Worked Example: SBA 7(a) Flex-Serve Car Wash Feasibility Study in Texas
A worked example of the feasibility study a lender would read for a car wash project in Texas, financed with an SBA 7(a) loan.
Car Wash Feasibility Study in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
What SBA's own loan files show about car wash lending in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area, and what a feasibility study for a project there has to test.
Dallas: car wash
SBA records 192 car wash loans for Dallas, with $474.5 million approved from FY2017 to FY2026. Dallas holds spot 2 of 458 among metro areas on 192 loans; in Dallas, the class holds 12 of 39. Dallas: the 2.09x quotient shows a far heavier concentration. The $2.4 million median sets Dallas apart from both parents.
$2.4 million in Dallas, well above the national median (2.57x), is its median; Dallas's middle half spans $1.3 million to $3.8 million. Program choice in Dallas: 168 used 7(a), 24 used 504. Dallas franchise share: withheld, not zero.
Dallas's 7(a) table, 42 loans held by Metro City Bank, $143.9 million; 25 held by Celtic Bank Corporation, $73.0 million; 12 held by Commonwealth Business Bank, $30.9 million; 5 held by Bank of Hope, $11.0 million; 5 held by Open Bank, $8.7 million. Dallas's 504 table, 8 loans held by Capital Certified Development Corporation, $12.6 million. Dallas leaves holders under 5 loans unnamed. Dallas counties, of 192 loans: Tarrant County, TX 63; Dallas County, TX 47; Collin County, TX 33; Denton County, TX 22; Rockwall County, TX 8; Ellis County, TX 7; Hunt County, TX 6.
Outcome floors in Dallas and approvals
9.8% or more of Dallas approvals were cancelled by FY2024. Dallas's undisbursed-loan ceiling is withheld. Dallas charge-off floor: withheld, not zero. Dallas: the cohort is too small. Dallas open loans may raise floors. Dallas, moving from 26 loans and $40.4 million in FY2017, ended on 8 loans and $16.7 million in FY2026; the peak was 31 loans and $77.0 million in FY2018, the trough 8 in FY2026. Loans by year in Dallas: FY2017 26, FY2018 31, FY2019 27, FY2020 17, FY2021 31, FY2022 12, FY2023 9, FY2024 11, FY2025 20, FY2026 8. Dollars per year: FY2017 $40.4 million, FY2018 $77.0 million, FY2019 $66.8 million, FY2020 $45.3 million, FY2021 $82.7 million, FY2022 $33.3 million, FY2023 $22.0 million, FY2024 $33.2 million, FY2025 $57.1 million, FY2026 $16.7 million.
Dallas: what a feasibility study must prove
For 192 loans in Dallas, tunnel costs outside $1.3 million to $3.8 million need cases. For 192 approvals in Dallas, appraisers split equipment from land. Dallas saw approvals run from 8 in FY2026 to 31 in FY2018; for Dallas, plan for restricted water. Dallas's quotient, 2.09x: count rivals by format. Across 192 loans, cars per day in Dallas carries $2.4 million. Dallas: facing wet seasons, debt service holds with $474.5 million approved.
Dallas's 192 loans cannot be split by format. Dallas counts 192 loans by project county. Dallas borders follow the July 2023 delineation. Dallas omits counties it cannot place. 192 loans are a rough guide to Dallas, not a census.
SBA car wash loans in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
| Loans approved, FY2017 to FY2026 | 192 |
|---|---|
| Gross dollars approved | $474.5 million |
| Median loan | $2.4 million |
| Middle half of loans, from | $1.3 million |
| Middle half of loans, to | $3.8 million |
| SBA 7(a) loans | 168 |
| SBA 504 loans | 24 |
| Franchise share of loans | withheld |
| Rank among metro and micro areas for car wash loans | 2 of 458 |
| Rank of car wash among the classes in this area | 12 of 39 |
| Location quotient (share of loans against the national share) | 2.09x |
| Median loan against the national median for the class | 2.57x |
Cancellation and charge-off
| Cancelled after approval, FY2017 to FY2024 approvals (a floor) | 9.8% |
|---|---|
| The same, counting loans still undisbursed as cancelled (a ceiling) | withheld |
| Charged off to date, FY2017 to FY2021 disbursed loans (a floor) | withheld |
Both rates are floors. SBA withholds the status of open loans, so a loan counts as charged off only once SBA reports it; a rate needs at least 30 loans in its cohort and is otherwise not reported.
SBA car wash loans approved in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area, by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 26 | $40.4 million |
| FY2018 | 31 | $77.0 million |
| FY2019 | 27 | $66.8 million |
| FY2020 | 17 | $45.3 million |
| FY2021 | 31 | $82.7 million |
| FY2022 | 12 | $33.3 million |
| FY2023 | 9 | $22.0 million |
| FY2024 | 11 | $33.2 million |
| FY2025 | 20 | $57.1 million |
| FY2026 | 8 | $16.7 million |
Most active SBA lenders
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Certified Development Corporation | 8 | $12.6 million |
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Metro City Bank | 42 | $143.9 million |
| Celtic Bank Corporation | 25 | $73.0 million |
| Commonwealth Business Bank | 12 | $30.9 million |
| Bank of Hope | 5 | $11.0 million |
| Open Bank | 5 | $8.7 million |
Lenders with 5 or more loans here; a lender with fewer is not listed, and loans SBA or a receiver holds are counted but never listed as a lender.
Where the loans are, by county
| County | Loans |
|---|---|
| Tarrant County, TX | 63 |
| Dallas County, TX | 47 |
| Collin County, TX | 33 |
| Denton County, TX | 22 |
| Rockwall County, TX | 8 |
| Ellis County, TX | 7 |
| Hunt County, TX | 6 |
Counties with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are not listed.
Metro is the CBSA (metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area) of the loan's project county, July 2023 delineation (OMB Bulletin 23-01). The county is matched by name (manifests/ld2/county-cbsa-map.csv); a loan whose county cannot be placed in a 2023 CBSA is left out of every metro.
Car and truck washes, including mobile washes, share one code.
Shared code: Truck washes share 811192.
A value marked withheld rests on fewer than 5 loans, or is withheld so that such a figure cannot be derived from other published figures.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 loan-level FOIA files (data.sba.gov), as of 2026-09-30; areas from the U.S. Census Bureau CBSA delineation, July 2023 (OMB Bulletin 23-01); Loan Analytics metro cell MA-19100-C02.
Related feasibility study pages
- Feasibility studies for car wash projects
- Feasibility Study Data for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
- Car Wash Feasibility Study in Texas
- Texas feasibility study consultant
- Feasibility Study Data by Metro Area
- Feasibility studies for SBA 7(a) and 504 loans
- Car Wash Feasibility Study in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area
- Car Wash Feasibility Study in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area
- Car Wash Feasibility Study in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area
- Car Wash Feasibility Study in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area
- Car Wash Feasibility Study in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area
- Car Wash Feasibility Study in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area
- Restaurant Feasibility Study in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
- Quick Service Restaurant Feasibility Study in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
- Fitness Center Feasibility Study in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
- Child Care Center Feasibility Study in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
- Gas Station Feasibility Study in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
- Medical Office Feasibility Study in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
Worked examples
Loan Analytics prepares the feasibility study a lender reads before it commits: for a car wash project in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area, financed under SBA 7(a), SBA 504, USDA Business and Industry or a conventional bank loan. Tell us the project and the lender's deadline, and we reply with scope, timeline and fee.
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