Evaluate a franchise disclosure document before you sign

  1. Confirm the disclosure date and start the 14-day clock
    15 min

    This step fixes the one date every decision in this review answers to: the moment the FDD legally reached you. Under the FTC Franchise Rule (16 CFR Part 436), the franchisor must give you the document at least 14 calendar days before the earlier of you signing a binding agreement or paying anything toward the franchise. The trap: the clock starts on receipt — not on the day you open it, not on the day you sign.

    1. Find the delivery record: the email’s arrival timestamp in your inbox (not the sender’s sent time), the courier or certified-mail record, or a signed delivery confirmation.
    2. Save the evidence in one folder — the original email and a copy of the FDD receipt page (Item 23) — and note the exact date and time.
    3. Add 14 calendar days to that moment. That date and time is the earliest you may sign or pay; put it on your calendar with a reminder two days earlier.
    4. Email the franchisor’s development contact confirming receipt in writing: name the date and time the FDD arrived and state that you will respond within the window. Keep the sent copy with the FDD.