Dealer doc fees by state, 2026

Dealer doc fees are capped by law in 16 states: Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington. South Carolina and Texas set soft limits instead, Indiana and West Virginia have other rules, and we found no cap in the other 30 states or the District of Columbia.

Where doc fees are capped

• Arkansas: capped at $129. Source: Ark. Code 23-112-317(c)(1); 23 CAR 410-801
• California: capped at $85 if the dealer has a contract with the DMV to be a private industry partner under Vehicle Code 1685, and $70 if not. A raise (SB 791) was vetoed Oct 13, 2025 and the veto was sustained Mar 2, 2026. Source: Veh. Code 4456.5
• Illinois: capped at $377.63 for 2026, indexed yearly. Source: 815 ILCS 375/11.1(b) ($300 base from 2020, adjusted yearly by CPI); 2026 amount as reported by the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association
• Iowa: capped at $180. Source: Iowa Code 322.19A
• Louisiana: capped at $436 for 2026, indexed yearly. Source: LMVC Bulletin B-2026-001
• Maryland: capped at $800 since July 1, 2024. Source: Md. Transp. 15-311.1
• Michigan: capped at the lesser of $280 or 5% of the cash price (DIFS Bulletin 2025-03-CF, Jan 28, 2025). The state adjusts the dollar figure every two years. The limit is in the installment sale contract section of the Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act. Source: DIFS Bulletin 2025-03-CF
• Minnesota: capped at the lesser of $350 or 10% of the value of the sale or lease, for sales and leases on or after July 1, 2025. Source: Minn. Stat. 168.27
• Mississippi: capped at $425, and it must be reasonable and charged the same to cash and credit buyers. Source: 30 Miss. Code R. 1301-8.1
• Missouri: capped at $620.79 for licensure year 2026. The new figure takes effect each February 1. Source: 12 CSR 10-26.231
• New York: capped at $175. Source: 15 NYCRR 78.19
• Ohio: capped at the lesser of $398 (2026) or 10% of the amount the buyer pays under the contract, not counting tax, title, registration fees or negative equity. $412 is posted for 2027. Source: ORC 4517.261
• Oregon: capped at $250 if the dealer uses an electronic title integrator, $200 if not. Source: ORS 822.043(4)
• Pennsylvania: capped at $490 for a dealer that provides electronic transaction services, or $409 for one that does not (calendar year 2026), adjusted each year. Source: 63 P.S. 818.327(c)
• Rhode Island: a documentary preparation fee may not exceed $400 and may be charged only on vehicle transactions over $10,000; a fee on a sale under $10,000 can draw a fine or license action. A separate title preparation fee up to $20 is allowed. Source: 280-RICR-30-20-1.6
• Washington: capped at $200. A 2026 push to raise it to $250 was removed from the final bill. Source: RCW 46.70.180

Soft limits

• South Carolina: every dealer must file its fee with the Department of Consumer Affairs before charging it. A fee up to $225 is presumed approved (the law says it “is considered to be approved”); the department may review a higher one. Source: S.C. Code 37-2-307
• Texas: a fee of $225 or less is presumed reasonable. For a higher fee the seller must give the state credit regulator (OCCC) a notification and a cost analysis, and the OCCC may review it and order restitution and a lower fee if it finds it unreasonable. The OCCC does not approve a fee in advance. Source: 7 TAC 84.205

Other rules

• Indiana: A documentation fee over $200, adjusted yearly for inflation, is an unfair practice under Indiana law. The Secretary of State’s dealer division says it will not take enforcement action on a fee at or below $261.72 as of July 1, 2026. Source: IC 9-32-13-7; Indiana Secretary of State Auto Dealer Services Division notice, July 1, 2026
• West Virginia: West Virginia law lets the DMV commissioner set the maximum documentary charge a dealer may charge. We have not found the DMV’s own notice or a current figure. Source: W. Va. Code 17A-6-18a (authority)

Research as of September 22, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Every state and DC

The cap, the law behind it and the average doc fee for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Rank 1 is the highest average. Each state’s name opens its own page, and the State, cap and average headings sort the table.

Average doc fee: CarEdge, real dealer quotes, 2025–26, as of September 22, 2026; the source updates continuously, and its closest archived copy is from September 10, 2026. Law or source: each state’s own, linked in its row; for a state with none cited, the True Lane state survey.

How we compiled this

The research is as of September 22, 2026. Each figure here sits beside its source, and each state’s page shows the same cap, law and average.

Cap type

“Capped by law” means a statute, a regulation or a state agency acting under the law sets the most a dealer can charge. “Soft limit” means a fee up to a set amount is presumed reasonable, and a higher one has to be filed with or justified to the state. “No cap” means we found no law that sets a maximum. “Other rule” means the state’s rule is none of these, and its row says what the rule is.

Cap amount or rule

The cap, or for a state without one the rule it does have, summarized from the law or source linked beside it. Some caps are indexed to inflation and change every year. The linked source has the current figure, except where a row says we couldn’t confirm one.

Law or source

Each state’s cap: the law, a state agency, or where noted a dealer association, linked beside it. “No cap” status for states without a linked statute: True Lane, dealer doc fee by state, cross-checked against Car Real Talk.

Average doc fee

CarEdge, State of Dealer Fees: average doc fee by state from out-the-door quotes collected from July 2025, as of September 22, 2026. The source updates continuously; its closest archived copy is from September 10, 2026.

Rank

The 51 averages in order, from 1, the highest, to 51, the lowest.

In seven states the average is above the cap: Arkansas, California, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island and Washington. That isn’t a finding that dealers there break the law. The averages come from fees as dealers’ quotes show them, and some of these states let a dealer add a separate charge on top of the capped fee, such as California’s electronic filing charge, Rhode Island’s $20 title preparation fee or New York’s $5 plate fee. Compare the doc fee line on your quote with the cap.

Laws and rules we read

1. FTC automobile pricing transparency FAQs (Sep 2026)
2. CalMatters: California SB 791 veto (Oct 2025)
3. California CARS Act (SB 766) summary
4. California DMV: Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights
5. Washington ESSB 6354 final bill report (2026), and the Senate bill report for the February 24, 2026 hearing, when the bill would have raised the fee to $250
6. Colorado HB25-1090; Massachusetts AG advisory; Louisiana MVC Bulletin B-2026-003; New Jersey AG statement
7. Illinois 2026 cap (Illinois Automobile Dealers Association); West Virginia: W. Va. Code 17A-6-18a (authority)

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and the statute or regulation and your contract are what control.

Questions

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