Ohio Car Sales Tax by County (2026): Rates, Trade-Ins and Fees
Ohio charges 5.75% state sales tax on a car, plus a county tax set by where you live, not where you buy. Together that comes to between 6.50% and 8.25%.
In Franklin and Cuyahoga counties you pay 8.00%, or $2,400 on a $30,000 car. In Butler, Lorain, Stark and Wayne counties it’s 6.50%, or $1,950.
Every rate on this page comes from the Ohio Department of Taxation table for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Last checked 19 October 2026.
Ohio Car Sales Tax Calculator
What’s the car sales tax rate in my Ohio county?
You pay the rate for the county you live in, even if you buy the car somewhere else. Buy in Butler County at 6.50% while living in Franklin County, and you still pay 8.00%.
Parts of Delaware, Fairfield, Licking and Union counties sit inside the COTA transit area, and part of Wood County is in the TARTA area. Those addresses pay a higher rate, shown as separate rows below.
| County | Total rate | Tax on a $30,000 car |
|---|---|---|
| Adams | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Allen | 6.85% | $2,055 |
| Ashland | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Ashtabula | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Athens | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Auglaize | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Belmont | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Brown | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Butler | 6.50% | $1,950 |
| Carroll | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Champaign | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Clark | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Clermont | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Clinton | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Columbiana | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Coshocton | 7.75% | $2,325 |
| Crawford | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Cuyahoga | 8.00% | $2,400 |
| Darke | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Defiance | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Delaware | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Delaware (COTA area) | 8.00% | $2,400 |
| Erie | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Fairfield | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Fairfield (COTA area) | 7.75% | $2,325 |
| Fayette | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Franklin | 8.00% | $2,400 |
| Fulton | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Gallia | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Geauga | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Greene | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Guernsey | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Hamilton | 7.80% | $2,340 |
| Hancock | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Hardin | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Harrison | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Henry | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Highland | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Hocking | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Holmes | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Huron | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Jackson | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Jefferson | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Knox | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Lake | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Lawrence | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Licking | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Licking (COTA area) | 8.25% | $2,475 |
| Logan | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Lorain | 6.50% | $1,950 |
| Lucas | 7.75% | $2,325 |
| Madison | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Mahoning | 7.50% | $2,250 |
| Marion | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Medina | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Meigs | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Mercer | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Miami | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Monroe | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Montgomery | 7.50% | $2,250 |
| Morgan | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Morrow | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Muskingum | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Noble | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Ottawa | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Paulding | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Perry | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Pickaway | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Pike | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Portage | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Preble | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Putnam | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Richland | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Ross | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Sandusky | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Scioto | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Seneca | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Shelby | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Stark | 6.50% | $1,950 |
| Summit | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Trumbull | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Tuscarawas | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Union | 7.00% | $2,100 |
| Union (COTA area) | 8.00% | $2,400 |
| Van Wert | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Vinton | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Warren | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Washington | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Wayne | 6.50% | $1,950 |
| Williams | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Wood | 6.75% | $2,025 |
| Wood (TARTA area) | 7.25% | $2,175 |
| Wyandot | 7.25% | $2,175 |
Which Ohio counties have the highest and lowest car sales tax?
The COTA area of Licking County has Ohio’s highest rate at 8.25%. Cuyahoga and Franklin counties, and the COTA areas of Delaware and Union, come next at 8.00%. Hamilton County is 7.80%.
The lowest rate is 6.50%, in Butler, Lorain, Stark and Wayne counties.
On a $40,000 car the gap between the top and bottom rate is $700. Warren County went up from 6.75% to 7.25% on 1 October 2026, so check any figure you saw before then.
How do I calculate Ohio sales tax on a car?
Start with the price after any dealer discount. Subtract your trade-in if you’re buying a new car. Multiply what’s left by your county’s rate. Manufacturer rebates don’t come off first.
Say you live in Franklin County (8.00%) and buy a new SUV listed at $35,000. The dealer takes $1,000 off, you trade in a car worth $10,000, and there’s a $2,000 manufacturer rebate.
- Taxable price: $35,000 minus $1,000 discount minus $10,000 trade-in = $24,000
- The $2,000 rebate stays in the taxable price
- Sales tax: $24,000 x 8.00% = $1,920
The rebate rule comes straight from the Ohio Department of Taxation: manufacturer rebates and cash down payments don’t lower the taxable price, but a dealer discount at the time of sale does.
Does a trade-in lower sales tax in Ohio?
Only when you’re buying a new car. Ohio gives the trade-in credit on new motor vehicles, so trading in toward a used car saves you nothing on tax.
Take a $20,000 used car with a $5,000 trade-in in Franklin County. You pay tax on the full $20,000, which is $1,600, not $1,200 on $15,000.
Trading two cars in on one new car? Their values add up. If together they’re worth as much as the new car, you owe no sales tax.
A car you’re still leasing doesn’t count as a trade-in unless you buy it out, pay the tax and title it first. If you’re weighing a dealer offer against selling privately, our trade-in tax calculator shows what the credit is worth.
Do you pay sales tax on a private car sale in Ohio?
Yes. Ohio specifically leaves cars out of its casual-sale exemption, so a private sale is taxed at the same rate as a dealer sale.
The buyer pays the tax at the county Clerk of Courts title office when the title is transferred, at the rate for the county they live in. A $20,000 private sale in Cuyahoga County means $1,600 in tax.
You have 30 days from the sale to transfer the title. After that the Franklin County Clerk of Courts charges a $5 late fee.
Don’t write a lower price on the title. The Ohio Department of Taxation audits private transfers and sends letters to both buyer and seller. Misstating the price can mean up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Swaps and loan takeovers are taxed too. Trade cars with a friend and each of you pays tax on the value of the car you get. Take over someone’s car loan and you pay tax on the balance you take on.
How are car leases taxed in Ohio?
Ohio taxes a lease up front. You pay sales tax on the total of all your lease payments when you sign, at your county’s rate, instead of a little each month. You can roll that tax into the lease rather than paying it in cash.
A cash down payment is taxed. So are acquisition fees, disposition fees, and charges for extra miles or wear. Documentation fees and registration fees aren’t.
End the lease early and you don’t get that tax back. A refund only happens if the whole lease is unwound and everything you paid is returned.
Do out-of-state buyers pay Ohio sales tax?
Usually not. If you live in another state and drive the car straight home to title it there, you sign a nonresident affidavit and skip Ohio tax.
The exception is seven states where Ohio collects the tax for them: Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan and South Carolina. Live in one of those and the Ohio dealer charges you tax.
How does Ohio car sales tax work for military members?
An Ohio resident in the military who buys a car in Ohio pays Ohio tax. So does a nonresident stationed in Ohio who registers the car here.
An Ohio resident who buys outside Ohio and keeps the car out of state for more than six months, shown by military orders, owes no Ohio tax. The car has to be titled in the service member’s name.
When don’t you pay sales tax on a car in Ohio?
Ohio skips sales tax in a few narrow cases:
- A court-ordered transfer where no money changes hands, such as a divorce, a dissolution or an estate settlement
- An inheritance with nothing paid, including to a surviving spouse
- A vehicle bought by and titled to a church. Clergy buying in their own name still pay
- A nonresident taking the car straight out of state, outside the seven states above
If a court orders a transfer and the new owner pays something, including cancelling a debt, that amount is taxed.
What other fees do you pay on a car in Ohio?
- Title fee: $18 since 1 January 2026, or $23 in counties that added an optional $5, such as Columbiana from 1 March 2026. Ask your county Clerk of Courts which applies
- Late title transfer after 30 days: $5
- Annual passenger registration: $36, up $5 on 1 January 2026
- Deputy registrar service fee: $8 for a one-year renewal
- Local permissive tax: up to $30, depending on your county
- Dealer documentation fee: capped at $398 or 10% of the cash price, whichever is lower
The doc fee cap rises with inflation each September, and most Ohio dealers charge the full amount. More on that in our guide to dealer fees.
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Common mistakes with Ohio car sales tax
- Using the dealer’s county rate instead of your own
- Expecting a trade-in to cut the tax on a used car
- Taking the manufacturer rebate off before working out the tax
- Writing a lower price on a private-sale title
- Missing the 30-day title transfer window
- Assuming 8% is the most you can pay. The Licking County COTA area is 8.25%
Ohio Car Sales Tax Video
Frequently asked questions
Is Ohio car sales tax 8%?
Only in some places. It’s 8.00% in Cuyahoga and Franklin counties and the COTA areas of Delaware and Union. Across Ohio the total ranges from 6.50% to 8.25%.
How much is tax and title on a $30,000 car in Ohio?
At the lowest rate of 6.50%, it’s $1,950 in tax plus the $18 title fee, so $1,968. At 8.00% it’s $2,400 plus $18, so $2,418. Counties charging the $23 title fee add $5, and registration and any dealer doc fee come on top.
Do I pay sales tax on a used car in Ohio?
Yes, at the same rate as a new car. The difference is that a trade-in doesn’t reduce the tax on a used car.
Do I pay my county’s rate or the dealer’s?
Your own. Ohio taxes a car at the rate for the county where the buyer lives.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in Ohio?
Yes. A manufacturer rebate doesn’t lower the taxable price, even if you assign it to the dealer as your down payment. A dealer discount at the time of sale does.
Can I avoid paying sales tax on a car in Ohio?
Only in narrow cases: court-ordered transfers with no payment, inheritances, cars bought by a church, and nonresidents taking the car straight out of state.
More Ohio car ownership guides
- How to get a rebuilt title in Ohio
- How to transfer a car title in Ohio
- Will a trade-in cut your sales tax in Ohio?
- Ohio EV incentives
- Car sales tax in every state
- This month’s 0% APR finance deals
Sources: Ohio Department of Taxation county rate table, Q4 2026; Ohio Department of Taxation, sales tax for motor vehicles; Ohio Department of Taxation, motor vehicle taxability for dealers; Ohio Legislative Service Commission, H.B. 96 analysis (title fee); Franklin County Clerk of Courts (30-day deadline). Rates change every quarter, so confirm with your county Clerk of Courts title office before you buy.
