Buying a car · 50 states and DC
Dealer doc fees by state
The documentation fee is the dealer’s charge for paperwork, not a government fee, and only some states limit it.
Built by Radif Partners · How the fees are calculated · Editorial policy
Taxes and fees due when you buy · California
$4,249
Due at purchase $4,249 · out the door $39,249
Then about $478 a year to renew.
| Sales/use tax (10.25%) | $3,596.21 |
| Reflectorized plate fee | $1.00 |
| Registration fee (includes $3 alternative fuel/technology fee) | $76.00 |
| California Highway Patrol fee | $34.00 |
| County and district fees (Los Angeles County) | $11.00 |
| Vehicle license fee (0.65% of $35,100)Based on the price you pay, even for a used car: the schedule restarts at each change of owner. | $228.00 |
| Transportation improvement fee | $198.00 |
| Smog abatement fee (no smog check for the first eight model years) | $20.00 |
| Dealer documentation fee (capped at $85) | $85.00 |
DMV and California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) schedules read on 2026-10-11. Some lines have no single official amount and are listed apart. How this is calculated.
A documentation fee (also called a doc, processing, dealer or predelivery service fee) pays the dealer for preparing the sale and title paperwork. It is a dealer charge, not a government fee, even when it sits next to the tax and registration on the buyer's order. In 2026, 10 of the 51 jurisdictions set a legal maximum, from $85 in California to $800 in Maryland, and 41 do not, though most require the fee to be disclosed or included in advertised prices. Texas does not cap it but presumes $225 reasonable and asks dealers who charge more to justify their costs to its regulator. Whether the fee is taxed also varies: California and Florida tax it, Texas excludes it. The calculator uses the cap where there is one and lets you type the dealer's figure everywhere.
Capped, presumed or free
States fall into three groups. A first group sets a fixed maximum in a statute or regulation, sometimes indexed each year or different for dealers who register cars electronically, as in California ($85 for dealers enrolled with the DMV's electronic program, $70 for the others). A second group sets no maximum but a reasonableness test or a reference amount, like Texas. A third group sets no amount at all and regulates only how the fee is shown: in Georgia the Attorney General requires it to be included in any advertised price, and in Florida a disclosure statement must be printed next to it.
Where it fits in the price
The documentation fee is part of the out-the-door price and, if you finance it, of the amount financed. The out-the-door price calculator adds it to the government fees, and the sales tax calculator taxes it where the state does.
Other dealer charges
Add-ons such as paint protection, window etching, nitrogen tires or service contracts are separate products, not fees. They can usually be refused, and their price should appear on its own line. Federal advice on reading a buyer's order is on the Federal Trade Commission's car buying pages, cited at the bottom of this page.
Check your state
Each state page gives the documentation fee rule with the statute or official page it comes from, and the table below summarizes all 51 jurisdictions.
The 51 jurisdictions side by side
| State | Doc fee cap | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | no cap | Not verified on an official Alabama page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Alaska | no cap | No cap read on an official Alaska page for this release; type the dealer’s fee. |
| Arizona | no cap | No legal cap; a separately stated, reasonable doc fee is not subject to transaction privilege tax. |
| Arkansas | $129.00 | Dealer service and handling fee capped at $129 by Motor Vehicle Commission Rule 8 and charged uniformly to all retail customers. |
| California | $85.00 | $85 for dealers enrolled as DMV private industry partners (electronic registration), $70 for the others (Vehicle Code 4456.5); the fee is taxable. |
| Colorado | no cap | No cap read on an official Colorado page for this release; type the dealer’s handling fee. |
| Connecticut | no cap | No cap: Connecticut law requires the conveyance fee to be disclosed and called negotiable, but sets no maximum. |
| Delaware | no cap | No cap read on an official Delaware page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| District of Columbia | no cap | No cap read on an official DC page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Florida | no cap | No cap; Florida requires the dealer to print a disclosure on every document listing the predelivery service fee (Florida Statutes 501.976(18)). The fee is part of the taxable sales price. |
| Georgia | no cap | Georgia does not regulate the amount of dealer fees, but they must be included in any advertised price (Georgia Attorney General). |
| Hawaii | no cap | No cap read on an official Hawaii page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Idaho | no cap | No cap read on an official Idaho page for this release; the documentation fee is part of the taxable price. |
| Illinois | no cap | Capped by 815 ILCS 375/11.1 at a $300 base (2020) adjusted yearly by the CPI; the 2026 figure was not read on an official page for this release, so type the dealer's fee. |
| Indiana | no cap | No enforcement action at or below $261.72 from July 1, 2026 (CPI-adjusted each year); the fee is subject to sales tax and must be in the advertised price. |
| Iowa | $180.00 | Iowa Code 322.19A caps the documentary fee at $180 per vehicle and requires it to be included in the advertised price. |
| Kansas | no cap | No cap found in Kansas law for this release; administrative fees charged by the dealer are subject to sales tax. |
| Kentucky | no cap | No cap found in Kentucky law for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Louisiana | $436.00 | Maximum documentary fee for calendar year 2026 under R.S. 6:969.18(A)(2), adjusted for inflation and verified by the Legislative Auditor (LMVC Bulletin B-2026-001). |
| Maine | no cap | No cap in Maine law (LD 639 of 2023 died); the fee is part of the taxable sale price. |
| Maryland | $800.00 | Dealer processing charge capped at $800 since July 1, 2024, and included in the price subject to the 6.5% excise. |
| Massachusetts | no cap | No cap on the documentary fee; the separate title preparation fee is limited to $5, and both are taxable. |
| Michigan | $280.00 | Documentary preparation fee capped at 5% of the cash price or $280, whichever is less (DIFS Bulletin 2025-03-CF); it is taxable. |
| Minnesota | $350.00 | Documentary fee capped at $350 or 10% of the sale, whichever is less, for sales on or after July 1, 2025. |
| Mississippi | no cap | No cap read in Mississippi law for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Missouri | $620.79 | Maximum dealer administrative fee of $620.79 for 2026, indexed each February 1 to the CPI; it must be itemized on the buyer's order. |
| Montana | no cap | No cap read in Montana law for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Nebraska | no cap | No cap read in Nebraska law for this release; the fee is part of the taxable price. |
| Nevada | no cap | No cap read on an official Nevada page for this release; the fee is subject to sales tax. |
| New Hampshire | no cap | No cap read in New Hampshire law for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| New Jersey | no cap | No cap found in the official pages read for this release. |
| New Mexico | no cap | No cap found in New Mexico law; type the dealer's fee. |
| New York | no cap | Not verified on an official page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| North Carolina | no cap | No cap in North Carolina; the dealer's administrative document fee is part of the price taxed at 3%. |
| North Dakota | no cap | No cap found in North Dakota law; type the dealer's fee. |
| Ohio | no cap | Capped at the lesser of 10% of the contract amount and a CPI-adjusted amount published each year by the Registrar (R.C. 4517.261); the 2026 amount could not be read on the BMV site for this release. |
| Oklahoma | no cap | No cap found in Oklahoma law; type the dealer's fee. |
| Oregon | $250.00 | Capped at $250 when the dealer uses an integrator (electronic DMV processing), $200 otherwise; the buyer may negotiate it down. |
| Pennsylvania | no cap | No cap found in the official pages read for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Rhode Island | no cap | No cap read on an official Rhode Island page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| South Carolina | no cap | No cap: a dealer files its closing fee with the Department of Consumer Affairs, and a fee of $225 or less is deemed approved; a higher fee can be reviewed for reasonableness. |
| South Dakota | no cap | No cap was found in South Dakota law; a separately stated doc fee bears sales tax rather than the 4% excise tax. |
| Tennessee | no cap | No cap was found; the county clerk collects sales tax on the dealer's document fee. |
| Texas | no cap | No hard cap: a documentary fee of $225 or less is presumed reasonable; above $225 the dealer must file a cost analysis with the OCCC (7 TAC 84.205). The doc fee is not taxable. |
| Utah | no cap | No cap was found in Utah law; the document fee is a charge for a service needed to complete the sale and is taxed with the car. |
| Vermont | no cap | No cap read on an official Vermont page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Virginia | no cap | Not verified on an official page for this release; type the dealer's fee. |
| Washington | $200.00 | Capped at $200 by RCW 46.70.180 since July 1, 2022; it must be disclosed as negotiable and is not subject to sales tax. |
| West Virginia | no cap | Set by the DMV Commissioner under W. Va. Code 17A-6-18a; the 2026 amount was not published on an official page read, so type the dealer's fee. |
| Wisconsin | no cap | No cap: WisDOT lets dealers set an optional service fee that must be reasonable and disclosed; it is taxable. |
| Wyoming | no cap | No cap found in Wyoming law; the fee is part of the price subject to sales tax. |