Chester T. Dean 
Buying a car is one of the most expensive investments a person can make.
There may be more sticker shock when the final price is much higher than expected due to hidden charges.
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Car dealerships have added fees that are added to the final bill.
This may be called the dealer doc fee.
These costs may not be taken into account when negotiating the price of the car.
On the other hand, dealer doc fees can be used during the negotiation phase.
On your purchase agreement, the line item may appear as “Documentation Fee”.
This amount will vary from state to state.
What are the dealer doc fees?
Auto dealer documentation fees are additional fees that the dealer adds to the final bill when buying a car.
The most common additional costs are sales tax, vehicle registration, and even the cost of office staff doing the paperwork to sell the car.
Fees vary by state and may be determined by a percentage of the sale price.
Here’s a look at the average dealer documentation fees by state, according to YAA:
- Alaska: $200
- Alabama: $485
- Arkansas: $110
- Arizona: $410
- California: $85
- Colorado: $490
- Connecticut: $415
- Deleware: $292
- Florida: $995
- Georgia: $545
- Hawaii: $250
- Iowa: $135
- Idaho: $265
- Illinois: $303
- Indiana: $150
- Kansas: $399
- Kentucky: $450
- Louisiana: $200
- Massachusetts: $396
- Maryland: $500
- Maine: $499
- Michigan: $230
- Minnesota: $75
- Missouri: $500
- Mississippi: $425
- Montana: $299
- North Carolina: $599
- North Dakota: $299
- Nebraska: $299
- New Hampshire: $372
- New Jersey: $399
- New Mexico: $339
- Nevada: $499
- New York: $175
- Ohio: $250
- Oklahoma: $299
- Oregon: $115
- Pennsylvania: $389
- Rhode Island: $220
- Caroline from the south: $350
- South Dakota: $115
- Tennessee: $500
- Texas: $150
- Utah: $299
- Virginia: $599
- Vermont: $180
- Washington: $150
- Washington D.C.: $300
- Wisconsin: $299
- West Virginia: $175
- Wyoming: $500
Some states have a cap on dealer doc fees. It’s best to check if yours has one.
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