Generated from our rules database — not a stale blog table
Dealer doc fees by state
18 states cap the doc fee by statute (published counts vary because some “caps” are indirect). Everywhere else it's uncapped dealer margin — $300 to $1,200+ — and negotiable. Each row shows when we last verified it.
| State | Capped? | Cap | Typical (median reported) | Notes / statute | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Uncapped | — | $722.00 | Sec. 40-23-2(4), Code of Ala. 1975 - no fee-cap provision found; taxability confirmed directly | Oct 2026 |
| Alaska | Uncapped | — | $200.00 | AS 45.25.440 (Advertised Price) - doc fee must be included in advertised price, no dollar cap · must be included in advertised price | Jul 2026 |
| Arizona | Uncapped | — | $500.00 | No cap; A.R.S. 44-281(2) ("reasonable charge"); ads must say a doc fee will be charged (44-1371(B)); not taxed if separately stated (TPR 97-2) | Jul 2026 |
| Arkansas | Capped | $129.00 | — | Ark. Code Ann. Sec. 23-112-317 (new dealers); Sec. 23-112-617 (used dealers) | Oct 2026 |
| California | Capped | $85.00 | — | CVC 11713.1 · 85 dmv partner 70 nonpartner | Jul 2026 |
| Colorado | Uncapped | — | $636.00 | 1 CCR 205-1, Regulation 44-20-121(3)(i), Rule 13 (C.R.S. Sec. 44-20-121(3)(i)) — advertising-inclusion rule only, confirms no price cap exists | Jul 2026 |
| Connecticut | Uncapped | — | $751.00 | C.G.S. 14-62; P.A. 26-24 secs. 18-19 (eff. 2026-10-01): the conveyance fee must be in the advertised and quoted price. No dollar cap. Median is secondary. | Oct 2026 |
| Delaware | Uncapped | — | $697.00 | No cap or disclosure statute; bill of sale itemizes fees (21 Del. C. 6305(8)). The 5.25% state document fee (30 Del. C. 3002) is a tax, not the dealer fee. Benchmark: CarEdge average, Oct 2026. | Oct 2026 |
| Florida | Uncapped | — | $899.00 | No cap; disclosure required | Jul 2026 |
| Georgia | Uncapped | — | $599.00 | No cap (GA AG Consumer Protection); GA AG Auto Advertising Policies require the fee to be INCLUDED in the advertised price | Oct 2026 |
| Hawaii | Uncapped | — | $395.00 | HAR Sec.16-86-19(3) (disclosure only, no cap), under HRS Sec.437-6, 437-41, implementing HRS Sec.437-4 | Jul 2026 |
| Idaho | Uncapped | — | $400.00 | No cap in Idaho Code or IDAPA; ads that leave it out must state it (IDAPA 04.02.01.233.01.b) | Jul 2026 |
| Illinois | Capped | $377.63 | — | 815 ILCS 375/11.1 · CPI-indexed | Jul 2026 |
| Indiana | Capped | $261.72 | — | IC 9-32-13-7 ($200 statutory base, CPI-adjusted annually; $261.72 eff. 2026-07-01 per SOS Auto Dealer Services non-enforcement memo) · CPI-indexed | Oct 2026 |
| Iowa | Capped | $180.00 | — | Iowa Code 322.19A(2): $180 per vehicle sold in a transaction; fixed, not CPI-indexed. 322.19A(3): the fee must be in the price and in any advertised price. | Oct 2026 |
| Kansas | Uncapped | — | $513.00 | K.S.A. 8-2401 et seq. (Vehicle Dealers and Manufacturers Licensing Act) - no fee-cap provision found | Oct 2026 |
| Kentucky | Uncapped | — | $586.00 | KRS 190.090(8)(d); KRS 190.100(2)(f) -- "processing fee", no dollar cap; the itemized disclosure in 190.100(2)(f) is elective. 605 KAR 1:191 requires the advertised price to include dealer handling. | Oct 2026 |
| Louisiana | Capped | $436.00 | — | La. R.S. 6:969.18(A)(2): capped at $436 for 2026 (CPI-U or 3%, whichever is less); LMVC bulletin B-2026-001. · cpi max 3pct annual · CPI-indexed | Oct 2026 |
| Maine | Uncapped | — | $550.00 | 29-A M.R.S. 603(3) and 953-A: no cap; the dealer must post the doc fee and disclose it before sale. Ad price must include it (26-239 CMR ch. 104 sec. 5). $33 titling fee: 603(1). | Oct 2026 |
| Maryland | Capped | $800.00 | — | Md. Transp. Sec. 15-311.1(b)(1)(ii)4 ($800 on and after 2024-07-01; fixed ladder, not indexed). Taxable per Sec. 13-809(a)(3)(i) | Oct 2026 |
| Massachusetts | Uncapped | — | $570.00 | No cap; 940 CMR 5.02(3) requires the fee inside the advertised price. Separate $5 cap on the dealer title charge: MGL c.90D s.33 | Oct 2026 |
| Michigan | Capped | $280.00 | — | MCL 492.113(2)(a); current $280 set by DIFS Bulletin 2025-03-CF (eff. 2025-2026 biennium) · lesser of 280 or 5pct · CPI-indexed | Jul 2026 |
| Minnesota | Capped | $350.00 | — | Minn. Stat. Sec. 168.27 subd. 31(b) - lesser of $350 or 10% of the sale value; final step of a fixed 2023 ladder, not indexed. NOT taxable per MN DOR · lesser of 350 or 10pct of price | Oct 2026 |
| Mississippi | Capped | $425.00 | — | MMVC Reg. 8.1(B)(8) (30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1301, R. 8.1), under Miss. Code 63-17-69: flat $425, not CPI-indexed. Amended 2017-01-21. Franchised dealers (63-17-55(b)). | Oct 2026 |
| Missouri | Capped | $620.79 | — | RSMo 301.558; 12 CSR 10-26.231 - $620.79 for 2026, CPI-indexed each February 1; same fee to every retail customer, itemized. TAXABLE per DOR dealer tax matrix · CPI-indexed | Oct 2026 |
| Montana | Uncapped | — | $299.00 | ARM 23.19.204(11) (MT Dept. of Justice, Consumer Protection) - disclosure only, no cap, under 30-14-104 MCA | Jul 2026 |
| Nebraska | Uncapped | — | $299.00 | Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-1411.03(8): advertised price must include all charges the customer must pay except taxes and license, title and other fees. No statute or rule caps the doc fee. | Oct 2026 |
| Nevada | Uncapped | — | $499.00 | No cap; NRS 97.195 (any amount agreed); ads may leave it out only if named with its amount (NAC 482.150(1)) | Jul 2026 |
| New Hampshire | Uncapped | — | $375.00 | RSA 361-A (uniform administrative fee permitted, no cap) - NH Banking Dept. FAQ confirms scope | Jul 2026 |
| New Jersey | Uncapped | — | $695.00 | N.J.A.C. 13:45A-26B.3 — itemized disclosure required (>=10pt type), no dollar cap | Jul 2026 |
| New Mexico | Uncapped | — | $339.00 | 12.2.4.20, .21, .24 NMAC (AG Consumer Protection, replaced 2026-09-09): no dollar cap; a new-vehicle ad may leave out a dealer transfer service fee if it discloses the amount. | Oct 2026 |
| New York | Capped | $175.00 | — | 15 NYCRR Sec. 78.19 | Jul 2026 |
| North Carolina | Uncapped | — | $725.00 | N.C.G.S. 20-101.1 (conspicuous disclosure only; subsec. (b) leaves the amount to dealer discretion) - no dollar limit | Oct 2026 |
| North Dakota | Uncapped | — | $290.00 | N.D.C.C. chs. 39-22, 51-07, 51-15: no doc fee cap or advertised-price rule found. Tax Commissioner guideline SFN 21963 (rev. 6-2026): document fees are not taxed. | Oct 2026 |
| Ohio | Capped | $398.00 | — | Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 4517.261(B)-(C) (lesser of CPI-adjusted amount or 10% of contract price, excl. tax/title/registration) · lesser of 398 or 10pct · CPI-indexed | Jul 2026 |
| Oklahoma | Uncapped | — | $549.00 | OAC 465:15-1-2 & 465:15-3-7 (new-dealer "dealer-added fee"); OAC 765:16-3-6 (used-dealer "processing fee") — disclosure/inclusion rules only, no dollar cap | Jul 2026 |
| Oregon | Capped | $250.00 | — | ORS 822.043(4): $250 with an integrator, $200 without (2023 c.232, fees on or after 2024-01-01) · 250 with integrator 200 without | Jul 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | Capped | $490.00 | — | 63 P.S. Sec.818.327(c) (Board of Vehicles Act) — two-tier CPI-adjusted cap, electronic ($490) vs. non-electronic ($409) filing · 490 online 409 manual · CPI-indexed | Jul 2026 |
| Rhode Island | Capped | $400.00 | — | 280-RICR-30-20-1, 1.9(N): $400 cap, only on sales over $10,000 (since 2020-01-19); title prep fee up to $20, 1.9(M). Both are taxed. | Oct 2026 |
| South Carolina | Presumed | $225.00 | $532.00 | S.C. Code Ann. 37-2-307(C): a closing fee of $225 or less is treated as approved; above that the Department of Consumer Affairs may review it (a presumption, not a cap) · scdca safe harbor not hard cap | Oct 2026 |
| South Dakota | Uncapped | — | $297.00 | ARSD 61:24:07:01(6), :04, :05 (DOR dealer advertising rules): disclosure only, no cap; offering price excludes documentary fees. (SDCL 32-5B-4(7)-(8) is lease consideration.) | Oct 2026 |
| Tennessee | Uncapped | — | $692.00 | Tenn. Code Ann. Sec. 55-17-114(b)(1)(E) (disclosure required, no dollar cap) | Jul 2026 |
| Texas | Presumed | $225.00 | — | 7 TAC §84.205(b); Fin. Code §348.006 · occc safe harbor not hard cap | Oct 2026 |
| Utah | Uncapped | — | $447.00 | Utah Code Sec.41-3-211(3)(d); Utah Admin. Code R877-23V-14 (disclosure only, not state-mandated) | Jul 2026 |
| Vermont | Uncapped | — | $562.00 | DFR Banking Bulletin 25; 9 V.S.A. 2351(6), 2355(f); AG Rule CF 118.04(d). Same fee for all customers, in the cash price. No dollar cap. Median is secondary. | Oct 2026 |
| Virginia | Uncapped | — | $899.00 | Va. Code Sec. 46.2-1530 (buyer's order disclosure, MVDB-filed form, posted sign) - no dollar limit | Oct 2026 |
| Washington | Capped | $200.00 | — | RCW 46.70.180(2)(a)(ii) | Jul 2026 |
| West Virginia | Capped | $575.00 | — | W. Va. Code 17A-6-18a (commissioner sets, advisory board advises); 46A-3-109(a)(6). $575 is from WVADA News 2024-07-24 only; not confirmed with the DMV. · commissioner set cpi recommended verifying | Oct 2026 |
| Wisconsin | Uncapped | — | $279.00 | Wis. Admin. Code Trans 139.05(8)(a) - no dollar cap; must be disclosed before sale, may not be increased after, must be reasonable. TAXABLE per DOR Pub 202 | Oct 2026 |
| Wyoming | Uncapped | — | $459.00 | W.S. 31-16-101 to 31-16-127 and 40-12-101 et seq.: no doc fee cap or disclosure rule. Benchmark is a CarEdge average, Oct 2026 (secondary). | Oct 2026 |
How to use this at the dealership
In a capped state, a doc fee above the cap is simply not allowed — say so. In an uncapped state, the fee itself rarely moves, but the total OTD always can: negotiate the bottom line and let the dealer decide which lines bend. Build your OTD worksheet before you walk in.
Medians marked “live” recompute nightly from buyer reports. Rows marked “verifying” carry amounts from multi-source industry tables pending statute-level confirmation — methodology.