned outlet is the original Augusta Lawn Care Corporation business in the Bellingham area, operating since March 2014. Company-and-affiliate-owned outlets fell from 8 (end of 2022) to 1 (end of 2025), so there is no longer a comparable book of company stores to benchmark franchisee unit economics against.
What it costs to get in
The 2026 FDD puts the total initial investment at $60,500 to $160,000 for a single territory, covering three months of operating expenses. The largest line is the Initial Franchise Fee, now a flat $35,000 (the 2025 FDD's $24,000 to $35,000 range was removed). The next-largest lines are Vehicle Expense ($0 to $50,000), Grand Opening Advertising ($10,000 to $30,000), Additional Funds ($10,000 to $20,000), and Equipment ($1,000 to $10,000). A physical office is not required. Across three filings, the low end has moved from $12,999 (2024 FDD) to $49,500 (2025) to $60,500 (2026); the high from $82,500 to $150,000 to $160,000. The 'Opening Inventory and Supplies' line ($1,000 to $5,000) was removed in 2026.
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $6,999 to $25,000 | $24,000 to $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Pre-Opening Travel and Living Expenses | $0 to $1,500 | $1,500 to $3,000 | $1,000 to $4,000 |
| Vehicle Expense | $0 to $10,000 | $0 to $40,000 | $0 to $50,000 |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $1,000 to $5,000 | $1,000 to $5,000 | - |
| Business Permits and Licenses | $300 to $500 | $300 to $500 | $250 to $500 |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $0 to $20,000 | $10,000 to $30,000 | $10,000 to $30,000 |
| Computer, Software, and Point-of-Sale | $0 to $1,000 | $500 to $1,000 | $500 to $1,000 |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums (3 months) | $200 to $1,000 | $200 to $1,000 | $250 to $1,000 |
| Equipment and Other Supplies | $0 to $5,000 | $0 to $5,000 | $1,000 to $10,000 |
| Car Signage | $1,500 to $2,000 | $2,000 to $8,000 | $2,500 to $6,000 |
| Professional Fees | $0 to $1,500 | $0 to $1,500 | $0 to $2,500 |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $3,000 to $7,000 | $10,000 to $20,000 | $10,000 to $20,000 |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Decor | $0 to $3,000 | - | - |
| TOTAL | $12,999 to $82,500 | $49,500 to $150,000 | $60,500 to $160,000 |
Ongoing fees
Royalty is a flat monthly fee, unchanged from the 2025 FDD: $600 in year 1, $1,600 from year 2 onward, not a percentage of revenue. At $19,200 per year from year 2, that equates to roughly 5.4% of the 2025 median revenue, 4.2% of the average, 14.5% of the bottom-decile average, and 1.2% of the top-decile average.
Lower-revenue franchisees carry a higher effective rate than higher-revenue ones. Command Center per-minute charges rose to $1.45 / $0.94, the Homeworks CRM range moved to $219 to $499 per month (capped at 20% annual increases), and training is now subject to a 20% per year increase. There is no separately disclosed percentage-based Brand Fund or Ad Fund.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35k |
| Continuing Service Royalty | $600 per month in year 1; $1,600 per month from year 2 onward. Paid monthly by direct deposit by the 15th of the month. No change from the 2025 FDD. |
| National Franchise Conference Fee | $500 per year, payable annually whether or not the franchisee attends. Includes one ticket. |
| Command Center Fee | $50 per month for the telephone line plus $1.45 per minute for phone calls handled by the franchisor's call center (up from $1.09 per minute in the 2025 FDD), and $0.94 per minute for other modes of communication (up from $0.90). Subject to increase. |
| Homeworks CRM (recommended, formerly Copilot) | $219 to $499 per month, payable to CoPilot Software LLC d/b/a Homeworks. The 2025 FDD range was $279 to $800. The CRM fee will not increase by more than 20% per year. |
| Additional Training or Assistance | $250 per day plus expenses, at the franchisor's location or the franchisee's location. The 2026 FDD adds: 'subject to a 20% per year increase.' Charged for new-hire training, refresher courses, the annual conference, and special assistance. |
| Transfer Fee | $15,000, due before the transfer is completed. No charge if the Franchise Agreement is transferred to an entity the franchisee controls. No change from the 2025 FDD. |
| Audit Cost | Actual costs incurred, due 15 days after billing, if the franchisee fails to provide reports or supporting records, or understates royalty payments or Fund contributions by more than 2%. |
| Interest on overdue amounts | 1.5% per month flat, 15 days after billing. |
| Maintenance and Refurbishing | Actual costs incurred, payable 15 days after billing, if the franchisor undertakes repairs after the franchisee fails to address noticed appearance deficiencies. |
| Insurance reimbursement | Actual costs incurred. If the franchisee fails to obtain required insurance, the franchisor may obtain it and the franchisee must reimburse the cost. |
| Insufficient Funds Fee | $50 per occurrence. |
| Cost of Enforcement | Actual costs incurred, payable upon demand if the franchisor prevails in enforcing the Franchise Agreement. |
| Indemnification | Actual costs incurred. Reimbursement of any liability the franchisor incurs from claims arising out of the franchisee's business operation. |
| Minimum Termination Fee (Item 17) | $5,000 minimum, to account for the franchisor's administrative and legal fees, payable on termination of the Franchise Agreement for any reason. No change from the 2025 FDD. |
Reported financial performance (Item 19)
Item 19 in the 2026 FDD is a single Table 1 covering the 115 franchised outlets that 'operated for the entire calendar year and operated full-time' in 2025. The prior year's separate part-time table (20 outlets) was dropped; the 9 outlets that 'did not operate for the entirety of calendar year' are mentioned but not separately disclosed. For the 115-outlet cohort, 2025 average revenue was $456,973, median $353,001, max $3,110,874, min $49,089, a 63.4x spread.
For the 70 outlets open at least two years prior to 2024, the average was $558,656 (Top 10% averaged $1,570,498, Bottom 10% $132,116). Reporting rates: 115 of 196 year-end (58.7%), 115 of 162 start-of-year (71.0%), 115 of 124 'open and operating' (92.7%). Year over year, average revenue rose 14.0% ($400,782 to $456,973) and median rose 19.4% ($295,623 to $353,001). Revenue is not profit; the FDD does not disclose franchisee cost structure.
Personal risk and the exit
Term is 10 years with one 10-year renewal at a currently disclosed $0 renewal fee, conditioned on good standing, current payments, signing the then-current Franchise Agreement, and a release. Termination by the franchisor requires cause: 30 days to cure most defaults, 5 days for non-payment. On termination for any reason, Item 17 row (i) requires a $5,000 minimum administrative fee; the franchisor also retains its costs and reasonable attorneys' fees under the Cost of Enforcement clause.
There is no separately disclosed accelerated-royalty or percentage-based liquidated-damages formula in Item 17. Transfers require franchisor approval, a $15,000 Transfer Fee, the new franchisee qualifying and signing the then-current Franchise Agreement, training, and a release; the franchisor retains a right of first refusal.
Litigation
Item 3 of the 2026 FDD reads: 'No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.' Item 4 (Bankruptcy) discloses none. The 2025 FDD's Item 3 disclosed the Bilgoray case (S.D.N.Y., Civil Action No. 7:25-cv-00584), a former-franchisee rescission action; Augusta had moved to stay, transfer, or dismiss.
The 2026 FDD does not explain what changed: the matter may have been dismissed, settled, transferred to arbitration, or resolved on jurisdictional grounds, or it may have fallen outside Item 3's disclosure window.
Understand the disclosures
Related FDD items
- Item 1 - The Franchisor and Any Parents, Predecessors, and Affiliates
- Item 2 - Business Experience
- Item 3 - Litigation
- Item 5 - Initial Fees
- Item 6 - Other Fees
- Item 7 - Estimated Initial Investment
- Item 17 - Renewal, Termination, Transfer, and Dispute Resolution
- Item 19 - Financial Performance Representations
- Item 20 - Outlets and Franchisee Information
- Item 21 - Financial Statements
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Questions worth asking
Within the Item 19 115-outlet cohort, 2025 revenue spans $49,089 to $3,110,874 (63x). The flat $1,600 per month royalty is 14.5% of the bottom-decile average and 1.2% of the top-decile average, on top of $10,000 to $30,000 in required Grand Opening Advertising. How does Augusta underwrite the gap between an outlet that lands at $132,000 and one that lands at $1,570,000 in revenue?
Item 3 went from one pending matter (Bilgoray, S.D.N.Y., a former-franchisee rescission action) to 'No litigation' between the 2025 and 2026 FDDs, without an in-FDD explanation. What is the matter's current status (dismissed, settled, moved to arbitration, plaintiff withdrew, or simply outside this filing's disclosure window), and is it disclosed in the Item 21 footnotes as a contingency?
Over the course of five years, the brand has seen 56 terminations (against a starting cohort of just 22 brands. What is the reason for all of the terminations?
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It is important to note that nothing on this site is investment or legal advice. This site does not constitute full diligence in any way. You should reference the FDD(s) of any brand you are looking at. Franchise Signal may make mistakes. If you are actively considering investing in a franchise you should consult with a franchise attorney.
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