SBA Franchise Directory 2026: How to Check a Brand's Eligibility

If you plan to finance a franchise with an SBA loan, check the brand against the current SBA Franchise Directory before relying on a listing from an older guide. The file reviewed here is effective October 9, 2026, checked October 14, 2026. Under current SOP 50 10 8.1, a brand that meets the FTC definition of a franchise must be listed to obtain SBA financing.

Quick answer: Download the SBA Franchise Directory spreadsheet from sba.gov and search the brand’s legal and brand names; if it is listed, lenders can use the Directory in evaluating eligibility (October 9, 2026 file).

Use the official SBA directory page and treat this guide as a dated snapshot to confirm.

What the SBA Franchise Directory is

The SBA directory page explains: “This list is made available for use by Lenders/CDCs in evaluating the eligibility of a small business that operates under an agreement.” It also states: “Placement of a franchise brand in the Directory is not an endorsement or approval of the brand and does not ensure the success of the business.”

The spreadsheet records the brand, SBA franchise identifier code, whether it meets the FTC franchise definition, certification received status, identifier start date, recertified date, notes, and reference number. These are separate fields. A blank recertified date is not the same field as a certification marked N, and neither field by itself explains why an entry has that value.

The 2023-to-2026 history, briefly

The April 10, 2023 final rule, 88 FR 21074, effective May 11, 2023, stated: “Upon the effective date of this rule, SBA will no longer publish the SBA Franchise Directory.” Current SOP 50 10 8.1, in its Affiliation section, also identifies that rule and effective date and explains that it removed control as a basis for affiliation.

SBA Information Notice 5000-866746 announced SOP 50 10 8 in 2025. The current manual is SOP 50 10 8.1, effective October 1, 2026. Its franchise section states: “If the Applicant’s brand meets the FTC definition of a franchise, it must be on the Directory in order to obtain SBA financing.” The October 9, 2026 spreadsheet is the dated directory used in this guide.

How to check a brand, step by step

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1. Open the SBA Franchise Directory page and download the spreadsheet. The October 9, 2026 file is the version checked here.
2. Search the BRAND column for the legal and brand names in your documents. Try punctuation and apostrophe variants; record the term you searched if no entry appears.
3. Read the full matching row: FTC franchise status, certification received, recertified date, and NOTES. Keep blank fields distinct from N entries.
4. Ask the lender to confirm that the brand name and, where applicable, agreement type match what you will operate under. SOP 8.1 requires that match when entering the application into the SBA Loan System.
5. If there is no match, ask the lender whether the agreement meets the FTC franchise definition and ask the franchisor about the directory submission procedure below. A failed name search alone does not establish why a brand is missing.

These checks follow SOP 50 10 8.1, The SBA Franchise Directory and Procedure to Submit Franchise Loan Applications. Confirm against the file available when your lender processes the application.

The June 30, 2026 recertification deadline: what the October 2026 file shows

An SBA Office of Capital Access message reproduced by NAGGL gave June 30, 2026 as the extended recertification deadline. For a brand check now, read what the subsequent file actually contains.

Per the October 9, 2026 file, there are 3,461 brand rows: 2,440 have Franchisor/ Distributor Certification Received? marked Y, 0 are marked N, and 1,021 are blank. 281 rows have a nonblank Recertified Date. These totals were computed from the CSV export by skipping the title and empty row above the column headers, counting each data row once, tallying the certification field, and counting nonblank recertified-date cells. Blank certification cells are not counted as N.

These counts describe fields in one file, not a before-and-after comparison. They do not identify removals or establish why any brand has a blank recertified date or certification marked N.

FranchiseFeast brands in the October 9, 2026 directory

The worked example below covers the 39 brands with cost pages on this site. The bakery, coffee, ghost-kitchen, and pizza cost pages are category guides, so they are not treated as individual brands. Buffalo Wild Wings has two matching directory entries; both appear below. Listed names are the CSV’s BRAND text, with line breaks rendered as spaces. The Charleys Cheesesteaks cost page is matched to “Charleys Philly Steaks,” a name documented on that page.

Searches ignore case and punctuation, including apostrophe variants. A not-found result records the exact search term; it is not a finding that SBA rejected the brand. “Blank” means the date or certification cell is empty; “None” means the NOTES cell is empty. Quoted notes are exact excerpts; “…” marks a cut. Read the complete note in the October 9, 2026 spreadsheet with your lender.

Brand	Listed?	FTC franchise (Y/N)	Certification received	Recertified date	Note
Aroma Joe’s	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search terms: “Aroma Joe” (punctuation ignored)
Blaze Pizza	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Bojangles (listed with Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits and Bojangles’ Express)	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Form of Addendum to Lease may not be executed. 2.Franchisor may not …”
Buffalo Wild Wings GO	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Option to Assume Lease may not be executed.”
Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bar	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Option to Assume Lease may not be executed.”
BurgerFi	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Caribou Coffee	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Charleys Philly Steaks	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Chop Stop	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Chop Stop”
Church’s Texas Chicken	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Sublease documents may not be executed.”
Culver’s	Yes	Y	Y	07/22/2026	“When the Real Estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease Addendum and Collateral Assignment of Lease may not be executed.”
Del Taco	Yes	Y	Y	10/09/2026	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Addendum to Lease, may not be executed.”
Firehouse Subs	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Freshii	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Freshii”
Great American Cookies	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Great American Cookies”
Habit Burger Grill	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Habit Burger Grill”
HTeaO	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease Ridermay not be executed.”
The Human Bean	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Addendum to Lease may not be executed.”
IHOP; IHOP Express	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Addendum to Lease, may not be executed. 2. Franchisor may not enforce …”
Jamba	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Jersey Mike’s Subs; Jersey Mike’s	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease Rider, may not be executed. 2. Franchisor may not enforce a …”
Krispy Kreme	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Krispy Kreme”
Nothing Bundt Cakes	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Collateral Assignment of Lease and Consent and Agreement of Landlord …”
Philly Pretzel Factory	Yes	Y	Y	08/04/2026	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Collateral Assignment of Lease and Consent and Agreement of Lessor …”
PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Playa Bowls	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“Lender/CDC must ensure they secure the appropriate lien position on all collateral in accordance with SOP 50 10”
Pokeworks	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Addendum to Lease may not be executed. 2. Lender/CDC must ensure …”
Qdoba Restaurant Corporation	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Robeks	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Smoothie King	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease Rider may not be executed.”
Tropical Smoothie Cafe	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Addendum to Lease Agreement and Conditional Assignment of Lease may not be executed.”
Whataburger	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Whataburger”
Which Wich	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	None
Wing Snob	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Franchisor’s Rider to Lease may not be executed.”
Wings Etc. Grill & Pub and Wings Etc. 2Go	Yes	Y	Y	09/21/2026	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Addendum to Lease, may not be executed. 2. Franchisor may not enforce …”
Wingstop	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Wingstop”
Your Pie	Not found in the October 9, 2026 file	Not found	Not found	Not found	Search term: “Your Pie”
Zaxby’s	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease Rider may not be executed.”
Ziggi’s Coffee	Yes	Y	Y	Blank	“1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Conditional Assignment of Lease may not be executed. 2. Franchisor …”

Addenda and lease riders: read today’s brand notes

Use the actual NOTES entry for the brand and the current SOP 50 10 8.1 franchise section. Do not turn a certification marked N into a blanket requirement to execute Form 2462. The SOP’s directory section says lenders must consider additional brand-specific issues; the spreadsheet supplies those notes.

For example, the October 9 file prints this note for Smoothie King: “When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease Rider may not be executed.” For Culver’s, it says: “When the Real Estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease Addendum and Collateral Assignment of Lease may not be executed.” These are conditional restrictions on executing the named lease documents when the real estate secures the loan; they are not instructions to attach the same addendum to every franchise loan.

Under “Procedure to Submit Franchise Loan Applications,” SOP 8.1 states: “The SBA Lender must obtain a copy of the executed franchise agreement and any other document the franchisor requires the franchisee to sign.” For 7(a): “For 7(a) loans, the SBA Lender must obtain these documents prior to any disbursement of loan proceeds.”

For 504 loans, the same section states: “For all 504 loans, prior to closing, the CDC must obtain a copy of the executed franchise agreement and any other document the franchisor requires the franchisee to sign. The CDC must submit this documentation to their closing counsel, who will review and certify that the franchise documents are executed properly and comply with the SBA procedures set forth in SOP 50 10 8.1 and the SBA Franchise Directory.”

What a missing listing means, and what to do

For an agreement that meets the FTC definition of a franchise, SOP 8.1 says: “For non-delegated loans, SBA Lenders cannot submit the application to SBA, and for delegated loans, SBA Lenders cannot approve the loan under delegated authority.” That is a financing restriction, not a judgment about the investment. Agreements that do not meet the FTC definition have separate lender-review procedures in the same section; do not treat every unsuccessful search as an automatic rejection.

To add a brand, the SOP requires the franchisor to submit the agreement, FDD if applicable, and all other documents it requires the franchisee to sign for SBA’s eligibility determination. It also allows submission by someone else if the franchisor’s contact information is included. After a favorable review, SBA sends the certification for signature and lists the brand once the properly executed certification is returned. Ask the franchisor and lender to confirm the applicable process.

A listed brand does not make every buyer eligible. Borrowers must meet SBA’s own rules, including Procedural Notice 5000-876626, effective March 1, 2026, for 7(a) and 504 loans: 100 percent ownership by US citizens or US nationals, excluding lawful permanent residents. SBA’s March 9, 2026 announcement also states that owners must have their principal residence in the United States. See our franchise financing guide for immigrants with no US credit history for the distinction between citizenship eligibility and credit history.

Once the lender confirms brand and borrower eligibility, review SBA 7(a) franchise down payment requirements. If you are comparing other funding paths, read the guides to ROBS 401(k) franchise financing, using a HELOC to buy a franchise, and franchise financing with bad credit. Use the FDD reading guide to examine the opportunity beyond its directory status.