Tennessee car registration and title fees

• Title fee — $14.00. The certificate of title: a $5.50 state fee plus the county clerk's $8.50 fee for receiving and forwarding the application. Charged once, when the car is first titled in your name. Your lender's lien is a separate fee, below. (T.C.A. 55-6-104(a)(3); DOR Notice 22-11; DOR Form RV-F1315201 instructions)
• Registration and plate — $26.50. One year of registration for a passenger car, with the standard plate. It renews every year. Not charged again if you move the plate from a car you already own. (T.C.A. 55-4-111(a)(1); DOR Revenue Help VR-4)
• County clerk fee — $2.50. The county clerk's fee for issuing a registration and plate, or for moving a plate to the new car. (T.C.A. 55-6-104(a)(1))
• County wheel tax — varies. Your county's yearly motor vehicle privilege tax, collected with the registration. It runs from nothing in 37 counties to $100 in Lake County. The figures come from a University of Tennessee county tax survey and a few are out of date, so confirm yours with your county clerk. If you buy from a dealer outside your county, your clerk may collect it from you. (T.C.A. 5-8-102; CTAS County Tax Statistics (2026))
• Lien notation fee — $11.00. The state's fee to note your lender's lien on the new title. Charged only when you finance. (DOR Notice (June 2015), Change in State Fee for Notation of Liens; DOR Form RV-F1315201 instructions)

• Tire environmental fee — $5.00 (government-mandated). A state fee of $5 on a new, never-titled car, collected by the dealer and sent to the state's tire environmental fund. It is not taxed. (T.C.A. 68-211-303; DOR Notice 15-19; DOR Revenue Help OTF-1)
• Temporary tag (est.) — $8.50 (dealer fee). The 60-day temporary tag the dealer prints for you. The dealer pays the state $6.50 and a $2.00 processing fee for it and passes the charge on. A charge the dealer pays and passes on belongs in the advertised price. (DOR Revenue Ruling 07-06; DOR Auto Dealership Manual (Jan 2024), p. 58; DOR EZ Dealer Tags page; Pub. Ch. 734 (2022))

• Registration renews every year: the $26.50 state fee, the county clerk's $2.50 fee and your county's wheel tax, if it has one. You can renew online or at the county clerk.

• A battery-electric car pays an extra $200 at each registration renewal in 2026. The fee rises to $274 for renewals from January 1, 2027, and is indexed for inflation from 2028. It is added at renewal, not at the first registration.
• A hybrid or plug-in hybrid pays an extra $100 at each registration renewal. It is indexed for inflation from January 1, 2028. It is added at renewal, not at the first registration.

• Registering the car: in Tennessee the dealer usually files your title and registration with the county clerk and collects the fees at the sale. A 60-day temporary tag covers you, and the clerk mails the plate. If you buy from a dealer outside your county, your own clerk may collect your wheel tax. The calculator includes the title, registration and county fees either way.

Source: TN Department of Revenue — County Clerk Sales and Use Tax Guide for Automobiles & Boats · rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Methodology.