South Carolina doc fee: $225.00 presumed reasonable, and when a dealer can charge more

• South Carolina treats a closing fee of $225 or less as approved (S.C. Code 37-2-307). That is not a hard cap: a dealer can file a higher fee with the state Department of Consumer Affairs, based on its actual costs for the prior 12 months, and the department may review it. The dealer also has to display the fee in the dealership and disclose it on the contract and in any ad for a specific vehicle.
• If a dealer quotes more than $225, ask whether it has filed that amount with the Department of Consumer Affairs. You can also ask the department directly.
• The rule: 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).

• The doc fee is part of the taxable amount in South Carolina, so sales tax is calculated on it as well. A larger doc fee costs you more than the fee itself.
• The closing fee is the dealer's charge, not a government fee. It is a smaller lever than the vehicle price, but it is negotiable.
• Taxed at 5%, a $225.00 doc fee really costs $236.25.

• Your trade-in comes off the price before the 5% is figured, on new and used cars, with no dollar limit. The dealer's doc fee and accessories are part of the amount; separately stated service contracts and GAP are not. Whether a manufacturer rebate lowers it is unsettled. It rarely changes anything, because the cap applies on most cars.
• South Carolina calls the doc fee a closing fee. The state does not cap it in dollars. A dealer files its maximum with the Department of Consumer Affairs: $225 or less is treated as reasonable without review, and a higher fee can be reviewed against the dealer's actual costs.

Source: SC Department of Revenue — Infrastructure Maintenance Fee / Maximum Tax · rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Methodology.