How Much Does a Five Star Painting Franchise Cost?

The 2026 Five Star Painting Franchise Disclosure Document estimates $82,200 to $194,600 to begin operating one U.S. franchise territory. That is the disclosed startup range for the Five Star Painting service model, not the amount of cash the franchisor says every buyer must hold and not merely the Initial Franchise Fee.

The 2026 startup table combines contract payments, transportation, field and office equipment, insurance, launch marketing, training-related travel, local permits, professional advice and six months of Additional Funds. The official total is a range because the model can begin from a home or existing business premises, an existing qualified vehicle can be wrapped instead of replaced, and a converting painting business may already own equipment and supplies.

Payments tied to the agreement and operating setup

Insurance, launch activity and operating reserves

Source for the complete table: 2026 FDD, Item 7, pp. 28–32. The official total row remains controlling even where individual real-estate notes are difficult to reconcile arithmetically.

Five Star Painting can operate from a qualifying home, an existing business premises or a small rented facility, but the vehicle, equipment and service-area choices remain substantial. The disclosure does not publish separate totals for a new operator and an existing painting-company conversion; it explains which line items can fall toward the low end when usable assets already exist.

The official Five Star Painting franchise model page describes the service model and use of subcontractor relationships, while the 2026 FDD Item 7 notes establish the actual cost assumptions. Required and approved products, software, vehicles, insurance and marketing materials are governed by Item 8 and the operating standards; the official support and vendor-program page describes the broader Software System, training and ProTradeNet context without replacing the FDD amounts.

The largest franchisor payment is due at contract signing, while the third-party asset and operating costs are paid before opening or as incurred. The sequence below tracks the disclosed payment events; it is not a prediction of the time needed to open.

The franchisor’s official evaluation and opening sequence gives process context, but the payment obligations and deadlines come from the Franchise Agreement and current FDD.

Standard Five Star Painting franchisees pay a 6% License Fee and a 2% MAP Fee on monthly Gross Sales, plus required software, call-center and local-marketing costs. The License Fee is subject to a Minimum License Fee: $0 for the initial 12 months and $18,000 per calendar year thereafter, with the annual reconciliation described in Item 6.

Sources: 2026 FDD, Item 6, pp. 18–28, and Item 7, p. 31. All percentage fees retain the Gross Sales basis defined in the disclosure.

Yes. The $45,000 Minimum Initial Franchise Fee applies to the standard territory structure, but additional population raises the fee and approved programs may reduce it. These adjustments affect the Initial Franchise Fee only; they do not automatically reduce the vehicle, insurance, marketing, software, Call Center Program or Additional Funds obligations.

Source for territory pricing and discount programs: 2026 FDD, Item 5, pp. 15–18.

No. The $50,000 liquid-capital figure is a financial qualification displayed by the official franchise site, while $82,200–$194,600 is the disclosure’s Estimated Initial Investment and $6,200–$10,600 is the Additional Funds line already included in Item 7. These figures answer different questions and should not be added together automatically.

What financing does Item 10 actually disclose?

Five Star Painting SPV LLC has no obligation to finance a buyer, but it may finance part of the Initial Franchise Fee for a qualified applicant. Standard financing can be up to 70% of the Initial Franchise Fee and, in the franchisor’s discretion, up to 80% for applicants meeting additional requirements, subject to an overall limit tied to the buyer’s total equity, debt and other financial support.

Third-party funding is not guaranteed. The U.S. Small Business Administration loan-program page explains government-guaranteed loan structures, but an SBA program and any lender still apply separate eligibility and underwriting standards. Source for franchisor financing terms: 2026 FDD, Item 10, pp. 39–41.

Item 6 includes charges that are not part of every buyer’s initial investment but can become material during ownership, transfer, renewal, audit or default. Their trigger matters as much as the amount.

Sources: 2026 FDD, Item 6, pp. 20–26, and Item 17, pp. 60–61.

The range is a disclosure estimate, not a territory-specific cash budget. The 2026 disclosure names several items that can exceed, continue beyond or sit outside the official total.

The Federal Trade Commission’s franchise buying guide explains why Items 5–7 should be read together and why buyers should separately investigate costs that the FDD cannot localize. It also explains the federal 14-calendar-day disclosure period before a buyer signs a binding agreement or pays the franchisor or an affiliate.

The verified 2026 starting range is $82,200–$194,600 for one Five Star Painting territory, before additional service-area charges and real estate costs. The Minimum Initial Franchise Fee is $45,000, but the largest range drivers are launch marketing and the vehicle decision. The official $50,000 liquid-capital threshold is a qualification, not the full startup budget, while the $6,200–$10,600 Additional Funds line is already included and covers only six months of specified business expenses.

After opening, the standard fee structure begins with a 6% License Fee and 2% MAP Fee on Gross Sales, required local marketing, monthly Software System fees and Call Center Services Fees. The cost question that most needs a buyer-specific answer is how the service-area map, premises choice, year-one marketing schedule and financing terms combine into the actual signing-to-six-month cash plan.