This page is part of our home services guide, which covers HVAC, plumbing, pest control, roofing, electrical and landscaping side by side.
Landscaping business value at a glance
Estimate your landscaping business's value
Applies the cited SDE multiple band for your trade, then positions you inside it using recurring revenue, customer concentration, owner dependence, years operating and trend. Educational estimate, not an appraisal.
Educational estimate, not an appraisal or an offer. Ranges come from published closed-sale data and broker/adviser reports cited on each trade page; the adjustment weights are our own documented heuristic (see Editorial policy). Real estate, inventory and working capital are excluded.
Get the full valuation brief (printable)
Your inputs and range, the cited multiples behind it, the buyer type active at your size, three changes that move the multiple, and next steps - on this page, ready to print or save as a PDF.
Published landscaping business multiples by deal size
| Deal size / buyer | Multiple | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Main Street sales, 2021-2025 (sold) | 1.7x-3.01x SDE (median 2.3x); revenue 0.46x-0.88x | BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Landscaping & Yard Service |
| Latest published figures | BizBuySell FY2025 closed landscaping sales: 2.56x average SDE, 0.76x average revenue (211 sales, median price $480,000). | |
| Commercial landscaping platforms (PE exits over the past decade) | 7-15x EBITDA | Livingstone Partners - Commercial landscaping: private equity activity and valuation (2024-11) |
| All industries, Q2 2026 (context) | Under $500K deals: 2.0x SDE; $2M-$5M: 4.0x EBITDA; $5M-$50M: 5.8x EBITDA | IBBA / M&A Source / Pepperdine Market Pulse, Q2 2026 highlights |
What moves the multiple for a landscaping business
Key metric buyers ask for: Maintenance contract revenue vs one-off installs; commercial vs residential; crew retention; equipment age.
Pushes you toward the top of the range
- Recurring maintenance contracts, especially commercial
- A manager and crew leads who run routes without the owner
- Workforce retention and modern equipment
Pushes you toward the bottom
- Install/enhancement-heavy revenue that has to be resold every year
- Thin margins and heavy owner involvement
- Dependence on a seasonal workforce that may not stay
How buyers value a landscaping business
Most landscaping companies sell on SDE to individual buyers and competitors (BizBuySell has more landscaping sales than almost any service category). Commercial maintenance companies with scale attract PE-backed platforms that price on EBITDA; small-company EBITDA multiples are not reliably published.
Rule of thumb on revenue: 0.45-0.9x revenue (BizBuySell sold middle half 0.46-0.88x). Use it only as a sanity check; buyers pay for cash flow they can finance.
Worked example: Oakline Grounds Management (fictional)
Fictional business for illustration. Revenue $1,300,000, SDE $280,000. 65% commercial maintenance contracts, 35% installs, owner bids all installs.
| Position in the cited range | Implied value | Multiple of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| At the low end (1.7x) | $476,000 | 0.37x |
| Midpoint (2.3x) | $644,000 | 0.50x |
| At the high end (3x) | $840,000 | 0.65x |
Who buys a landscaping business at each size
Individual buyers (SBA); local competitors; commercial landscaping platforms (BrightView, Yellowstone and PE-backed regionals). See who is buying landscaping businesses for named acquirers and their sponsors.
| SDE / EBITDA size | Most likely buyer | How they usually pay |
|---|---|---|
| Under ~$300K SDE | Individual buyer (SBA-financed) | SBA or bank loan plus buyer cash; sometimes a seller note |
| ~$300K-$1M SDE | Competitor or regional platform | SBA loan, seller note, or cash from a larger buyer |
| $1M+ EBITDA | Commercial landscaping platform | Mostly cash at close; rollover equity and earn-outs are common |
Thinking about selling your landscaping business?
See the step-by-step sale process, license transfer rules and documents buyers will ask for.
Frequently asked questions
What is a landscaping business worth?
Landscaping and yard-service businesses sold on BizBuySell from 2021-2025 went for a median 2.30x SDE (middle half 1.70-3.01x) and about 0.63x revenue. Median sale price was $425,000 across 945 sold listings.
Are maintenance contracts worth more than installs?
Yes. Maintenance renews; installs must be resold. Buyers pay the most for commercial maintenance with multi-year relationships.
Who buys larger commercial landscapers?
Public BrightView and PE-backed platforms such as Yellowstone Landscape. See who is buying landscaping companies.
Is this an appraisal?
No. It is an educational estimate built from published data. Lenders, courts and the IRS may require a credentialed appraisal; see appraisal vs estimate.
Sources
- BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Landscaping & Yard Service (accessed 2026-09-23)
- BizBuySell - Business valuation multiples by industry (sold Q3 2021-Q2 2026) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- BizBuySell Insight Report data tables (FY2025 closed transactions by industry) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Livingstone Partners - Commercial landscaping: private equity activity and valuation (2024-11) (accessed 2026-09-23)