Out-the-door price in Utah
How Utah works
- Utah taxes a car at the rate of the dealership's location, not where you live: 4.85% state tax plus county, city and transit taxes, which comes to 6.35% to 8.45% across Utah ZIP codes in October 2026. The dealer collects it and sends it to the Tax Commission, so you pay no sales tax to the DMV on a dealer purchase. This estimate uses your ZIP's rate; if the dealer is elsewhere, the dealer's rate applies.
- A car is exempt from the resort communities tax, the correctional facility tax and the capital city revitalization tax. The rate used here already leaves them out, so it can be a point or more below the combined rate on the Tax Commission's chart. Salt Lake City's chart rate is 8.45%; a car there is taxed at 7.45%.
- Your trade-in reduces the taxable amount, with no dollar cap, on new and used cars. It has to be part of the same transaction and written into the same contract. Manufacturer rebates reduce it too, if they are separately stated on the contract, and so do dealer discounts.
- The doc fee is taxed. Utah sets no cap on it. The dealer must post a sign saying the fee is not set or required by the state, and list it apart from government fees.
- Service contracts, extended warranties, prepaid maintenance plans and dealer accessories are taxed. GAP coverage is not. The calculator taxes everything entered as F&I products, so it overstates the tax a little if you add GAP.
- At the sale: the dealer normally collects the title, registration, age-based fee and plates, issues a 45-day temporary permit, and files the paperwork with the DMV within 45 days. You can register the car yourself instead. Then the dealer must give you the title within 48 hours and a report of sale showing the tax was collected.
- The age-based uniform fee is Utah's substitute for property tax on a car: $150 in the first three model years, then $110, $80, $50 and $10. Registration does not transfer from the seller, so a used car is registered again, and the fee charged again, in your name.
- State registration fees are indexed to inflation every January 1, and a $0.50 charge is added on January 1, 2027. Plates and postage are an estimate. The DMV's fee estimator gives the exact figure for your car.
Rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Our methodology.
Try it for your ZIP
What a Utah advertised price has to include
Utah's advertising rule requires a dealer's advertised price to include freight, destination, dealer preparation, dealer handling and any non-optional items installed, but lets the dealer leave out the dealer documentary service fee and a temporary permit fee. The FTC expects more: every fee the dealer requires, the documentary fee included, belongs in the advertised price, so only government charges like sales tax, title and registration can be added on top. That still isn't your out-the-door number; the calculator above adds the rest for your ZIP.
Federal law comes first
The FTC requires a dealer's advertised price to include every fee the dealer charges. Only charges the government requires you to pay, like tax, title and registration, can be left out. Where a state's rules let a dealer leave a fee out, the dealer still has to follow the federal rule, so the fee goes in. The FTC says a state's doc-fee rules can add disclosures, but they don't change the price that has to be advertised. Read the FTC's guidance.
Utah's rule and the FTC conflict on the documentary fee
Utah's advertising rule says an advertised price does not have to include the dealer documentary service fee or a temporary permit fee, and Utah law lets the dealer add both on top of the negotiated price. The FTC expects every fee a dealer requires to be in the advertised price, so the two conflict. Until regulators or the courts settle it, you may see Utah ads that leave the fee out. Ask whether a price includes it, and get the out-the-door price in writing.
What the FTC expects in the advertised price
- The documentary fee (Utah sets no cap), whatever the dealer calls it
- Freight (destination) and dealer preparation or handling charges
- Non-optional items installed on the car
- The temporary permit fee, if the dealer passes it on
- An emissions test charge, if the dealer passes it on
Can still be added on top
- Sales tax: 4.85% state plus county, city and transit taxes at the dealership's location
- The $6 title fee, registration fees, the age-based uniform fee, plates and county fees
- The $1-a-tire waste tire recycling fee
- Optional products you choose to buy, such as a service contract or GAP coverage
- The rule: R877-23V-7 says the advertised price of a car must include charges the customer must pay for it, such as freight, destination, dealer preparation, dealer handling and non-optional items installed. It then lists what an ad need not include: dealer documentary service fees, optional items, taxes and government fees, and temporary permit fees.
- What a dealer may add: Utah Code 41-3-211 bars a dealer from requiring any amount or fee above the negotiated price except a temporary permit fee, title and registration fees, the documentary fee, sales and use tax and other government charges. Dealer preparation, handling and freight have to sit inside the negotiated price.
- The documentary fee: Utah sets no cap. The dealer must post a sign in the sales area stating the fee and that it is not set or required by state law, and must list it separately from state-mandated fees. It is subject to sales tax.
- The transaction disclosure form: since July 2023 a dealer must give you a written form before the sale is final showing the negotiated price, your trade-in value, an itemized list of taxes and fees, a subtotal and any optional charges.
- Other ad rules: a car advertised at a price has to be in the dealer's possession at the address given. An ad may not state a specific trade-in amount, and a discount on a new car has to be stated against the MSRP. Penalties are $250, $1,000 and $5,000 for a first, second and third offense in 12 months.
More in our guide: Do dealers have to put fees in the advertised price? What actually changed for 2026
See every state: Which states let dealers leave the doc fee out of the advertised price?
Utah in detail
Rates by county in Utah
Counties where the rate differs from the rest of Utah, or changes from one city to the next. The 25 listed here are the ones where your county actually changes the number.
| County | Combined rate | ZIPs |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 7.65%–7.95% | 6 |
| Summit County | 7.65%–7.95% | 9 |
| Wasatch County | 7.25%–7.55% | 3 |
| Salt Lake County | 7.45% | 72 |
| Utah County | 7.35%–7.45% | 27 |
| Weber County | 7.45%–8.45% | 17 |
| Grand County | 7.35%–7.75% | 3 |
| Kane County | 7.35%–7.45% | 6 |
| Davis County | 7.15%–7.25% | 14 |
| Juab County | 6.65%–7.05% | 4 |
| Cache County | 7%–7.3% | 19 |
| Morgan County | 6.7%–6.95% | 2 |
| Box Elder County | 6.65%–7.65% | 18 |
| Iron County | 6.65%–7.05% | 10 |
| Sevier County | 6.65%–7.05% | 12 |
| Tooele County | 6.6%–7.6% | 8 |
| Uintah County | 6.45%–6.95% | 9 |
| Washington County | 6.45%–7.08% | 22 |
| Beaver County | 6.35%–7.35% | 4 |
| Carbon County | 6.35%–6.75% | 6 |
| Duchesne County | 6.35%–6.75% | 12 |
| Emery County | 6.35%–6.75% | 9 |
| Millard County | 6.35%–6.75% | 11 |
| San Juan County | 6.35%–6.75% | 9 |
| Sanpete County | 6.35%–6.75% | 15 |
Utah OTD questions, answered
Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in Utah?
Yes — Utah taxes the difference: your trade-in's value is subtracted before tax is computed.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in Utah?
No — rebates passed to you are treated like a cash discount and reduce the taxable amount.
Is the doc fee capped in Utah?
No — doc fees are uncapped in Utah; buyers report a typical $447.00. It's negotiable as part of your total OTD.
What does a Utah dealer's advertised price have to include?
Under Utah's rule: freight, destination, dealer preparation, dealer handling and any non-optional items installed. The rule lets a dealer leave out the documentary fee, a temporary permit fee, optional items and government taxes and fees. The FTC expects every fee the dealer requires, the documentary fee included, to be in the price, so the two conflict. Only sales tax, title, registration and other government charges belong on top.
Is there a limit on a Utah dealer's doc fee?
No. Utah sets no cap and no amount. The dealer must post a sign saying the fee is not state-mandated and list it separately, and it is taxed. CarEdge's 2026 quotes average about $450, from under $100 to nearly $1,000.
Do I pay sales tax at the dealership in Utah?
Yes. The dealer collects it at the rate where the dealership is and sends it to the Tax Commission. You pay no sales tax to the DMV on a dealer purchase. You pay the title, registration and age-based fees, normally through the dealer, which files them for you.
What else can a Utah dealer charge on top of the price?
Only a documentary fee, a temporary permit fee, title and registration fees, sales tax and other government charges. Utah Code 41-3-211 bars any other required fee on top of the negotiated price. Products you choose to buy are separate.