How Much Is Title Insurance in Texas? 2026 Rates and Costs

In Texas, title insurance costs $780 for a $100,000 home. For a $1 million home, it costs $5,226. The state sets these prices. That means every title company in Texas charges the same basic price.

If you’re getting a mortgage, you’ll also pay $100 for a lender’s policy at closing. Total title-related closing costs usually run $2,000 to $6,000. That includes fees for things like escrow, recording, and the survey.

This guide explains how Texas sets title insurance prices, what each policy covers, who pays for what, and how to save money.

Key Takeaways

•  Texas title insurance rates are set by the state. Every title company charges the same basic premium. 
•  An owner’s policy costs $780 on a $100,000 home. On a $1 million home, it costs $5,226.
• The lender’s policy is only $100 when you buy it at the same time as the owner’s policy.
• The seller usually pays for the owner’s policy. The buyer usually pays for the lender’s policy. 
• Both are negotiable.If you’re refinancing within 4 years of your old policy, you can save up to 50% on the new lender’s policy.
• You pay for title insurance once at closing. The coverage lasts as long as you own the home.

How Much Does Title Insurance Cost in Texas?

Texas title insurance prices depend on three things: the home’s price, the loan amount, and the state’s rate rules. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) sets the rules. They publish them in the Basic Manual of Title Insurance.

Because TDI sets the prices, every title company charges the same basic premium. Other fees, like escrow and document prep, do change from company to company.

The current rates took effect on March 1, 2026. They are 6.2% lower than the old rates.

Texas Title Insurance Rate Chart (Effective March 1, 2026)

Here’s what an owner’s policy costs at common home prices. The lender’s policy column shows the price when you buy it at the same time as the owner’s policy.

Home Purchase Price	Estimated Owner’s Policy	Estimated Lender’s Policy (Same Closing)	Estimated Total Title Premium
$100,000	$780	$125	$905
$200,000	$1,274	$150	$1,424
$300,000	$1,768	$175	$1,943
$400,000	$2,262	$200	$2,462
$500,000	$2,756	$225	$2,981
$750,000	$3,991	$300	$4,291
$1,000,000	$5,226	$375	$5,601

Data methodology: These estimates are derived from the official 2026 Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) promulgated title insurance premium schedule effective March 1, 2026, together with publicly available premium calculators and rate manuals published by Texas title companies and underwriters including Stewart Title, Independence Title, Heritage Title, Benchmark Title, and Texas Lone Star Title.

How Texas Figures Out Title Insurance Prices

For homes priced between $100,000 and $1 million, here’s the formula:

1.    Start with the home price.
2.    Subtract $100,000.
3.    Multiply what’s left by 0.00494.
4.    Add $780.

Example: A $450,000 home

• Start with $450,000
• Subtract $100,000 → $350,000
• Multiply by 0.00494 → $1,729
• Add $780 → $2,509

So the owner’s policy on a $450,000 home costs $2,509.

Homes priced above $1 million use lower multipliers at higher tiers. You can see the full formula in Section III of the Basic Manual.

The $100 Lender’s Policy (Rate Rule R-5)

When a title company issues both the owner’s policy and the lender’s policy at the same closing, the lender’s policy costs just $100. This is called Rate Rule R-5.

This saves buyers a lot of money. On a $400,000 home, the buyer pays $100 for the lender’s policy instead of $2,262. That’s a $2,162 savings.

To qualify for R-5, the loan amount can’t be bigger than the home’s purchase price. The loan and the owner’s policy must cover the same property.

Refinance Savings (Rate Rule R-8)

If you’re refinancing a Texas home, you may save on the new lender’s policy. This savings rule is called R-8.

Here’s how the discount works:

• 50% off if your current loan policy is 4 years old or less
• 25% off if it’s between 4 and 8 years old
• No discount if it’s 8 years or older

To get the discount, give your prior loan policy to the new title company before closing. The discount is based on the basic premium for either the new loan amount or the original loan amount, whichever is smaller.

What Is Title Insurance in Texas?

Title insurance protects you from problems with the home’s ownership history. It pays for legal defense and covered losses if someone challenges your right to the property after you buy it.

In Texas, every title policy uses a form set by TDI. Every premium is set by the Basic Manual. You’ll see two main policies during a typical home purchase:

•  T-1, Owner’s Policy. Protects you, the buyer. Covers your ownership for as long as you (or your heirs) own the home. 
• T-2, Loan Policy. Protects the lender. Covers the lender’s lien until you pay off or refinance the loan.

Three groups run the Texas title insurance system:

• Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), the state agency that sets the prices and the policy forms.
• Basic Manual of Title Insurance, the rulebook adopted under Texas law (28 Tex. Admin. Code §9.1).
• Texas Land Title Association (TLTA), the trade group that helps shape rate decisions and publishes industry guidance.

You pay for title insurance once, at closing. The coverage continues for as long as the policy is in effect.

What Does Title Insurance Cover in Texas?

Texas title insurance covers problems with the property’s ownership history that existed before you bought the home but weren’t found during the title search. If a covered problem comes up later, the policy can pay for your legal defense and any covered losses up to the policy amount.

Owner’s Policy (T-1), What It Covers for You

The owner’s policy protects your stake in the home. Common covered problems include:

Covered Problem	Example
Ownership disputes	A long-lost heir claims the prior owner had no right to sell
Errors in public records	The county filed the wrong legal description
Fraud or forgery	Someone forged a deed in the chain of ownership
Unpaid liens	A contractor or tax agency has a claim that predates your purchase
Boundary disputes	A neighbor’s fence sits across the recorded property line
Hidden easements	A utility company has a recorded right to access the land
Identity fraud on title	Someone used a prior owner’s identity to transfer the home

The T-1 policy stays in place as long as you (or your heirs) own the home. You don’t renew it. You don’t pay anything else.

Lender’s Policy (T-2), What It Covers for the Lender

The lender’s policy protects the lender, not you. Almost every Texas lender requires this policy before funding a mortgage. The coverage ends when you pay off or refinance the loan.

This is important: even though the buyer often pays for the T-2, the buyer is not the insured party. That’s why most real estate pros tell buyers to also get the owner’s policy. The lender’s policy won’t help you if there’s a title problem.

Schedule B, What’s NOT Covered

Every Texas title commitment lists Schedule B exceptions. These are things the title insurance doesn’t cover. Common ones include:

• Taxes for the current year
• Restrictive covenants (rules in your HOA or subdivision documents)
• Survey issues (like fence lines or encroachments)
• Mineral rights
• Rights of people already living on the property

Review the title commitment carefully before closing because the title examination may reveal liens, easements, lis pendens, and other matters that are generally excluded from future claims under a Texas title insurance policy.

Other Things Title Insurance Doesn’t Cover

Title insurance also won’t pay for:

• Problems you already knew about and didn’t disclose
• Title issues that come up after the policy date Zoning or building code problems
• Environmental hazardsGovernment takings (eminent domain) not on record at the policy date

Who Pays for Title Insurance in Texas?

In Texas, who pays for title insurance is negotiable. The purchase contract spells it out. Most home sales use the TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale). Paragraph 6 of that contract covers title insurance. Local custom usually decides how those blanks get filled in.

Typical Cost Split in Texas

Closing Cost	Who Usually Pays
Owner’s title insurance (T-1)	Seller
Lender’s title insurance (T-2)	Buyer
Escrow / settlement fee	Split or negotiable
Recording fees	Buyer
Survey	Negotiable (often seller in resales, buyer in new builds)
Title endorsements	Negotiable
HOA transfer fees	Seller
Loan-related title fees	Buyer

These customs change by region, builder, and market conditions. None of them are required by law.

Why Sellers Usually Pay for the Owner’s Policy

In Texas, the seller has to deliver clean ownership to the buyer. The owner’s policy backs up that promise. If a title problem from the seller’s time as owner shows up later, the buyer’s policy handles it. The seller doesn’t get chased personally.

This custom is baked into the TREC contract. The default checkbox in Paragraph 6 says the seller pays. But either party can agree to pay it.

Why Buyers Pay Loan-Related Title Costs

The lender’s policy and most loan-related title work exist because the buyer is borrowing money. Lenders require the T-2 policy to protect their loan. The borrower pays for it.

These charges show up on the buyer’s Closing Disclosure. You’ll see them under Section B (services the borrower didn’t shop for) or Section C (services the borrower could shop for).

Title Insurance Costs Are Negotiable

The premium is fixed by TDI. But who pays for it is not. Common arrangements include:

•  A buyer in a hot market offering to pay the owner’s policy to make a stronger offer
• A seller in a slow market offering to cover buyer-side endorsements or fees
• A builder paying for the owner’s policy on a new home as a sales incentive
• A relocation company shifting costs based on company policy

These deals are written into the contract before closing. They aren’t negotiated at the closing table.

Other Texas Title Insurance Costs and Endorsements

The basic premium is just one line on the Closing Disclosure. Most Texas closings also include endorsements and other fees. Endorsements are extra coverages that change the policy. They’re named by TDI form numbers, those are the codes you’ll see on the title commitment and closing statement.

Common Texas Title Endorsements

• T-19, Restrictions, Encroachments, Minerals (Loan Policy, residential): 5% of the basic loan policy premium. Minimum $50.
• T-19.1, Restrictions, Encroachments, Minerals (Owner Policy, residential): 10% of the basic owner’s premium. Minimum $50. Or 5% when paired with the R-16 area-and-boundary amendment.
• T-17, Planned Unit Development Endorsement: $25.
• T-30, Tax Deletion Endorsement: Varies. Removes the standard tax exception when certain conditions are met.
• T-33 / T-33.1, Restrictions and matters affecting title: Premium depends on the form.

Other Title-Related Closing Costs

Buyers and sellers may also see these fees:

• Escrow / settlement fee: $350–$800
• Recording fees: $50–$200 (depends on the county and number of documents)
• Tax certificate fee: $25–$60
• Title search and exam fee (when charged separately)
• New survey: $400–$700. 
• Survey review: $75–$200
• Wire transfer fee: $20–$50 per wire
• HOA transfer or resale certificate fees (usually paid by the seller)

For a $450,000 financed purchase in a typical Texas market, total title-related charges usually run $3,000–$4,000 across both sides of the deal.

Texas Title Insurance vs. Other States

Texas is one of a small group of states where the insurance commissioner sets title insurance prices. Most states let title companies file their own rates with the regulator instead.

State	How Rates Are Set	Owner’s Policy on $400K Home (Approx.)	Who Usually Pays Owner’s Policy
Texas	State sets rates (TDI)	$2,262	Seller
Florida	State sets rates	$2,075	Negotiable; seller in most counties, buyer in Miami-Dade and Broward
New York	State sets rates	$2,500+	Buyer
California	Companies set their own rates	$1,200–$2,500 (varies by carrier)	Buyer in Southern CA / Seller in Northern CA
Iowa	State-run title guaranty (no private title insurance)	Lower, varies	Buyer

Approximate figures for comparison. Check each state’s regulator for current rates.

What this means for Texas buyers: shopping different title companies won’t change the basic premium. But it can change escrow, settlement, and service fees by hundreds of dollars.

How to Read a Texas Title Commitment

Before closing, the title company sends you a title commitment. This is the document promising to issue the policy at closing, as long as certain conditions are met. Every Texas title commitment has four sections, called schedules:

• Schedule A, The basics. Names of the buyer and seller, the policy amount, the property’s legal description, and the date of the commitment.
• Schedule B, Exceptions. Things the policy will not cover (taxes, HOA rules, recorded easements, survey issues, mineral rights, and more). This is the most important section to read closely.
• Schedule C, Items to fix before closing. Things the seller must clear up to deliver clean title. Examples: paying off old liens, recording releases, clearing judgments, getting missing signatures.
• Schedule D, Who gets paid. Lists the title insurance company, the title agent, and how the premium is split between them. Texas law requires this disclosure.

Want to remove a Schedule B exception? Ask your title company before closing. Many removals require an extra endorsement. The most common request is to remove the survey/area and boundary exception using the R-16 amendment.

Can You Shop for Title Insurance in Texas?

Yes, but the premium is fixed. Every Texas title company charges the same TDI premium for the same policy amount. What does change between companies:

• Escrow and settlement service fees
• Wire and courier fees
• Processing and document prep fees
• Speed and reliability at closing
• Whether they offer remote online notarization (RON) and digital closing
• Service quality and how they handle the items on Schedule C
• Experience with complex deals (estates, foreclosures, commercial properties)

A smart move: ask two or three title companies for a fee sheet before signing the contract. The premium will match. The rest can differ by hundreds of dollars.

Federal law (RESPA, 12 USC §2608) says a seller can’t force the buyer to use a specific title company as a condition of sale. The buyer has the right to choose.

Is Owner’s Title Insurance Worth It in Texas?

Owner’s title insurance isn’t required in Texas. But most real estate pros recommend it. Why? The cost of fixing a title problem on your own is usually way more than the one-time premium.

Here’s a real example. A contractor’s mechanic’s lien for $18,000 shows up six months after you close on a $400,000 home. Without an owner’s policy, you pay that lien yourself (or fight it in court) before you can sell or refinance. With an owner’s policy, the title insurance company defends and resolves the claim within your policy limits. Your premium at closing was $2,262, about one-eighth of what you’d owe without the policy.

The coverage lasts as long as you (or your heirs) own the home. You don’t pay anything more.

Bottom Line

Texas title insurance is regulated, priced by formula, and one of the easier line items on a Texas Closing Disclosure once you know the rules.

On a $400,000 financed purchase: – The seller usually pays $2,262 for the owner’s policy – The buyer pays $100 for the lender’s policy under R-5 – Add a few hundred more for endorsements, escrow, and recording

If you refinance within 4 years of your original policy, you can save up to 50% on the new lender’s premium under R-8.

The premium itself isn’t negotiable. But who pays it, what endorsements you add, and which title company handles the closing, all of those are.

Frequently Asked Questions