Which states let dealers leave the doc fee out of the advertised price?

Ask most car shoppers and they'll tell you the advertised price has to include every fee. Federal law says it does. But in 27 of the states we cover, the state's own advertising rule lets a dealer leave the doc fee, or another dealer fee, out of the price in the ad. Which one wins? Here is the list, state by state, from an automotive professional.

The short answer

A dealer has to obey federal law and state law. Where a state rule and the federal requirement point in different directions, the federal requirement is the one the dealer has to meet. A state rule that lets a dealer leave a fee out of an ad does not take that fee out of what the FTC expects to see in the price.

The FTC's position is plain: the price in an ad has to include every fee the dealer requires, the doc fee included. Only charges the government requires you to pay, such as sales tax, title and registration, can be added on top. In its September 2026 pricing FAQ, FTC staff say state doc fee rules don't change that, and that a state's rule calling for a separate disclosure of the fee doesn't either: the dealer includes the fee in the price and gives the state's disclosure too. Its consumer protection director told dealers in an April 2026 webinar that where federal and state law conflict, federal law wins.

One honest caveat: the FAQ is written by FTC staff, and it isn't a rule. The requirement it describes is Section 5 of the FTC Act, the law the FTC has enforced against deceptive advertising for decades, and the FTC is enforcing it. In 2026 it settled with Lindsay Automotive Group, alongside Maryland's Attorney General, and with Connecticut's Manchester City Nissan; both orders require the dealer to state the full price, mandatory fees included. The Lindsay order goes further than Maryland law, which lets dealers leave their processing charge out of advertised prices. For the background, see our guide to what changed for advertised prices in 2026.

Why a dealer can follow both

In almost every state below, the state rule permits leaving the fee out. It doesn't require it. So a dealer that puts the fee in the price, and gives whatever separate disclosure the state asks for, satisfies both. That is what the FTC expects, and it is what several state dealer associations now tell their members.

Three states are harder. Tennessee's rule has the dealer state that the doc fee is not included in the advertised price. Oregon's rule defines the advertised price without it. And Ohio's BMV rule says a dealer's title or registration service fee can't be in the advertised price at all. In those three, the state rule points the other way, so the federal requirement is the one that governs what a dealer can safely advertise. No agency has yet squared Ohio's service fee rule with the FTC's position. Oregon lets a dealer avoid the problem by not charging a separate doc fee at all.

What this means for you

• Expect to see ads that leave the fee out. In the states below, many dealers still do, and some state rules allow it. That doesn't mean the price you were shown is the price you'll pay.
• Ask one question: “Does this price include your doc fee and every other fee you charge, except tax, title and registration?”
• Get the out-the-door price in writing before you go in, and compare dealers on that number, not the headline price. Our calculator shows what tax, title, registration and the doc fee should add for your ZIP.
• If an ad's price doesn't include a required fee, you can report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state Attorney General.

States where the state's own rule says the fee may be left out

These state rules say, in one form or another, that the doc fee (or the dealer's own fee) can be kept out of the advertised price.

• California — its own definition of a total price lets a dealer leave out the doc fee, the electronic filing fee and a used car's smog check charge (SB 766, in force since October 1, 2026).
• Hawaii — a dealer may quote a price and add the doc fee on top if the ad shows the fee's amount as prominently as the price, and may leave out the safety inspection fee and the general excise tax.
• Louisiana — the Motor Vehicle Commission's written rule still lists notary, convenience and documentary fees among the charges a franchised dealer may leave out of an advertised price. The Commission said in 2026 they must be included and has proposed removing that line.
• Minnesota — the doc fee law says the fee “may be excluded from the dealer's advertised price.” Minnesota's dealer association now tells its members the fee belongs in the most prominent price.
• Mississippi — the Motor Vehicle Commission's rule says a dealer's advertised price need not include the document or service fee.
• Ohio — an Attorney General rule lets a dealer leave out the doc fee, within the legal cap, and a BMV rule keeps the dealer's title or registration service fee (up to $50) out of the advertised price altogether.
• Oklahoma — for used cars only, the rule lets a dealer leave a processing fee out of the advertised price. For new cars the doc fee has to be in it.
• Oregon — the rule defines the advertised price without the document processing fee, and its commentary says the price “cannot include” it.
• Pennsylvania — the Board of Vehicles says the doc fee “may be excluded” from an advertised price; the fee also has to be posted on a sign in the dealership.
• Rhode Island — the Attorney General says a dealer may add the documentary preparation fee and the title preparation fee to an advertised price.
• South Dakota — the Department of Revenue's advertising rule defines the offering price as not including documentary fees.
• Tennessee — since April 20, 2022, the Motor Vehicle Commission's rule has dealers state that the doc fee and any other dealer-imposed fee are not included in the advertised price, and list the amount separately.
• Texas — the advertising rule lets a dealer leave fees allowed by law, such as the doc fee, out of its featured price. Texas's required doc fee notice goes on the buyer's order and contract, not in the ad.
• Utah — the advertising rule says an advertised price does not have to include the dealer documentary service fee or a temporary permit fee, and the law lets the dealer add both on top of the negotiated price.
• Washington — a dealer may add its doc fee on top of an advertised price as long as every ad says a fee of up to $200 may be added.

States where the fee can be left out if the ad says so

These states let a dealer leave the fee out as long as the ad states or names it.

• Idaho — the doc fee can be left out if the ad says, next to the price, “PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE $___ DEALER DOC FEE.”
• Illinois — the doc fee can be left out if the ad clearly says so. That ends on January 1, 2027, when the state's junk-fee law requires every mandatory fee in an advertised price.
• Maryland — the processing charge and freight can be left out if their amounts appear in at least 10-point bold type near the price.
• Missouri — a processing fee and freight can be left out if the ad states their amounts.
• Nevada — the doc fee can be left out if the ad names it and states the amount.
• New Mexico — for a new vehicle, a dealer transfer service fee can be left out if the ad states its amount next to the price and says it is a dealer fee.
• Virginia — the processing fee and freight can be left out if the ad states their amounts in bold type at least 8 points high. Virginia's dealer association now tells its members to include them.
• Wisconsin — the service fee (its name for the doc fee) can be left out if the ad clearly says the price doesn't include it.

States that require a disclosure, but not the fee in the price

• Arizona — a dealer that charges a doc fee has to say so in its ads, but the law doesn't require the fee to be in the price. A 2026 bill to require an all-in price died in committee.
• North Carolina — every price ad has to say that the dealer charges a doc fee and how much it is, but the law doesn't say the advertised price itself must include it.
• South Carolina — the closing fee has to be disclosed clearly in any ad for a specific vehicle, but the law doesn't say the advertised price itself must include it.

One partial conflict

• Colorado — the dealer board already requires an advertised price to include all costs at delivery, and has said that includes the doc fee. The one conflict is the cost of an emissions test, which the rule lets a dealer leave out.

States where the state rule already puts the fee in the price

In Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Vermont, the state's own advertising rule already requires a dealer's advertised price to include its fees, leaving out only taxes and government fees such as title and registration. State and federal law agree.

States with no rule of their own on the price

Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming have no rule of their own on what a dealer's advertised price must include. There, the federal requirement is the only rule on the price itself, and the FTC's position is that the fee belongs in it.

These rules change

Illinois's junk-fee law takes effect January 1, 2027. A 2026 bill to require an all-in price in Arizona died in committee. California's new-car dealers association, Minnesota's and Virginia's dealer associations now tell their members to advertise one all-in price. This list was last checked in October 2026, and each state page on this site has the citations and the current wording.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.