Dealer Doc Fees, Ranked
The documentation fee is the line on the buyer's order that pays the dealer to do paperwork the dealer was going to do anyway. 17 states cap it by law. The other 34 let the market — meaning the dealer — decide. Here is every cap, ranked, so you know whether the number in front of you is the law or a choice.
Data verified July 2026 against state statutes and DMV sources · monitored monthly for changes
The 17 states with a legal cap, lowest to highest
Fine print worth knowing: Texas's $225 is a regulatory "safe harbor," not a hard ceiling. Illinois and Ohio index their caps to inflation, so those figures tick up on a schedule. Michigan's cap is the lesser of $280 or 5% of the price. Each state's link above goes to its full tax-and-fees guide.
The 34 states with no cap
In these states the doc fee is a negotiation you probably didn't know you were in. Typical asks run $300–$800, and the paperwork costs the dealer the same whether the fee is $85 or $900. The move: ask for the fee up front, compare it across dealers like it's part of the price — because it is — and if it's high, ask for the difference back on the vehicle price instead.
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Kansas · Kentucky · Maine · Massachusetts · Mississippi · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · North Carolina · North Dakota · Oklahoma · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
The side-eye summary
A doc fee is not a tax, not a government charge, and not fixed by anyone but the dealer — except in the 17 states above that decided otherwise. Maryland's $800 cap is higher than what most dealers in uncapped states actually charge, which tells you how much work "capped" is doing in that sentence. Wherever you shop, the doc fee belongs in your out-the-door math, not below it — our out-the-door calculator pre-fills your state's cap where one exists.
Methodology
Caps are compiled from state statutes, regulatory publications, and DMV sources, verified July 2026, and monitored monthly for legislative changes. Figures are the maximum a dealer may charge, not what any dealer necessarily does charge. Corrections welcome: squint@sideeyemath.com. If you cite this page, a link back keeps the eyebrow raised.