What is a dealer addendum sticker, and do I have to pay for it?

Two stickers, two sources

The factory label. Federal law requires every manufacturer of new automobiles to “securely affix to the windshield, or side window” a label that shows, among other things (15 U.S.C. 1232):

• “the retail price of such automobile suggested by the manufacturer”;
• the suggested price of each accessory or item of optional equipment “physically attached to such automobile at the time of its delivery to such dealer”;
• the amount charged to the dealer for transporting the car; and
• the total of those amounts.

Willfully removing or altering that label before the car is delivered to its first buyer is a federal offense (15 U.S.C. 1233(c); 15 U.S.C. 1231(g)).

The dealer’s addendum. The factory label covers what was on the car when it reached the dealer. An addendum is the dealer’s own list of what it added later, at its own prices. The FTC’s examples of dealer add-ons include “theft protection, paint coating, nitrogen tires, or tinted windows” (FTC), along with VIN etching and rustproofing (FTC). A used car has no federal price label; its federal form is the Buyers Guide, covered in What is the “As Is” Buyers Guide on a used car?

Do you have to pay for what’s on it?

FTC staff’s September 2026 FAQs, which are not binding on the public or the Commission, address pre-installed items directly. Dealers “cannot suggest an add-on is required when it is in fact optional, imply that an installed ‘option’ cannot be removed and that the consumer must pay for it, misstate the cost of an option, or include charges for options the consumer did not agree to” (FTC staff FAQs, non-binding). The staff adds that the FTC “has brought lawsuits challenging such conduct and will not hesitate to do so moving forward.”

The FTC’s consumer advice is plainer: “It’s ok to say no to add-ons, and to ask the price. It’s not ok for dealers to tuck add-ons into your deal or lie about them” (FTC). It adds that you “can usually buy the vehicle you want without any add-ons” (FTC).

If the dealer says it’s required

If an addendum item is required to buy the car, check the advertised price. The FTC’s March 2026 warning letters to 97 dealership groups list “requiring consumers to buy additional items not reflected in the advertised price” among illegal pricing practices (FTC). Dealer fees work the same way in FTC staff’s non-binding view: “The advertised price must include any mandatory fee, including the full document fee if the dealer requires any consumer to pay it” (FTC staff FAQs, non-binding). What each state allows for that fee is in Dealer doc fees by state.

How to handle an addendum

1. Ask for the out-the-door price in writing before you visit. The FTC suggests using written quotes to “spot add-ons and other charges that the dealer may try to introduce at the last minute” (FTC).
2. Ask what each item is and what it costs. The FTC’s advice is to “ask how much you’re paying for each add-on and what you’ll get, and get answers in writing” (FTC).
3. Ask for the charges you don’t want to come off. The FTC says to “tell the dealer to remove any add-ons you don’t want” (FTC).
4. Compare the contract with the quote, and make sure “the terms you agreed on match what’s in the contract” (FTC).
5. If something’s wrong, you can report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. FTC staff, in their non-binding FAQs, ask people who report to note any documentation they have, “like copies of ads or actual contracts” (FTC staff FAQs, non-binding).

Fee Check explains any line a dealer prints, and How to read a dealer worksheet shows where add-ons sit on the page.

What to say

Before you sign: checklist

State notes

FAQ

Sources

1. 15 U.S.C. 1232 (U.S. Code, 2024 ed., govinfo): the manufacturer’s window label and what it must show (accessed Oct 2026)
2. 15 U.S.C. 1233 (U.S. Code, 2024 ed., govinfo): removing or altering the label before delivery to the ultimate purchaser, (c) (accessed Oct 2026)
3. 15 U.S.C. 1231 (U.S. Code, 2024 ed., govinfo): “ultimate purchaser” defined, (g) (accessed Oct 2026)
4. FTC – Automobile Industry Pricing Transparency FAQs (Sep 2026): non-binding FTC staff guidance: optional and pre-installed add-ons, mandatory and document fees, reporting with documentation (accessed Oct 2026)
5. FTC – Warns 97 Auto Dealership Groups About Deceptive Pricing (Mar 13, 2026): required items not reflected in the advertised price (accessed Oct 2026)
6. FTC – Did you ask for all those add-ons? (Aug 2024): examples of dealer add-ons (accessed Oct 2026)
7. FTC – Car dealerships can’t charge you for add-ons you don’t want (Aug 2024): ask for unwanted add-ons to be removed; check the contract (accessed Oct 2026)
8. FTC – Buying a Used Car From a Dealer: add-ons are optional; written out-the-door quotes; ask each add-on’s price (accessed Oct 2026)
9. FTC – Financing or Leasing a Car: saying no to add-ons (accessed Oct 2026)
10. FTC – ReportFraud.ftc.gov: federal reports about dealers (accessed Oct 2026)
11. Cal. Civ. Code 1784.31: “total price” includes installed items, (j); operative Oct 1, 2026 (accessed Oct 2026)
12. Cal. Civ. Code 1784.41: total price in ads, (a); add-on “not required” disclosure, (b) (accessed Oct 2026)
13. Cal. Civ. Code 1784.42: no charge for add-ons with no benefit, (a) (accessed Oct 2026)
14. Fla. Stat. 501.976 (2026): advertised price must include required fees, (16) (accessed Oct 2026)
15. Fla. Stat. 320.27 (2026): dealer discipline for a pattern of requiring equipment not ordered, (9)(b)10. (accessed Oct 2026)

About this guide

This page is general information about federal rules, and some state rules, as of October 2026. It isn’t legal advice. Your contract and the law control, including your state’s law, and the law can change. If an addendum doesn’t match what you were told, ask the dealer to explain it in writing.