Stuart Title Company
Title insurance, escrow and closings for Stuart and the Treasure Coast — local know-how, licensed in all 67 Florida counties.
Atlantic Title Firm provides title insurance, escrow, and closing services throughout Stuart and the rest of Martin County. Buyers, sellers, FSBOs, investors, and lenders rely on us for accurate, on-time closings — backed by local Stuart know-how and statewide reach. Stuart is the seat of Martin County and the self-declared Sailfish Capital of the World, wrapped by the North and South Forks of the St. Lucie River, the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Lucie Inlet. Our Stuart files run from 1920s bungalows off Flagler Avenue and Osceola Street downtown to canal homes in North River Shores, estates in Sewall’s Point and Sailfish Point, and oceanfront condos on Hutchinson Island. Water is what makes Stuart title work different, and it is what we are built for.
On a typical $450,000 Stuart sale, the Florida-specific closing costs run about $5,502 (deed doc stamps + owner’s title + recording). In Martin County, the seller customarily pays the owner’s title policy and usually chooses the closing agent.
Title & Closing Costs in Stuart
Most of what makes a Stuart closing “Florida-specific” comes down to two numbers: the documentary stamp tax on the deed, charged at $0.70 per $100 of the price in Martin County, and the owner's title insurance premium, which Florida sets by rule so the base rate is the same at every title agency in the state. Here is how they land on a $450,000 Stuart purchase:
Example: $450,000 sale in Stuart
These are illustrative — your actual costs depend on price, financing, prorations, and who pays what under the contract. Run your own numbers with the Stuart closing cost calculator, or use the statewide tools below:
See all Florida title calculators →
What Is Different About Closing in Stuart
Waterfront comes with three layers of paperwork. A dock, seawall or boat lift on the St. Lucie River or the lagoon usually involves a Martin County or DEP permit, sometimes a sovereign submerged land lease or consent from the State for the bottom under the dock, and riparian rights that pass with the upland parcel. We pull the permit history, confirm the lease is assignable, and read the survey for encroachments before the file gets to the closing table.
Hutchinson Island and the older condos. Stuart’s barrier-island condos from the 1970s and 1980s are squarely inside Florida’s milestone inspection and SIRS reserve regime. We order the estoppel early, read the reserve study and any special-assessment resolution, and make sure the amounts land on the right side of the settlement statement. Gated enclaves such as Sailfish Point also carry club and membership requirements that need to be understood before the contract, not after.
Martin County’s slow-growth rules shape what you are buying. The county’s four-story height limit and its urban services boundary keep density low, which is part of why Stuart property holds value, but it also means many parcels sit outside central water and sewer. Septic-to-sewer conversion assessments in areas such as North River Shores and Old Palm City show up on the tax bill, and we prorate or pay them off according to the contract.
The Lake Okeechobee discharges are a real diligence item. Freshwater releases through the St. Lucie Lock and the C-44 canal have produced algae events on the river in past summers. That is a disclosure and inspection matter rather than a title defect, but experienced Stuart buyers ask about it, and we make sure the FD-2 flood disclosure and seller disclosures are in the file.
Downtown chains of title are long. Historic Stuart parcels have passed through many hands since the Flagler era. Old easements, replats, unreleased mortgages and unrecorded renovation liens are the usual finds. Our examiners run the full chain and clear the exceptions rather than insuring around them.
Who Pays for Title Insurance in Stuart?
In Martin County the long-standing custom is that the seller pays for the owner's title policy. Because Florida practice lets whoever pays for the policy pick the closing agent, most Stuart contracts name the seller's title company. Nothing in Florida law requires it: the FAR/BAR contract has a checkbox for either party, and buyers, particularly cash and investor buyers, negotiate it regularly. Whichever side you are on, we are happy to be written in.
Request a Stuart Closing Quote
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Property Taxes & Homestead in Stuart
The Martin County Property Appraiser values every Stuart parcel each January 1, and the bill is the taxable value times the total millage, which runs about 17.4 mills (the 2025 City of Stuart total rate; unincorporated Martin County parcels use a different, usually lower, rate). Two Florida rules matter most to a new owner: the homestead exemption (up to $50,000 off taxable value plus the 3% Save Our Homes cap) is available only if the home is your permanent residence on January 1, and the assessment resets to market value the year after you buy. The seller's old bill tells you very little about yours.
Estimate Stuart property taxesFree property-tax estimator with Martin County millage & homestead→Recording Your Deed in Stuart
Every Stuart deed and mortgage goes on record with the Martin County Clerk in Stuart. Recording fees are the same in all 67 counties: $10 for the first page, $8.50 for each page after, plus the doc stamps and intangible tax collected at closing. We e-record the same day you sign, remit the taxes to the Department of Revenue, and issue your owner's policy once the documents are back.
How Your Stuart Closing Works
Open the File
Send us the executed contract — you, your agent or your lender. We open escrow, order the Stuart search and send wire-safety instructions the same day.
Search & Clear
Our examiners run the Martin County records for liens, judgments, easements and gaps in the chain, then clear what turns up.
Commitment & Figures
You receive the title commitment; we order payoffs, estoppels and the survey and build the settlement statement with your lender.
Sign, Fund, Record
You sign in person, by mail or by remote online notary; funds disburse; the deed records with the Martin County Clerk and your owner's policy issues.
Stuart Title & Property Considerations
Stuart’s flood zones matter for both insurance and lending: much of the riverfront and all of Hutchinson Island sit in AE or VE zones, and an elevation certificate is often needed for the buyer’s policy. Oceanfront lots also fall under the Coastal Construction Control Line, which limits what can be rebuilt seaward of the line and is recorded as a restriction we flag on the commitment.
Two other Stuart specifics: properties near Witham Field carry recorded avigation easements, and Port Salerno’s working waterfront on the Manatee Pocket mixes commercial marina uses with homes, so we check zoning and any marine-industrial deed restrictions before you rely on a residential use.
Deeds and mortgages are recorded with the Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller in downtown Stuart, and the Martin County Property Appraiser reassesses to market value the January after you close. Our Stuart closings are timed so the deed, mortgage and homestead paperwork all land in the right year.
Our Stuart 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 Stuart
Atlantic Title Firm closes throughout Stuart, including Historic Downtown Stuart, Sewall’s Point, Sailfish Point, North River Shores, Rocky Point and Port Salerno:
Buying or Selling in Stuart? We're Ready.
Local Stuart expertise, statewide licensing, and a closer who answers the phone.
☎ (561) 396-2692Order TitleStuart Title Company FAQ
Does Atlantic Title Firm close real estate in Stuart, FL?
Yes. Atlantic Title Firm handles title insurance, escrow and closings throughout Stuart and Martin County, including Sewall's Point, Sailfish Point, Hutchinson Island, Port Salerno and Jensen Beach, for buyers, sellers, FSBOs, investors and lenders.
What do title insurance and doc stamps cost on a Stuart sale?
On a $450,000 Stuart sale the Florida-specific items are roughly $3,150 in deed documentary stamps, $2,325 in owner's title insurance at the state promulgated rate, and about $27 in recording fees. Lender charges, prorations and commissions are separate. Our Stuart closing cost calculator gives you a line-by-line figure.
Who pays for title insurance in Stuart and Martin County?
By Martin County custom the seller pays for the owner's title policy and, because the paying party usually picks the closing agent, the seller typically chooses the title company. It is a custom, not a law, and the contract controls.
Do you handle dock, seawall and submerged-land issues on Stuart waterfront?
Yes. We pull the dock and seawall permit history, confirm any sovereign submerged land lease is assignable, review the survey for encroachments and confirm riparian rights pass with the upland parcel before closing.
Can you close a Hutchinson Island condo that has a pending special assessment?
Yes. We order the estoppel early, read the SIRS and milestone reports and the assessment resolution, and allocate the assessment between buyer and seller exactly as the contract requires.
Where is the deed recorded for a Stuart property?
With the Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller in Stuart. Florida recording fees are statutory: $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page, and we record electronically the day of closing.
A dedicated closer, co-branded marketing, and clear updates on every file — see why Stuart agents make us their preferred title company.
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Nearby Cities We Serve
Stuart is in Martin County. See the full county page, or our statewide coverage across all 67 Florida counties.