Jani-King franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Jani-King franchise takes $12,955 – $218,100 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $10,000 – $195,500. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 10% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2%. To qualify, Jani-King asks for $25,000 in liquid cash. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Jani-King franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $10,000 | $195,500 | $10,000 to $195,500 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $12,955 | $218,100 | $12,955 to $218,100 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $12,955 | $218,100 | $12,955 to $218,100 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Jani-King's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 10% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Jani-King cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Jani-King's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Jani-King's disclosed cost sits against the Home Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $12,955 — about 89% below the Home Services median of $116,350.
- Initial franchise fee of $10,000 — about 82% below the Home Services median of $54,450.
Category medians are computed from the Home Services brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Home Services franchises
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How Jani-King's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 8,948 units; 2,994 units opened, 5,439 closed, ending at 4,980 units. (partial records: 2017, 2018 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Jani-King or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Jani-King for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Jani-King is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Jani-King grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Jani-King can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Jani-King franchise
Jani-King is a home services franchisor with 4,980 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 8,948 units; its filings record 2,994 unit openings and 5,439 closures, ending at 4,980 units (partial records: 2017, 2018 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). The filings indicate financing options are available; terms come from the franchisor, not from us.
Disclosure filings report 19 franchise-related lawsuits. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
This Franchise Disclosure Document is for the sale of a Jani-King franchise. The franchisee will providecomprehensive cleaning and maintenance related services, including commercial, industrial, and institutionalcleaning and/or maintenance services and the distribution of related supplies and equipment, under the name "JANI-KING" in the Green Bay area, consisting of the Wisconsin counties of Adams, Brown, Calumet, Door, Green Lake, Juneau, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marquette, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood
Jani-King franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Jani-King franchise cost?
- $12,955 – $218,100 all-in to open, per Jani-King's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Jani-King units are there?
- 4,980 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Jani-King's units held up?
- 100% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).