Page 1 of 12
Exhibit Index on Page 2

FORM 11-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


Annual Report Pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934




(Mark One)

  [X]   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
        EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [FEE REQUIRED].
             For the fiscal year ended:  December 31, 1996

  OR

  [     ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
        ACT OF 1934 [NO FEE REQUIRED].
             For the transition period from       to



Commission file number     1- 3208

  A.    Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if
        different from that of the issuer named below:

        National Service Industries Retirement and 401(k) Plan

  B.    Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and
        the address of the principal executive office:

        National Service Industries, Inc.
        1420 Peachtree Street, NE
        Atlanta, Georgia 30309



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REQUIRED INFORMATION

The following documents are filed as a part of this report:

1.   Financial Statements


     Plan  financial  statements  prepared  in  accordance  with  the  financial
     reporting requirements of ERISA include the following:

     Report of Independent Public Accountants

     Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits, with Fund Information,  as
     of December 31, 1996 and 1995

     Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits for
     the Year Ended December 31, 1996

     Notes to Financial Statements

2.   Exhibits
                                                             Sequentially
                                                               Numbered
     The following exhibit is filed with this report:            Page

     23     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP                        12



SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
trustees (or other persons who administer  the employee  benefit plan) have duly
caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.

                              National Service Industires
                              Retirement and 401(k) Plan

Date: June 18, 1997           By:   National Service Industries, Inc.
                                    Plan Administrator

                              By:    /s/ James S. Balloun
                              Name:  James S. Balloun
                              Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer




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                    REPORT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS





To the Plan Administrator of
National Service Industries
Retirement and 401(k) Plan:


We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits
of NATIONAL  SERVICE  INDUSTRIES  RETIREMENT  AND 401(k) PLAN as of December 31,
1996 and 1995 and the related  statement of changes in net assets  available for
benefits,  with fund  information,  for the year ended December 31, 1996.  These
financial  statements  are the  responsibility  of the  Plan's  management.  Our
responsibility  is to express an opinion on these financial  statements based on
our audits.

We  conducted  our  audits  in  accordance  with  generally   accepted  auditing
standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes
assessing the  accounting  principles  used and  significant  estimates  made by
management,  as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion,  the financial  statements  referred to above present fairly, in
all material  respects,  the net assets available for benefits of the Plan as of
December 31, 1996 and 1995 and the changes in net assets  available for benefits
for the year ended  December  31, 1996 in  conformity  with  generally  accepted
accounting principles.

Our audits  were  performed  for the  purpose of forming an opinion on the basic
financial  statements taken as a whole. The fund information in the statement of
changes in net assets  available  for benefits is  presented  for the purpose of
additional  analysis rather than to present the changes in net assets  available
for  benefits  of each fund.  The fund  information  has been  subjected  to the
auditing procedures applied in the audits of the basic financial statements and,
in our opinion,  is fairly  stated in all  material  respects in relation to the
basic financial statements taken as a whole.




Atlanta, Georgia
June 12, 1997



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                           NATIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES

                           RETIREMENT AND 401(k) PLAN


                 STATEMENTS OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

                           DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1995






                                                              1996          1995


INVESTMENT IN NSI DC TRUST, at fair value (Note 2):
    Balanced Fund ......................................    $151,080    $120,197
    Diversified Equity Fund ............................     373,961     271,482
    Stable Value Fund ..................................      51,777      26,259
    NSI Stock Fund--participant-directed ...............      74,366      50,620
    Loan Fund ..........................................      18,230      11,703
    International Fund .................................      25,350      21,464
    NSI Stock Fund--nonparticipant-directed ............     142,568      90,064
                                                             837,332     591,879
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE:
    Employer ...........................................      11,997           0
    Participant ........................................       2,076           0
              Total contributions receivable ...........      14,073           0

REFUNDS PAYABLE TO PARTICIPANTS ........................      (8,250)          0
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS ......................    $843,155    $591,879









        The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.

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                           NATIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES
                           RETIREMENT AND 401(k) PLAN

           STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS,

                             WITH FUND INFORMATION,
                      FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996



                                                             Participant-Directed                   Nonparticipant-
                                                  Diversified   Stable     NSI                          Directed
                                         Balanced   Equity       Value    Stock      Loan International NSI Stock
                                           Fund       Fund       Fund      Fund      Fund     Fund         Fund   Other     Total

                                                                                                 

CONTRIBUTIONS:
    Employer ........................... $       0  $       0  $      0  $      0  $      0  $      0  $  45,175  $2,076  $  47,251
    Participant ........................    42,923    111,563    20,042    23,721         0    12,676          0   3,747    214,672
              Total contributions ......    42,923    111,563    20,042    23,721         0    12,676     45,175   5,823    261,923
NET GAIN FROM INVESTMENT IN NSI DC TRUST    20,116     61,793     2,796     9,632         0     2,543     17,323       0    114,203
BENEFITS PAID TO PARTICIPANTS ..........    (7,513)   (44,297)  (40,643)  (16,492)     (829)  (13,290)    (9,957)      0   (133,021)
INTRAPLAN TRANSFERS ....................   (25,657)   (28,364)   42,077     2,992     7,032     1,957        (37)      0          0
OTHER ..................................     1,014      1,784     1,246     3,893       324         0          0       0      8,261
NET INCREASE ...........................    30,883    102,479    25,518    23,746     6,527     3,886     52,504   5,823    251,366
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS,
December 31, 1995 ......................   120,197    271,482    26,259    50,620    11,703    21,464     90,064       0    591,789
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS,
December 31,1996 ....................... $ 151,080  $ 373,961  $ 51,777  $ 74,366  $ 18,230  $ 25,350  $ 142,568  $5,823  $ 843,155




         The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement.



Page 6




                           NATIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES

                           RETIREMENT AND 401(k) PLAN


                          NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                           DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1995



  1.  PLAN DESCRIPTION

     The following is a brief  description  of the National  Service  Industries
     Retirement  and 401(k) Plan (the  "Plan") of National  Service  Industries,
     Inc. of Georgia and NSI Enterprises,  Inc. (together, the "Employer"). Both
     National Service Industries, Inc. of Georgia and NSI Enterprises,  Inc. are
     wholly owned  subsidiaries of National Service  Industries,  Inc.  ("NSI").
     This description is provided for informational purposes only.  Participants
     should refer to the plan agreement for more complete information.

      General

      The Plan is a defined  contribution  plan established under the provisions
      of Section  401(a) of the Internal  Revenue Code ("IRC").  The Plan covers
      all  nonunion,  full-time,  salaried  employees  of the  Employer who have
      attained  the age of 20.5 with at least six months of  service.  Effective
      August 31, 1996, the Plan covers only full-time salaried employees who are
      classified  by the  Employer as  corporate  office  personnel  or treasury
      function personnel.  The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employee
      Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

      Contributions

      Participants  may elect to  contribute  between  1% and 10% of  before-tax
      compensation, as defined in the Plan, subject to certain limitations under
      the IRC.  Matching  contributions  are made by the  Employer  in an amount
      equal to 50% of the  participant's  contribution up to the lesser of 4% of
      compensation or $1,000 in a plan year. Additional  discretionary  amounts,
      as determined by the board of directors of NSI, may be  contributed by the
      Employer  and are  allocated  to  participants  at the  discretion  of the
      Employer.

      Vesting

      Participants  are always fully vested in their  individual  contributions.
      Vesting of employer  contributions  occurs on an increasing scale, ranging
      from 10% vesting after two years of service,  as defined,  to 100% vesting
  

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      after  seven  years  of  service.  Nonvested  employer  contributions  are
      forfeited upon a  participant's  withdrawal  from the Plan and are used to
      reduce future employer contributions.

      Administration

     All  administrative  expenses of the Plan were paid by the Employer  during
     the year ended December 31, 1996.

      Participants' Accounts

     Individual  accounts are maintained for each of the Plan's  participants to
     reflect the particular  participant's  contributions  and related  employer
     contributions as well as the  participant's  share of the Plan's income and
     any related administrative expenses.

     The Plan assigns units to its participants.  At December 31, 1996 and 1995,
     79,302 and 60,829 units, respectively,  were assigned to plan participants.
     Unit values for each  investment  fund were as follows at December 31, 1996
     and 1995:

                                                    1996          1995

          Balanced Fund ..................      $     26.40   $     22.95
          Diversified Equity Fund ........            12.05         10.57
          Stable Value Fund ..............            11.31         10.59
          NSI Stock Fund .................            14.52         12.39
          International Fund .............             5.01          4.59


      Investment in Master Trust

     Under a trust agreement dated September 1, 1993, as amended,  Wachovia Bank
     of Georgia,  N.A.  was  appointed  trustee of the NSI Defined  Contribution
     Plans Master Trust (the "NSI DC Trust").

     The Plan's  assets are  commingled  in the NSI DC Trust  together  with the
     assets of certain defined  contribution  plans of other NSI divisions.  The
     investments  of the NSI DC Trust  are  subject  to  certain  administrative
     guidelines  and  limitations  as to type and  amount  of  securities  held.
     Certain  fund  assets are  allocated  to  selected  independent  investment
     managers to invest under these general guidelines.

      Investment Options

     The  separate  investment  options  made  available  under  the Plan may be
     changed,  eliminated,  or  modified  from  time to  time by the  investment
     committee of the NSI DC Trust. Participants make their investment elections
     in 5% increments,  with changes allowed on a daily basis.  Participants may
     not  direct  the   investment   of  employer   matching  or   discretionary
     contributions. These are invested in the NSI Stock Fund discussed below.

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      The separate investment options offered by the Plan are as follows:

     o    Diversified  Equity  Fund.  This  fund  is a  diversified  stock  fund
          designed to invest in a broad range of common stocks providing capital
          growth.

     o    Stable Value Fund.  This is a fixed income fund  designed to provide a
          steady  level of current  income  while  focusing on  preservation  of
          principal.

     o    Balanced Fund. This fund is invested in a changing mix of high-quality
          stocks and bonds.  The fund is designed to provide  capital growth and
          current income while limiting the risk of principal loss.

     o    NSI Stock Fund. This fund is invested in NSI common stock, although it
          may hold other short-term investments from time to time. A participant
          may not direct more than 50% of his/her account balance to be invested
          in this fund.

     o    International  Fund.  This fund is  invested  in the stock of non-U.S.
          companies and is designed to provide long-term growth.

      Loans to Participants

      The Plan  permits  loans to  participants  up to the  lesser of 50% of the
      participant's  vested account balance or $50,000.  A participant has up to
      five years to repay the principal and interest, unless the loan is for the
      purchase of a primary  residence,  in which case the repayment period will
      be established at the time the loan is approved.  Loan processing fees are
      charged directly to the participant's account.  Interest rates on loans to
      participants  are  based  on  market  rates,  as  determined  by the  plan
      administrator.

      Benefits

      A participant  is entitled to receive the  distribution  of his/her vested
      account  balance upon death,  disability,  or retirement  (age 65).  These
      benefits are payable in a lump-sum  amount or can be paid in  installments
      at the  participant's  election if his/her  vested balance is greater than
      $3,500  and  he/she  is age 55 or  older.  A  participant  who  terminated
      employment  with the Employer for reasons  other than these is entitled to
      receive his/her  contributions  in a lump sum as soon as  administratively
      feasible.

      Benefits are payable in cash,  except that any portion of a  participant's
      account  balance  which  is  invested  in   the  NSI  Stock  Fund  may  be
      distributed  in the form  of shares of  NSI common  stock, with fractional
      shares paid in cash.

      Hardship  withdrawals  may be made upon  proven  financial  hardship  of a
      participant,  as defined in the plan  agreement  and  as  approved  by the
      Plan's retirement committee.

      Plan Termination

      Although  the  Employer intends  for the  Plan to be  permanent,  the Plan
      provides that the Employer has the right to  discontinue  contributions or

Page 9

      to terminate the Plan at any time.  In the event of plan termination, each
      participant shall be vested in the balance of his/her  account and his/her
      proportionate share of any future adjustments.


  2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

      Basis of Accounting

      The accounts of the Plan are  maintained  by the trustee on the cash basis
      of accounting.  The accompanying  financial  statements have been prepared
      using the  accrual  method of  accounting  by  application  of  memorandum
      entries.  The  preparation  of financial  statements  in  conformity  with
      generally accepted accounting principles requires the Plan's management to
      use  estimates  and  assumptions  that affect the  accompanying  financial
      statements  and  disclosures.  Actual  results  could  differ  from  these
      estimates.

      Investment Valuation

      Investments  of the NSI DC Trust,  except  for the  guaranteed  investment
      contracts ("GICs"),  are stated at fair value as determined by the trustee
      from quoted market prices.  Securities  traded on a national  exchange are
      valued at the last  reported  sales price on the last  business day of the
      plan year;  investments traded in the  over-the-counter  market and listed
      securities for which no sale was reported on the last day of the plan year
      are valued at the last reported bid price.

      GICs  included  in the NSI DC Trust are fully  benefit-responsive  and are
      therefore  carried at contract  value (cost plus accrued  interest) in the
      accompanying financial statements in accordance with Statement of Position
      94-4.  At December 31, 1996 and 1995,  contract  value  approximates  fair
      value. At December 31, 1996, the weighted average crediting  interest rate
      was 6.74%.  For the year ended  December 31, 1996, the annual yield on the
      GICs held by the NSI DC Trust was 6.9%.  For  certain  of the GICs held by
      the NSI DC Trust,  crediting  interest  rates may be  changed  if  certain
      events occur, such as early retirements,  plant closings,  etc., but in no
      case are adjusted to a rate less than 0%.

      GICs are  subject  to credit  risk based on the  ability of the  insurance
      company to meet interest or principal payments, or  both, as  they  become
      due.


Page 10


  3.  NSI DC TRUST

      Investment Income

      Investment income of the NSI DC Trust for the year ended December 31, 1996
      is summarized as follows:

          Dividends on common stock ....................   $   360,166
          Interest income ..............................     4,320,463
          Net appreciation in fair value of common stock     1,031,354
          Net income from mutual fund ..................    10,129,284
          Net income from common/collective trust ......     7,315,993
          Net income from pooled separate account ......       160,826
                        Total investment income ........   $23,318,086

      The investment  income of the NSI DC Trust for the year ended December 31,
      1996 is allocated among participating plans as follows:

          National Service Industries
           Retirement and 401(k) Plan ..............       $   114,203
          All other NSI plans ......................        23,203,883
                        Total ......................       $23,318,086

      Net Assets

      The net assets of the NSI DC Trust are as follows at December 31, 1996 and
      1995:

                                                        1996             1995

          Mutual fund ......................   $  63,411,122    $  47,636,487
          Common/collective trust ..........      57,558,795       48,146,903
          Guaranteed investment contracts ..      55,187,898       55,129,605
          Loans receivable from participants       6,828,607        6,104,302
          NSI common stock .................      11,279,289        7,637,554
          Money market fund ................       3,704,985        1,377,443
          Pooled separate account ..........       2,723,094          871,467
                                                 200,693,790      166,903,761
           Cash ............................          13,342          127,031
                                                 200,707,132      167,030,792
          Accrued investment income ........         100,534           76,779
          Adjustments for pending trades ...        (223,542)        (211,964)
          Other ............................         (54,239)          49,961
          Net assets .......................   $ 200,529,885    $ 166,945,568

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     The allocation of the net assets of the NSI DC Trust to participating plans
     is based on participant units and is as follows as of December 31, 1996 and
     1995:

                                           1996                     1995
                                     Amount      Percent      Amount     Percent
     National Service Industries
     Retirement and 401(k) Plan   $    837,332      0.42%  $    591,789    0.35%
     All other plans ..........    199,692,553     99.58    166,353,779   99.65
              Total ...........   $200,529,885    100.00%  $166,945,568  100.00%


Investment in NSI Common Stock

     As  of  December   31,  1996  and  1995,   approximately   5.6%  and  4.6%,
     respectively,  of the NSI DC Trust's net assets were invested in the common
     stock of NSI, a party in interest to the Plan.


  4.  TAX STATUS

     The Plan has  received a  determination  letter from the  Internal  Revenue
     Service  dated  October  25,  1995  stating  that the Plan was  designed in
     accordance with plan design requirements as of that date. The Plan has been
     amended  since  receiving  the  determination  letter.  However,  the  plan
     administrator  believes  that the Plan is  currently  designed and is being
     operated  in  compliance  with  the  applicable  requirements  of the  IRC.
     Therefore,  the plan administrator believes that the Plan was qualified and
     that the related trust was tax-exempt as of December 31, 1996 and 1995.