SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MARYLAND
Lawn Doctor franchise in Maryland: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Lawn Doctor in Maryland have taken 6 SBA loans since 1991 (average $274,666)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 10.5% is the better guide.
Loans in MD
6
Resolved
5
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
10.5%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MD. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
2,021
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
32.3
national 26.7
Versus the country
+21%
denser
Every business in Lawn Doctor's industry operating in Maryland — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in MD | Local charge-off | Units in MD |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVPRO (UNIT) | 11 | thin | 44 |
| MOLLY MAID | 6 | thin | 14 |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Lawn Doctor compares to the systems a buyer in Maryland would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Lawn Doctor's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →