Ticket fees and resale caps in 2026: what you actually pay
What the FTC's all-in ticket price rule requires, which states cap resale prices or fees, and where D.C.'s new 10% resale cap and its court challenge stand. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
General information, not legal advice; check your state's current law. Every rule below links to the official law, agency or court page we read, checked Oct 23, 2026. Links on this page are plain links to official sources, not affiliate links.
By Sloane Glitchford, Founder
Since May 2025, a federal rule has required the ticket price you're shown to be the total price. A few places now go further and cap what a resold ticket, or a resale marketplace's fee, can cost. Here's what applies where, as of the date we checked. This page covers US laws only.
The short answer
- All-in pricing is federal. The FTC's fee rule requires businesses selling live-event tickets to show the total price (16 CFR Part 464, effective May 12, 2025).
- The FTC rule doesn't cap fees or resale prices. It's a disclosure rule.
- Resale price caps are rare. Among the laws we checked: Washington, DC, from Jan 1, 2027 (the law is being challenged in court), and Vermont, for events at certain venues only. Maine caps a resale marketplace's fee at 10%, not the ticket price.
- Most other state ticket laws we checked require all-in prices and other disclosures, not price caps. California has no ticket resale price cap.
What the FTC rule requires, and what it doesn't
The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (16 CFR Part 464) covers live-event tickets and short-term lodging (16 CFR 464.1). It doesn't cover restaurants; for restaurant bills, see our guide to automatic gratuity and service charge rules.
- Total price with any price. A business that offers, displays or advertises a ticket price must clearly and conspicuously show the total price, and more prominently than other pricing information (§464.2(a)-(b)).
- What can be left out of the total: government charges, shipping charges and optional add-ons (§464.1, "total price"). Before you agree to pay, the business must show what each excluded charge is for, its amount, and the final amount you'll pay (§464.2(c)).
- No misleading fees. A business can't misrepresent a fee's nature, purpose, amount or refundability (§464.3).
- No cap. The rule sets disclosure duties only. It doesn't limit how large a fee can be or what a resold ticket can cost. State laws that give consumers more protection still apply (§464.4(b)).
The final rule was published Jan. 10, 2025 and took effect May 12, 2025 (Federal Register, 90 FR 2066, checked Oct 23, 2026).
What you actually pay: a worked example
Simple arithmetic, not a real listing. Say a ticket's original total price, with its fees and taxes, was $100.
- Washington, DC, from Jan 1, 2027 (covered events): a reseller or exchange can't sell it for more than $110 (the original total plus 10%). A resale marketplace may add its own fee of up to $10 (10% of the original total) (D.C. Code §28-5506(b)-(c), as added by D.C. Law 26-181). The D.C. Council described the result as a maximum of 120 percent of face value, with fees (Council release).
- Vermont (covered venues): up to $110, because Vermont's "price" already includes taxes, fees and charges; actual shipping costs aren't part of it (9 V.S.A. §2479f).
- Maine: no cap on the ticket price, but a resale marketplace's fee can't be more than $10 (10% of the original total, including taxes and fees) (8 M.R.S. §1301).
- Everywhere else we checked: no resale price cap. The all-in price has to be shown up front, but government charges, shipping and optional extras can still be added before you pay.
State and local rules we checked
These are the laws we checked against official sources, checked Oct 23, 2026. Rules change, so open the source link before you rely on any of them.
| Where | Resale price cap? | Fee cap? | Up-front price rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal (FTC) | No | No | Total price shown with any price; government charges, shipping and optional add-ons may be excluded but must be shown before you pay | 16 CFR Part 464 |
| Washington, DC | From Jan 1, 2027: original total price (with fees and taxes) plus 10%, for covered events | Resale marketplace fee up to 10% of the original total | Total price, itemized charges and seat or section at the listing and each step; only reasonable shipping for physical tickets can be added later | D.C. Law 26-181 (being challenged in court; see below) |
| Vermont (July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2028) | 110% of the original price (taxes and fees included) for events at independent venues that seat 3,000 or fewer, nonprofit fair and community-event venues, or venues used mainly for college or amateur sports; applies to business resellers, not individuals reselling a ticket bought for personal use | No | Original total price on the face of the ticket; resale exchanges must say the resale price is limited | 9 V.S.A. §2479f |
| Maine | No | Resale marketplace fee up to 10% of the original total, including taxes and fees | Total price (except shipping and government charges) with the seat or section | 8 M.R.S. §1301, Maine AG alert |
| New York | None in these sections | No | All-in total, with the fee portion in dollars, shown before you pick a ticket; the price can't rise during the purchase except disclosed delivery fees for non-electronic tickets | Arts & Cultural Affairs Law §25.07 (marked effective until July 1, 2027), §25.30 |
| Maryland | None in this section | No | Total price, itemized charges and seat or section at the listing and each step | Com. Law §13-310.1 |
| Minnesota | No | No | Total cost including all fees; fees not shown more prominently than the total (tickets sold from Jan 1, 2025) | Minn. Stat. §325F.676 |
| Colorado | No | No | Total cost including all ancillary fees the first time a price is shown; no increase after that except sales tax and delivery of non-electronic tickets | HB24-1378 (C.R.S. §6-1-720) |
| California | No (SB 785, a ticket bill, didn't become law) | No | Advertised prices must include all mandatory fees except government taxes and fees and shipping (operative July 1, 2024; a general rule, not ticket-only) | Civ. Code §1770(a)(29) |
| Massachusetts | Not covered here | Not covered here | Total price including service charges (taxes excluded) at the first listing, with the fee portion in dollars | G.L. c.140 §185D(c) |
| North Carolina | No | No | Total price including all mandatory fees and the maximum order processing fee, for tickets sold from Oct 1, 2026 | S.L. 2026-41 §5.8 (G.S. 75-152) |
This table covers laws we checked against official sources, checked Oct 23, 2026. It is not every state. Other states have their own rules.
D.C.'s RESALE Act: what it says and where the court cases stand
What the law is. D.C. Law 26-181, the Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment (RESALE) Amendment Act of 2026, took effect Sept. 25, 2026. Its ticket rules apply from Jan 1, 2027. For covered events (live concerts, theatrical performances, shows and similar live events; not sporting events of D.C.-based professional or college teams or professional athletic associations' events in D.C., and not movie screenings), a resold ticket can't cost more than the original total price, including fees and taxes, plus 10%. A resale marketplace's own fee is limited to 10% of that original total. The law also requires all-in, itemized prices, refunds within 10 days for counterfeit, canceled or not-as-described tickets, and bans selling tickets the seller doesn't yet hold. Resellers with 50 or more listings a year need a license (D.C. Law 26-181; D.C. Code §47-2890.02, checked Oct 23, 2026). From Jan 1, 2028, the Mayor may adjust the caps by rule within limits set in the law.
The court cases. Two lawsuits challenging the law are pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia:
- Ticket Policy Forum, Inc. v. District of Columbia, No. 1:26-cv-03577, filed Oct. 14, 2026 (docket)
- National Association of Ticketing Professionals v. District of Columbia, No. 1:26-cv-03620, filed Oct. 16, 2026 (docket)
As of Oct 23, 2026, 14:30 UTC: Motions for a preliminary injunction have been filed in both cases. On Oct 21, 2026, the court set a hearing on the motions for Nov 19, 2026. The court had not ruled on them, and the law's ticket rules were still set to apply from Jan 1, 2027.
We'll update this section when the court rules.
Is there a federal resale price cap?
No. The TICKET Act (H.R. 1402) passed the House 409-15 on Apr. 29, 2025, and has been on the Senate calendar since Sept. 16, 2025. It hasn't become law (congress.gov, checked Oct 23, 2026).
How to check a ticket price before you pay
- Compare the first price with the final screen. Under the FTC rule, the total price comes first; only government charges, shipping and optional extras can be added, and they must be shown before you pay.
- Look for an itemized fee list. Maryland requires one, and DC will from Jan 1, 2027.
- Check the seat and section before you pay.
- Know the refund rules where you buy. New York, Maryland, Maine and (from 2027) DC have refund rules for canceled, counterfeit or not-as-described tickets. What applies depends on the law and the seller's terms.
- Screenshot each step, including the total and the fee list.
- If the total jumps at checkout, compare your screenshots, ask the seller, and see our guide to being overcharged at checkout.
Sources (checked Oct 23, 2026)
- Federal: 16 CFR Part 464 (eCFR), FTC final rule, 90 FR 2066, H.R. 1402 (TICKET Act) status
- Washington, DC: D.C. Law 26-181, D.C. Code §47-2890.02, D.C. Council release, court dockets No. 1:26-cv-03577 and No. 1:26-cv-03620 (CourtListener copies of the court record)
- Vermont: 9 V.S.A. §2479f
- Maine: 8 M.R.S. §1301, Attorney General consumer alert
- New York: Arts & Cultural Affairs Law §25.07, §25.30
- Maryland: Commercial Law §13-310.1
- Minnesota: Minn. Stat. §325F.676, Laws 2024, ch. 94
- Colorado: HB24-1378 bill page, signed act
- California: Civ. Code §1770, SB 478 status, SB 785 history
- Massachusetts: G.L. c.140 §185D
- North Carolina: Session Law 2026-41
General information, not legal advice; check your state's current law. For a total that changed at a store register instead, see overcharged at checkout? price scanner laws by state.
Quick answers
Is there a federal cap on ticket resale prices?
No. The FTC rule (16 CFR Part 464) requires the all-in price but doesn't limit fees or resale prices, and the TICKET Act (H.R. 1402) hasn't become law. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Do ticket sites have to show the full price up front?
Yes, for live-event tickets nationwide since May 12, 2025. Government charges, shipping and optional add-ons can be left out of the headline total, but they and the final amount must be shown before you pay. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
How much can you resell concert tickets for?
In most of the states we checked there's no cap. In DC, from Jan 1, 2027, it's the original total plus 10%, plus a marketplace fee of up to 10% of the original total; Vermont caps covered venues at 110%. Check your state's current law. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Does California cap ticket resale prices?
No. A 2023-24 ticket bill (SB 785) didn't become law. California's general rule that advertised prices include mandatory fees (Civ. Code 1770(a)(29)) applies. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Does D.C.'s cap apply to sports tickets?
Not to sporting events of D.C.-based professional or college teams, or professional athletic associations' events in D.C. It also doesn't apply to movie screenings (D.C. Law 26-181). Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Is the D.C. ticket resale law blocked?
As of Oct 23, 2026, 14:30 UTC: Motions for a preliminary injunction have been filed in both cases. On Oct 21, 2026, the court set a hearing on the motions for Nov 19, 2026. The court had not ruled on them, and the law's ticket rules were still set to apply from Jan 1, 2027. The cases are Ticket Policy Forum, Inc. v. District of Columbia, No. 1:26-cv-03577, and National Association of Ticketing Professionals v. District of Columbia, No. 1:26-cv-03620 (D.D.C.).
What fees can still be left out of an all-in ticket price?
Under the FTC rule: government charges, shipping charges and optional add-ons. They must be disclosed, with the final amount, before you pay. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
What if the ticket price jumps at checkout?
Under the FTC rule, only government charges, shipping and optional extras can be added to the total. Screenshot every step, compare the totals and ask the seller before you pay.
Keep reading
- Overcharged at checkout? Price scanner laws by state and what to do
- Automatic gratuity and restaurant service charges: is it legal, and can you have it removed?
- How to verify a deal is real (price history, fake strikethroughs, and red flags)
- Get price bug alerts
- From the Price Bug Alerts team: our own products
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