Connecticut dealer fees: what's capped, what's real, what you can refuse

Is there a limit on the doc fee in Connecticut?

Connecticut sets no dollar limit on the dealer documentation fee. Called a 'dealer conveyance fee' or 'processing fee'. The statute requires disclosure only. The annotation to § 14-62 cites the Connecticut Supreme Court (281 Conn. 417) holding it 'is not a substantive limitation on the amount' a dealer may charge.

Dealers surveyed in Connecticut charge about $756 on average (an industry survey, not a legal figure). With no cap, it's a price like any other: compare it across dealers and negotiate the total.

What the dealer has to tell you

The quoted selling price must state the conveyance fee separately and say it is negotiable. It cannot be added when the order is signed. The order and invoice must show the fee in 10-point bold with a statement that it is not payable to the state. A written statement and a sign must give the amount, the services covered, that it is negotiable and not a state fee, and that a buyer who files their own DMV paperwork gets a proportional reduction.

If the fee isn't shown the way the rule requires, that's leverage: point to the rule and ask for it to come off.

Worth checking: Check CT DMV for current title and registration fees, and CT DRS for whether sales tax applies to the conveyance fee.

The fees Connecticut itself charges

Dealers may not charge a dealer preparation fee for anything the manufacturer reimburses, or for any item or service the buyer did not specifically order and that is not itemized on the invoice.

Fees you can say no to

Beyond tax, title, registration and the doc fee, most other lines a dealer adds are optional: nitrogen in the tires, VIN etching, paint and fabric protection, "dealer prep", and market adjustments. Ask for them to come off in writing; if they're already on the car, that's a price question, not a fee.

Questions people ask