St. Augustine Title Company
A licensed Florida title agency closing real estate in St. Augustine, St. Johns County and statewide — with the local knowledge St. Augustine files demand.
Atlantic Title Firm provides title insurance, escrow, and closing services throughout St. Augustine and the rest of St. Johns County. Buyers, sellers, FSBOs, investors, and lenders rely on us for accurate, on-time closings — backed by local St. Augustine know-how and statewide reach. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the country and the seat of the fastest-growing county in Florida, which gives it two very different title markets: the historic district and Anastasia Island, where chains of title run back to Spanish land grants and British-period surveys, and the suburbs to the north and west, where World Golf Village, the 210 corridor and the communities off State Road 16 are still building. Our St. Augustine closings range from 18th-century coquina houses to new construction with CDD bonds.
On a typical $450,000 St. Augustine sale, the Florida-specific closing costs run about $5,502 (deed doc stamps + owner’s title + recording). In St. Johns County, the seller customarily pays the owner’s title policy and usually chooses the closing agent.
Title & Closing Costs in St. Augustine
Sellers and buyers in St. Augustine ask the same first question: what does the state take? The answer is the deed doc stamps at $0.70 per $100 of the sale price and the promulgated owner's title premium, a rate fixed by Florida regulation rather than by the title company. On a $450,000 St. Augustine sale the two look like this:
Example: $450,000 sale in St. Augustine
These are illustrative — your actual costs depend on price, financing, prorations, and who pays what under the contract. Run your own numbers with the St. Augustine closing cost calculator, or use the statewide tools below:
See all Florida title calculators →
What Is Different About Closing in St. Augustine
Spanish-grant and colonial titles. Downtown and Lincolnville parcels trace to Spanish and British grants confirmed by 1820s commissioners, with legal descriptions that reference old blocks and lots. We run the full chain, reconcile the modern survey with the historic description and confirm the historic-preservation overlay before buyers plan changes.
World Golf Village and the 210 corridor CDDs. Most north-county communities sit in community development districts with bond assessments on the tax bill. We show the CDD line separately from HOA dues and pull the district’s current schedule.
Anastasia Island and the beach condos. Oceanfront buildings fall under Florida’s milestone inspection and reserve rules, and island lots sit seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line. We pull the inspection status and flag the CCCL on the commitment.
Relocation and military buyers. St. Johns schools draw relocation buyers from across the country, and Naval Station Mayport and NAS Jacksonville bring VA loans. We run relocation files on start-date timelines with mail-away or remote online notarization signings.
Who Pays for Title Insurance in St. Augustine?
St. Augustine follows the seller-pays convention used across St. Johns County: the seller covers the owner's title insurance premium and, in exchange, selects the title and closing agent. Treat it as a starting point rather than a rule. The contract can put the premium on the buyer, split it, or leave the seller paying while the buyer chooses the closer. We work all of those arrangements every week.
Free St. Augustine Title Quote
Contract in hand or still shopping? Leave your details and we'll walk you through your St. Augustine closing costs and next steps.
Property Taxes & Homestead in St. Augustine
Property taxes in St. Augustine are set by the St. Johns County Property Appraiser's assessment and a stack of millage rates that together come to roughly 19.6 mills (the 2025 City of St. Augustine total rate; unincorporated St. Johns County parcels use a different, usually lower, rate). Buy a homestead and you get up to $50,000 in exemptions plus the Save Our Homes 3% cap going forward, but the cap the seller enjoyed does not transfer: the assessment returns to market value the January after closing. Our estimator models both.
Estimate St. Augustine property taxesFree property-tax estimator with St. Johns County millage & homestead→Recording Your Deed in St. Augustine
Recording is the last step that makes a St. Augustine sale official. The deed, the mortgage and any affidavits are filed with the St. Johns County Clerk in St. Augustine at Florida's statutory rate of $10 for the first page and $8.50 per additional page. Atlantic Title Firm prepares the package, pays the doc stamps and intangible tax, records electronically on closing day and delivers your recorded deed and title policy.
How Your St. Augustine Closing Works
Contract In
Email or upload the signed contract. We open escrow, order the St. Augustine title search and confirm your closing date within hours.
Examine Title
Our examiners review the St. Johns County records for liens, judgments, easements and chain-of-title gaps and start clearing them.
Commitment Out
You and your lender receive the commitment; we order payoffs, estoppels and the survey and prepare the settlement statement.
Fund & Record
Sign in person, by mail or by remote notary; we disburse, e-record with the St. Johns County Clerk and issue your owner's policy.
St. Augustine Title & Property Considerations
Matanzas and San Sebastian riverfront lots raise sovereign submerged land and dock questions, and Vilano Beach and Davis Shores carry flood zones with open storm-repair permits. The city’s archaeological preservation ordinance requires review before ground disturbance downtown. Many addresses with St. Augustine mail are actually unincorporated St. Johns County, St. Augustine Beach or Vilano Beach, with different millage.
Deeds record with the St. Johns County Clerk in St. Augustine. Recording is statewide, $10 for the first page and $8.50 per additional page, and we e-record on closing day.
Our St. Augustine title search and examination are built to surface issues like these before you close — so you take title clean and your ownership is protected from day one.
Neighborhoods & Areas We Serve in St. Augustine
Atlantic Title Firm closes throughout St. Augustine, including the historic district, Lincolnville, Davis Shores, Anastasia Island, St. Augustine Beach, Vilano Beach, World Golf Village, the 210 corridor, the State Road 16 communities and St. Augustine Shores:
Ready to Close in St. Augustine?
Order title, get a quote, or send us the contract — we handle the rest.
☎ (561) 396-2692Order TitleSt. Augustine Title Company FAQ
Does Atlantic Title Firm close in St. Augustine and Anastasia Island?
Yes. We handle title insurance, escrow and closings throughout St. Augustine, the historic district, Anastasia Island, World Golf Village and the rest of St. Johns County, for buyers, sellers, relocation companies, investors and lenders.
What do title insurance and doc stamps cost on a St. Augustine sale?
On a $450,000 St. Augustine sale the Florida-specific items are about $3,150 in deed documentary stamps, $2,325 in owner's title insurance and roughly $27 in recording. Our St. Augustine closing cost calculator adds lender fees and prorations.
Who pays for title insurance in St. Johns County?
The seller customarily pays for the owner's title policy in St. Johns County and usually chooses the closing agent. It is negotiable and the contract controls.
Is a historic-district title harder to insure in St. Augustine?
The search runs deeper, back to Spanish and British grants, but the policy issues the same way. We reconcile the historic description with the modern survey and explain the preservation overlay before closing.
What is a CDD assessment in World Golf Village?
A bond repayment for the community's infrastructure, collected on the property tax bill and separate from HOA dues. We show it on the settlement statement so you can budget for it.
A dedicated closer, co-branded marketing, and clear updates on every file — see why St. Augustine agents make us their preferred title company.
Open & Move Your File Online
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Nearby Cities & Counties We Serve
St. Augustine is in St. Johns County. See the full county page, or our statewide coverage across all 67 Florida counties.