Fee Check
Government fees vs dealer fees
Government fees go to the state or county; dealer fees stay with the store. Labels on the worksheet can blur that line.
Printed on worksheets as: Government Fees · Dealer Fees · Title Fee · Registration Fee · Doc Fee
- Who sets it
- The dealer
- Required by law
- Varies by state
- Typical amount
- No honest figure to give: it varies by store. The number on your sheet is the number.
- Whose money
- The dealer's own price for this. The dealer may decline to remove it, and you may decline the deal; either way it belongs in the out-the-door total you compare between stores.
The one question to ask
“Which of these lines are state or county fees, and which are dealer fees?”
What it is
Government fees are amounts fixed by statute or an official DMV/tax schedule - title certificates, license plates, registration, some inspections, and state sales or highway-use tax. Dealer fees are amounts the store sets or marks up - documentation, dealer prep, etching, nitrogen, paint protection, and often electronic-filing add-ons. A honest worksheet keeps them separate. If a line is named like a government fee but the amount does not match the published schedule, ask for the official fee breakdown. You generally cannot waive true government charges; you can ask what dealer fees cover and whether any optional products can be removed.
In your state
- Legal cap in Florida
- No cap Must be listed as a dealer charge on the buyer's order.
- Average charged
- $912
- Source
- Fla. Stat. 501.976(18)
Averages and caps come from the Dealer Fee Map, with its sources and as-of date.
Source
DrivrShield fee-literacy synthesis grounded in state DMV schedule practice · as of September 1, 2026
Fee Check explains what a line is; it doesn’t grade your deal or name a price. Rules change: the date above is when this entry was last checked against its source.
The next step
This tool says something is in there. DrivrShield AI says what.
The math can prove a payment carries more than your figures explain. It cannot see the line items. Photograph the worksheet and DrivrShield AI reads every line — what each fee is, which ones your state actually requires, which are the dealer's to remove, and the exact words to ask.
- Photograph a worksheet and get it line by line
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