How Much Does Title Insurance Cost in Texas?

Texas title insurance premiums are set by the state, not by individual title companies, so the cost is the same no matter which title company you use. As of the rate schedule effective March 1, 2026 (which includes a 6.2% reduction ordered by the Texas Department of Insurance), an owner's title policy costs $780 for a $100,000 home, roughly $1,852 for a $300,000 home, and $2,264 for a $400,000 home. A lender's policy purchased at the same time costs a flat additional $100.

This is one of the more genuinely Texas-specific closing costs, and it works differently here than in most other states — worth understanding clearly if you're relocating from somewhere else.

Why Texas Title Insurance Doesn't Work Like Other States

In most states, title insurance premiums are competitively priced between companies, and shopping around can save you real money. Texas takes a different approach entirely: the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) sets a single statewide "promulgated rate" that every licensed title company and agent must charge for the same policy amount. This means there's genuinely no benefit to shopping title insurance premiums between companies in Texas the way you might in other states — the insurance cost itself is identical everywhere. (You can still shop the non-regulated ancillary fees some title companies charge, like courier or document prep fees, which aren't part of the state-set premium.)

Current Rates (Effective March 1, 2026)

TDI ordered a 6.2% reduction to the basic premium rate schedule, effective March 1, 2026 — a meaningful decrease following a formal rate hearing. Approximate owner's policy premiums under the new schedule:

For policies above $100,000, the premium is calculated using a formula: subtract $100,000 from the home price, multiply the remainder by a rate factor (0.00494 in the most common tier), and add the $780 base. Higher-value policies (above $1 million) use lower multipliers at higher tiers, capping the percentage increase at very high price points.

What About the Lender's Policy?

If you're financing your purchase, your lender will require its own lender's title policy in addition to the owner's policy. When both are issued by the same title company at the same closing — known as "simultaneous issue" — Texas rules require the lender's policy to be priced at a flat $100, regardless of loan amount. This is a significant built-in discount, since the title company only has to perform one title search to issue both policies.

Who Typically Pays in San Antonio

There's no Texas law dictating who must pay for title insurance — it's negotiated as part of the contract. By long-standing local custom in most San Antonio-area transactions, the seller typically pays for the owner's title policy, while the buyer typically pays for the lender's policy if financing. These customs are negotiable and should be explicitly stated in your specific purchase contract rather than assumed.

What's Included Beyond the Base Premium

The promulgated premium covers the title insurance itself — protection against title defects, liens, or ownership disputes that a title search didn't catch. It does not cover separate, unregulated fees that title companies also charge for their services, which can include title search fees, examination fees, closing/settlement fees, and courier or recording charges. These ancillary fees vary by company and are worth comparing, even though the core insurance premium itself won't change between providers.

Why the Rate Changed in 2026

TDI is required by Texas Insurance Code to periodically hold a formal rate hearing, reviewing financial data from across the title insurance industry, before adjusting the promulgated rate. The December 2025 hearing led to the 6.2% reduction that took effect March 1, 2026 — a reminder that these rates do change periodically, so if you're working with a title company quoting an older schedule, it's worth confirming they've updated to the current rate.

Bottom Line

Texas title insurance premiums are state-regulated and identical across every title company, so there's no need to shop the core premium — currently around $780 for a $100,000 policy, scaling up with a defined formula, with the lender's policy at a flat $100 when issued alongside the owner's policy. What is worth comparing between companies are the separate, unregulated closing fees layered on top of that base premium.

Questions about how title costs will break down on a specific San Antonio purchase or sale?

Abigael Jean-Baptiste, REALTOR®
Real Broker, LLC
📞 210-895-2700
🌐 AbigaelJeanBaptistes.com
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