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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Roto-Rooter Franchise

Roto-Rooter is North America’s largest provider of plumbing repair, sewer and drain cleaning, and water damage cleanup services. Founded as a company in 1935, it was built around the Roto-Rooter Machine, the first electric sewer-cleaning machine, which cleared roots and clogs from underground pipes without digging. The brand is widely regarded as the creator of the modern drain-cleaning industry.

It serves homeowners, businesses and municipalities, with roughly two-thirds of work coming from residential customers and one-third from commercial accounts. The network spans more than 600 locations across the United States and Canada, reaching nearly every community of at least 20,000 people, plus international master franchises in Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Roto-Rooter is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chemed Corporation, a Cincinnati-based company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The system pairs company-owned operations with independent franchisees who hold exclusive territorial rights, giving owners a recognised national brand, proprietary equipment and established operating systems.

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Why buy a Roto-Rooter Franchise?

Roto-Rooter is one of the most recognised names in plumbing and drain services, with brand awareness few independent operators or regional competitors can match. For a buyer, that recognition translates into inbound demand: customers search for the name when they have an urgent plumbing or drainage problem, which supports lead flow that is hard to build from scratch.

The work itself is largely non-discretionary. Blocked drains, burst pipes and water damage are emergencies that homeowners and businesses cannot defer, which gives the model resilience across economic cycles. Franchisees operate with exclusive territorial rights and benefit from proprietary equipment, national marketing and the operating systems of a near-century-old brand backed by a publicly listed parent.

Roto-Rooter Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1935

    • Franchising Since

      1935

    • New Startup Cost

      $123,110 – $281,550

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $25,000 - $75,000

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      1.5%

      of sale price; min $1,000, max $7,500

    • Royalty Fee

      $280 – $36,000+

      per month based on population formula

    • Marketing Fee

      $0.11

      per customer in campaign

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      448

    • New Units Opened *

      0

    • Units Transferred *

      6

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      Not Disclosed

    * Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

Roto-Rooter – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Roto-Rooter backs franchisees with a 12-week paid training program combining classroom instruction and on-the-job work, followed by ongoing professional and technical training as service methods and equipment evolve. Owners receive marketing and operational support, access to proprietary plumbing and drain-cleaning equipment, and the systems of an established national network. Buyers of an existing Roto-Rooter unit should confirm what transfer training and technician onboarding the franchisor provides when ownership changes, and the certification status of the staff they inherit.

  2. Ideal Owner

    Roto-Rooter suits hands-on operators who can run a field-service business rather than work in the trade themselves. Prior plumbing experience helps but is not essential, as training covers the technical side; the day-to-day demands recruiting and retaining technicians, scheduling emergency call-outs, controlling job quality and building commercial accounts. Owners need to be responsive, process-driven and comfortable leading a team in a business where speed and reliability win repeat work and referrals.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Roto-Rooter is the largest and best-known plumbing repair and drain-cleaning company in the U.S. and Canada, and is widely credited with creating the industry through the 1933 invention of the first electric sewer-cleaning machine. It is the only plumbing and drain service with a genuinely national footprint, serving nearly every sizeable US community, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Chemed Corporation, a publicly listed company. For resale buyers, this national recognition should be weighed alongside the specific territory's local reviews, referral sources and reputation.

  4. Industry / Market

    Roto-Rooter operates in the US plumbing services market, which IBISWorld valued at roughly $190 billion in 2025. Demand is largely non-discretionary: drain blockages, pipe failures and water damage require prompt professional attention regardless of the wider economy, giving the category strong recession resistance. Aging housing stock and plumbing infrastructure across North America sustain steady repair work, while emergency and water-cleanup jobs command premium pricing. For resale buyers, local demand depends on territory density, housing age and commercial relationships in the area.

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