How does the KOA franchise opening process work?
KOA discloses a path-specific estimate, not one universal timeline: a few days to 6 months when buying an existing KOA, 1 to 12 months when converting an independent campground, and 12 to 48 months for new construction. Each route still requires KOA approval, the correct agreement package, property work, required systems, and path-specific opening clearance.
Data basis: Kampgrounds of America, Inc., April 29, 2026 U.S. Franchise Disclosure Document; purchase, conversion, and new-construction paths; Timeline Mode A because Item 11 states complete estimates from Franchise Agreement signing to opening. Sources reviewed include Items 1, 5–12, 15–17 and 20, Franchise Agreement Form X-26, the Conversion Addendum, and the New Construction Addendum. Public information was checked July 14, 2026.
The 2026 FDD and signed agreements control contractual requirements. KOA’s public pages are supplemental; where a web checklist, fee description, or training duration differs, the current FDD governs.
Before a binding franchise agreement or franchisor payment.
Measured from submission of the proposed site to KOA.
Generally held in person in Billings, Montana.
Trigger varies by purchase, conversion, or new build.
No earlier than estimated opening without written approval.
Which KOA opening path and agreement package apply?
KOA offers three routes. Journey, Holiday, and Resort are approved brand positions, not substitutes for the purchase, conversion, or new-construction path.
Acquire an operating KOA campground
The buyer completes KOA approval, the property acquisition, a Franchise Agreement and the transfer transition. On written request, KOA will provide the most recent quality-assurance report and property-improvement documentation for the campground.
2026 FDD Items 7 and 11; Franchise Agreement.
Convert an independent campground
The governing package is the Franchise Agreement plus the Conversion Addendum and its Site Report/Branding Plan. The negotiated plan identifies physical changes, brand position, installation work, and the required completion date.
2026 FDD Exhibit A-15.
Develop and construct a new KOA
The Franchise Agreement is supplemented by the New Construction Addendum. KOA must approve the location and application, evaluate the site, prepare the scale development plan, approve construction documents, and certify standards before public opening.
2026 FDD Item 11 and Exhibit A-16.
One Franchise Agreement authorizes one KOA campground in the territory described in that agreement. A second campground requires a separate application, initial fee, and Franchise Agreement; the 2026 FDD does not disclose an area-development agreement.
What must a KOA applicant qualify for before signing?
KOA retains approval discretion, and satisfying a published guideline does not guarantee an award. The FDD requires the franchisee to be an approved corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or other approved entity; KOA does not authorize an individual or informal group as the franchisee.
The reviewed FDD does not state a universal minimum credit score, education requirement, campground-industry experience threshold, or numeric net-worth/liquidity minimum for the conversion or existing-KOA purchase paths. Buyers should ask KOA to identify any current screening criteria applied to their specific ownership group and path.
Official supplemental source: KOA new-construction guidelines. Contractual sources: 2026 FDD Items 7 and 15; Franchise Agreement §3.
What happens from inquiry through opening?
The sequence below separates applicant actions, KOA approvals, and third-party dependencies. Some design, financing, permitting, hiring, and training work can overlap, so the roadmap is not an additive duration calculation.
Select the ownership path
Complete qualification and entity review
Receive and review the FDD
Obtain site and property approval
Sign the correct agreements
Control the property and complete physical work
Install the operating platform
Schedule and complete KOA-U
Pass path-specific opening clearance
Sequence derived from 2026 FDD Items 5–12 and 15–17, Franchise Agreement Form X-26, Conversion Addendum §§1–5, and New Construction Addendum §§2–7.
How long can each KOA opening route take?
These are KOA’s path-specific estimates from Franchise Agreement signing to opening, not promises or deadlines.
Horizontal ranges use months; “a few days” is shown at the origin without converting it into a false numeric minimum.
Source: 2026 KOA FDD, Item 11, “Time to Open,” pp. 21–22. Evidence class: official total timeline estimate.
Who controls the critical opening dependencies?
KOA assistance does not replace the franchisee’s property, financing, construction, employment, or legal-compliance responsibilities. Third-party approvals can delay a project even after KOA has approved the applicant or site.
Applicant or franchisee
Kampgrounds of America, Inc.
Third parties
KOA site approval allows the transaction to advance. It does not itself create territory protection, approve a lease, confirm local permits, approve construction changes, certify completed facilities, or authorize public opening.
Which KOA opening deadlines can change the deal?
New-construction dates are inserted into the addendum
The franchisee must start construction and complete construction/open by the specified dates, after obtaining KOA’s written plan approval. Missing those dates may permit termination and retention of amounts paid.
New Construction Addendum §3.
Only one discretionary new-build extension is described
KOA may grant one written extension, for a period KOA determines, after payment of the $5,000 extension fee. The extension is not a right, cannot be extended again, and failure to open by its end leads to termination.
New Construction Addendum §7.
Conversion deadlines sit in the Site Report/Branding Plan
The form addendum leaves project-specific dates to Schedule 1. The buyer must verify every required modification, brand-position condition, opening date, and completion evidence before signing.
Conversion Addendum §§1–3 and Schedule 1.
Conversion data and processor approvals can block readiness
A franchisee choosing the customer-database exclusion must submit its one permitted file during KampSight/K2 training or at least 14 days before opening. A required merchant account must be approved before opening.
Conversion Addendum §§3 and 5.
At least one owner must complete KOA-U to KOA’s satisfaction within one year after purchase or conversion, or within one year after a new-build campground opens. Failure is a breach that may allow KOA to terminate and retain amounts paid.
What must be verified before the campground opens as a KOA?
The exact checklist depends on the approved brand position and the KOA Quality Assurance & Policy Manual. The following items are disclosed opening dependencies rather than a universal local-permit list.
New construction has the clearest final gate: the campground may not open to the public until KOA certifies that it meets then-current standards and other requirements. Conversion requires completion of the Site Report/Branding Plan and operating setup. An existing-KOA acquisition must complete the approved transfer, property closing, required improvements, and systems transition.
What should a prospective KOA franchisee confirm before committing?
The FTC rule requires delivery of the disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before a prospective franchisee signs a binding agreement with, or pays, the franchisor or an affiliate. The count begins the day after delivery; this federal review period should not be treated as the date on which KOA must approve the applicant, site, financing, or opening.
What is the verified KOA opening decision?
The verified path is application and entity approval, FDD review, site or property approval, execution of the path-specific agreement package, physical and operating-system completion, and KOA’s applicable readiness verification. The total timeline is official but path-specific: a few days–6 months for an existing KOA, 1–12 months for conversion, and 12–48 months for new construction.
The most important applicant-controlled dependency is securing a viable property and completing permits, financing, approved work, systems, staffing, and documentation on time. The most important franchisor or third-party dependency is KOA’s site/plan/certification review together with government, lender, seller, utility, contractor, insurer, and processor decisions. Before signing, verify the inserted opening date, extension language, Site Report obligations, and the exact evidence KOA will accept for final clearance.