diff --git a/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js b/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
index d13d3f6104d..9c266949bc8 100644
--- a/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
+++ b/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
@@ -1946,29 +1946,29 @@ axes.drawOne = function(gd, ax, opts) {
             push = {x: 0, y: 0, r: 0, l: 0, t: 0, b: 0};
 
             var bbox = ax._boundingBox;
-            var counterAx = mainPlotinfo[counterLetter + 'axis'];
+            var titleOffset = getTitleOffset(gd, ax);
             var anchorAxDomainIndex;
             var offset;
 
             switch(axLetter + s) {
                 case 'xb':
                     anchorAxDomainIndex = 0;
-                    offset = bbox.top - counterAx._length - counterAx._offset;
+                    offset = bbox.top - titleOffset;
                     push[s] = bbox.height;
                     break;
                 case 'xt':
                     anchorAxDomainIndex = 1;
-                    offset = counterAx._offset - bbox.bottom;
+                    offset = titleOffset - bbox.bottom;
                     push[s] = bbox.height;
                     break;
                 case 'yl':
                     anchorAxDomainIndex = 0;
-                    offset = counterAx._offset - bbox.right;
+                    offset = titleOffset - bbox.right;
                     push[s] = bbox.width;
                     break;
                 case 'yr':
                     anchorAxDomainIndex = 1;
-                    offset = bbox.left - counterAx._length - counterAx._offset;
+                    offset = bbox.left - titleOffset;
                     push[s] = bbox.width;
                     break;
             }
@@ -1980,6 +1980,7 @@ axes.drawOne = function(gd, ax, opts) {
             if(push[s] > 0) {
                 push[s] += offset;
             }
+
             if(ax.title.text !== fullLayout._dfltTitle[axLetter]) {
                 push[s] += ax.title.font.size;
             }
@@ -2647,11 +2648,37 @@ function drawDividers(gd, ax, opts) {
         .attr('d', opts.path);
 }
 
+function getTitleOffset(gd, ax) {
+    var gs = gd._fullLayout._size;
+    var axLetter = ax._id.charAt(0);
+    var side = ax.side;
+    var anchorAxis;
+
+    if(ax.anchor !== 'free') {
+        anchorAxis = axisIds.getFromId(gd, ax.anchor);
+    } else if(axLetter === 'x') {
+        anchorAxis = {
+            _offset: gs.t + (1 - (ax.position || 0)) * gs.h,
+            _length: 0
+        };
+    } else if(axLetter === 'y') {
+        anchorAxis = {
+            _offset: gs.l + (ax.position || 0) * gs.w,
+            _length: 0
+        };
+    }
+
+    if(side === 'top' || side === 'left') {
+        return anchorAxis._offset;
+    } else if(side === 'bottom' || side === 'right') {
+        return anchorAxis._offset + anchorAxis._length;
+    }
+}
+
 function drawTitle(gd, ax) {
     var fullLayout = gd._fullLayout;
     var axId = ax._id;
     var axLetter = axId.charAt(0);
-    var gs = fullLayout._size;
     var fontSize = ax.title.font.size;
 
     var titleStandoff;
@@ -2662,36 +2689,28 @@ function drawTitle(gd, ax) {
         titleStandoff = 10 + fontSize * offsetBase + (ax.linewidth ? ax.linewidth - 1 : 0);
     }
 
-    var transform, counterAxis, x, y;
+    var titleOffset = getTitleOffset(gd, ax);
 
-    if(axLetter === 'x') {
-        counterAxis = (ax.anchor === 'free') ?
-            {_offset: gs.t + (1 - (ax.position || 0)) * gs.h, _length: 0} :
-            axisIds.getFromId(gd, ax.anchor);
+    var transform, x, y;
 
+    if(axLetter === 'x') {
         x = ax._offset + ax._length / 2;
 
         if(ax.side === 'top') {
             y = -titleStandoff - fontSize * (ax.showticklabels ? 1 : 0);
         } else {
-            y = counterAxis._length + titleStandoff +
-                fontSize * (ax.showticklabels ? 1.5 : 0.5);
+            y = titleStandoff + fontSize * (ax.showticklabels ? 1.5 : 0.5);
         }
-        y += counterAxis._offset;
+        y += titleOffset;
     } else {
-        counterAxis = (ax.anchor === 'free') ?
-            {_offset: gs.l + (ax.position || 0) * gs.w, _length: 0} :
-            axisIds.getFromId(gd, ax.anchor);
-
         y = ax._offset + ax._length / 2;
 
         if(ax.side === 'right') {
-            x = counterAxis._length + titleStandoff +
-                fontSize * (ax.showticklabels ? 1 : 0.5);
+            x = titleStandoff + fontSize * (ax.showticklabels ? 1 : 0.5);
         } else {
             x = -titleStandoff - fontSize * (ax.showticklabels ? 0.5 : 0);
         }
-        x += counterAxis._offset;
+        x += titleOffset;
 
         transform = {rotate: '-90', offset: 0};
     }
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/automargin-superimposed-axes.png b/test/image/baselines/automargin-superimposed-axes.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..06fc2d2ee23
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/image/baselines/automargin-superimposed-axes.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/mocks/automargin-superimposed-axes.json b/test/image/mocks/automargin-superimposed-axes.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..156fa0b2e15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/image/mocks/automargin-superimposed-axes.json
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+{
+  "data": [
+    {
+      "x": [ 1, 2 ],
+      "y": [ 1, 2 ]
+    },
+    {
+      "x": [ 1, 2 ],
+      "y": [ 1, 2 ],
+      "xaxis": "x2",
+      "yaxis": "y2"
+    }
+  ],
+  "layout": {
+    "showlegend": false,
+    "margin": {"b": 0},
+    "title": {
+      "text": "automargin:true on superimposed x axes"
+    },
+    "xaxis": {
+      "title": {
+        "text": "x"
+      },
+      "automargin": true
+    },
+    "xaxis2": {
+      "title": {
+        "text": "           x2"
+      },
+      "automargin": true
+    },
+    "yaxis": {
+      "title": {
+        "text": "hi"
+      },
+      "domain": [0, 0.5]
+    },
+    "yaxis2": {
+      "title": {
+        "text": "hi"
+      },
+      "domain": [0.5, 1]
+    }
+  }
+}