Essex County is seven municipalities west of Chatham-Kent, led in size by Lakeshore, LaSalle, and Leamington, with Amherstburg, Essex, Kingsville, and Tecumseh rounding out the rest. Treadstone Law prices a purchase, sale, or refinance the same flat way across every one of them.
“My quote at the start matched what I actually paid at closing, no surprises.”
C.T. · Home purchase · Windsor
Shared with permission. Initials changed to protect client privacy.
Essex County's seven municipalities range from Lakeshore, LaSalle, and Leamington — each home to tens of thousands of residents — down through Tecumseh, Amherstburg, Kingsville, and Essex. Treadstone Law's flat fees stay fixed across that whole range: $1,354.87 for a purchase, $1,241.87 for a sale, $1,241.87 for a mortgage refinance, taxes included, with land transfer tax and disbursements added at cost. Files move through the same intake and signing steps whether the property is in Lakeshore or one of the smaller Essex County towns.
Lakeshore · LaSalle · Leamington · Amherstburg · Tecumseh · Kingsville · Essex
The same transparent pricing everywhere in Ontario — no city surcharges, no estimates.
$1,354.87
Flat, taxes included. Disbursements & Land Transfer Tax extra, at cost.
How buying works →$1,241.87
Flat, taxes included. New mortgages, refinances & private lending.
How it works →Purchase price aside, this is what a buyer in Essex County sees on the closing statement: our fee, then the disbursements we estimate on your behalf, then the government taxes — each sourced and dated. We don't total these into one figure; disbursements vary by file and are itemized in your written quote.
| Line item | $600,000 | $900,000 | $1,200,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our fee (flat, any price) — 13% HST included | $1,354.87 | $1,354.87 | $1,354.87 |
| Estimated disbursements — billed at cost, itemised in your written quote; they vary by file | |||
| Teranet search fees & disbursements (registrations, searches, bank fees) — estimate | $583.26 | $583.26 | $583.26 |
| Technology & file management — estimate | $332.05 | $332.05 | $332.05 |
| Title insurance (example premium, varies by insurer and price) | $513.80 | $805.40 | $1,097.00 |
| Government charges | |||
| Ontario land transfer tax | $8,475.00 | $14,475.00 | $20,475.00 |
| First-time buyer refunds, if you qualify | − up to $4,000 | − up to $4,000 | − up to $4,000 |
Disbursements vary by file and are itemized, estimated in writing, before any work begins — these lines are estimates, not quotes. Ontario refunds up to $4,000 of the land transfer tax for first-time buyers, applied by your lawyer at registration.
Sources: Ontario electronic land registration fee, 2026-09-17: ontario.ca (rises to $86.42 per instrument from 2026-11-02); TitlePLUS residential premium schedule, 2026-09-17: titleplus.ca; Ontario land transfer tax, 2026-09-17: ontario.ca.
See the full breakdown on our Ontario real estate lawyer fee guide or flat-fee pricing page.
Ontario real estate lawyers can close a file anywhere in the province, so every municipality in Essex County — Lakeshore down to the smaller towns — is within reach without a lawyer's office needing to sit inside the county.
$1,241.87 flat, taxes included, the same whether the property is in Lakeshore, Leamington, or a smaller Essex County municipality.
Amherstburg, Essex, Kingsville, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Leamington, and Tecumseh — the county's seven lower-tier municipalities.
No — the flat purchase, sale, and refinance fees are identical across all seven Essex County municipalities; only land transfer tax and disbursements scale with the deal.
Development in a regulated area, and interference with a wetland or watercourse, require a permit under section 28.1 of the Conservation Authorities Act, issued by the conservation authority rather than the municipality under O. Reg. 41/24. Watersheds do not follow municipal lines, and Essex County is reached by two watershed authorities — which one applies depends on where the property drains.
| Authority | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Essex Region Conservation Authority | 519-776-5209 | essexregionconservation.ca |
| Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority | 519-354-7310 | lowerthames-conservation.on.ca |
Authorities whose administrative area intersects Essex County. Source: Conservation Ontario, Conservation Authority Boundaries (2023); confirm the authority for a specific address with Find a Conservation Authority. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
Sourced, dated municipal and provincial data for Essex County — not legal advice, just the facts a closing touches.
2 authorities cover this county/region: Essex Region Conservation Authority, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority — which one applies depends on where the property drains. Development in a regulated area, or interference with a wetland or watercourse, needs a permit from the conservation authority — separate from municipal approvals — under section 28.1 of the Conservation Authorities Act.
Source: Conservation Ontario, Conservation Authority Boundaries (2023). Retrieved 2026-08-10.
Deals for Essex County register at the Essex Land Registry Office (LRO #12), filed electronically through ONLAND.
Source: Ontario, Land registry offices (LRO) directory. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
The property-tax adjustment on the statement of adjustments doesn't set up a new tax account — it simply divides the current tax bill between buyer and seller as of closing day, crediting whichever side prepaid past their ownership. After closing, the municipality bills the new owner directly.
Ontario land transfer tax is the largest single line on most closing statements, and it is due in full on closing day. Enter a price to see the bracket-by-bracket calculation, the first-time buyer refund, and — where they apply — the Toronto municipal tax and the Non-Resident Speculation Tax. Full workings and the rate sources are on the land transfer tax calculator.
Buying, selling, or refinancing in Essex County — Lakeshore, LaSalle, Leamington, or elsewhere? One flat fee. Reach out to get started.