Junk Removal Franchise Cost: What It Takes to Buy In (2026)

The cost of a junk removal franchise usually breaks down into a mid-five-figure franchise fee plus a total initial investment in the low-to-mid six figures, and the final number depends on how many trucks you launch with, your local buildout, your working capital, and whether you run junk removal on its own or pair it with a second service. For a College Hunks Hauling Junk® franchise, the total initial investment runs from $158,100 for a junk-only territory to $355,500 for the combined junk-and-moving model, on a franchise fee of $55,000 to $75,000. Here is what sits inside that number, and what your investment is actually buying.

How much does a junk removal franchise cost?

A junk removal franchise costs far more than its franchise fee alone. The fee buys the license, the training, and the system, but the total initial investment also covers your trucks, your equipment, your local setup, and the working capital to reach steady bookings. Five components drive the number:

• The franchise fee: your entry into the brand, the training, and the operating system.
• Trucks and equipment: usually the single largest variable, and it scales with how many trucks you open with.
• Location and buildout: a small operational base, signage, and local licensing.
• Working capital: payroll, fuel, insurance, and marketing until the schedule fills.
• Ongoing fees: royalty, brand, and technology fees paid as a percentage of sales once you are running.

In most cases the franchise fee is a minority of the total. The trucks and the working capital do the heavy lifting, which is also why many buyers finance part of the investment through an SBA-backed loan rather than paying all of it in cash. That is the honest way to size up any junk removal franchise cost before you fall for a low headline fee.

Two junk removal franchises can carry very different price tags depending on how those five lines are structured, which is why comparing only the franchise fee will mislead you. The right comparison is the total initial investment and the ongoing percentage of sales, side by side.

Where does College Hunks Hauling Junk® land on cost?

A College Hunks Hauling Junk® territory carries a franchise fee of $55,000 for a single service and $75,000 for the combined junk-and-moving model, with a total initial investment between $158,100 and $355,500 depending on which model you open. The net worth requirement is $200,000, and qualified veterans with 51% or greater ownership receive a $7,500 discount on the franchise fee. Here is the full picture:

The royalty is 7% of gross sales inside your designated territory. For the complete line-item detail behind these ranges, see the full investment breakdown.

How does the cost compare to other junk removal franchises?

Published Item 7 ranges across the four best-known junk removal brands run from roughly $30,000 to $294,000, and College Hunks Hauling Junk® sits at $158,100 to $252,000 for the junk removal concept on its own. The table below uses the junk-only figure for College Hunks so it compares like with like, because the other three brands do not offer a second concept.

Read the table with three caveats, because a straight left-to-right comparison will mislead you. The figures come from different FDD years, so they are not priced to the same moment. Territory size is not standardised: the 1-800-GOT-JUNK? range assumes a franchisee takes 8 to 12 subterritories, and the Junk King range moves with the population you buy, so a wider range often reflects a bigger territory rather than a more expensive business. And a brand’s eligibility rules matter as much as its price, since JDog awards franchises to veterans and veteran family members, which decides the question before cost does.

Treat every number above as a pointer, not a quote. For how those figures get built in any category, not just this one, see how much it costs to buy a franchise. Third-party summaries lag the documents they describe, and the only figure you should build a decision on is the one in the brand’s current Franchise Disclosure Document, which any franchisor will give you on request. When you compare, line up Item 7 for the investment, Item 5 for the fee, and Item 6 for what you owe every month after that.

How does the two-in-one model change the cost?

The two-in-one model changes the math because one franchise fee opens two revenue streams instead of one. A College Hunks Hauling Junk® franchise includes both junk removal and College Hunks Moving® under a single fee and a single technology stack, so you are not buying into one service and then paying again to bolt on another. That structure spreads your fixed costs, the trucks, the crew, and the marketing, across two kinds of demand: people call when they are moving up and expanding, and they call when they are downsizing and clearing out.

Part of what your investment buys is support that would cost real money to build on your own. Every owner works with a National Sales & Loyalty Center that books jobs for them, plus a dedicated Marketing Coach and a Franchise Business Coach. That is the difference between buying a truck and a logo and buying a system. See how the franchise model works and what makes College HUNKS different.

Is a junk removal franchise worth the investment?

Whether the investment pays off depends on the owner, the market, and how the business is run, and no franchise can promise a result. What the disclosure document can show is what existing locations have actually done. Across the College Hunks Hauling Junk® system, the 144 franchised locations that reported for 2025 posted an average gross revenue of $1,554,610. That figure is gross revenue, not profit, and results vary widely by tenure and by market. For the fuller earnings picture and the tenure breakdown behind it, see the Item 19 revenue picture.

The honest way to read a cost like this is as the price of a platform, not a purchase. You are funding trucks, a launch, and the working capital to reach steady demand, and you are buying into a booking engine and a coaching structure built to get you there faster than going it alone.

Talk through the numbers with the team

If you are weighing whether a College Hunks Hauling Junk® franchise fits your goals and your budget, talk to our Franchise Development team and see if your market is still open. We read every inquiry, and there is no pressure, just straight answers about what the investment looks like in your market.

Financial information shared in this content is drawn from Item 19 of the 2026 CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C. Franchise Disclosure Document (Issuance Date: April 30, 2026). See Item 19 for material assumptions, the underlying data set, and full required disclosures. Past performance does not guarantee future results. New franchisees may earn less.

This information is not an offer to sell or solicitation to buy a franchise. A franchise offering can only be made through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document. Certain states regulate the offer and sale of franchises; if you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your state.

College Hunks Hauling Junk®, College Hunks Moving®, and the H.U.N.K.S logo are registered trademarks of CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C. © 2026 CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Related reading

• What a College HUNKS franchise costs specifically.
• The best junk removal franchises to own in 2026, compared honestly.
• Franchise requirements, so you know whether the numbers even apply to you.
• Converting an existing junk business if you already run one.
• College Hunks vs 1-800-GOT-JUNK, the two brands compared on investment, fees and territory.
• How to start a junk removal business, the independent route step by step, including licensing and what new owners underestimate.
• Is a junk removal business profitable?, where the margin actually comes from and what quietly eats it.