Yes, under MLS rules rather than statute. Stellar MLS, the state's largest, requires 'Virtually staged' in each photo description, the virtually-staged checkbox, and public remarks that begin 'One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.' Florida law separately bans advertising that is fraudulent, false, deceptive or misleading, with fines up to $5,000 per count.
Stellar also bans words on any property photograph and text or graphics of any kind except its own watermark, so on Stellar the disclosure lives in the caption and the remarks, not on the image.
Regulator: Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Association: Florida Realtors® · MLS / boards: Stellar MLS — Article 04.04 Virtually Staged Photos, BeachesMLS — § 3.2.2
Governing text: Florida Statutes § 475.25(1)(c) · Florida Administrative Code 61J2-10.025 (advertising) · Florida Administrative Code 61J2-24.001 (disciplinary guidelines)
Quoted as written, with the source and the day we read it.
“Virtual Staging is defined as using a photo editing software to create a photo or conceptual rendering of what the interior room(s) and/or interior of the property could look like, if it was staged or lived in.”
Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations, updated September 15, 2025, Article 04.04 — Stellar MLS · read September 2, 2026
“Disclosure of virtually staged photo(s) is required in the specified field, namely the photo description entry field by adding the words 'Virtually staged' and by checking the virtually staged field. Additionally, the first words of the public remarks must read 'One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.'. Photos must always present a 'True Picture' of the property.”
Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04 — Stellar MLS · read September 2, 2026
“No permanent fixtures of the interior or exterior of the property shall be attached, removed, altered or added to photos. […] Modifying photo(s)/rendering(s) to include visual elements not within a property owner's control is strictly prohibited. […] Modifying photo(s)/rendering(s) to exclude negative visual elements is strictly prohibited. (example: holes in the wall, exposed wiring, damaged flooring, etc.)”
Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04, prohibited B–D — Stellar MLS · read September 2, 2026
“No branding is permitted. The use of people or persons and/or words on any property photograph submitted to the Service is strictly prohibited.”
Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04(E) — Stellar MLS · read September 2, 2026
“Failure to comply with Virtual Staging Rules and Regulations shall result in the Virtual Staged photos being removed from the service, and an automatic fine as outlined in the Automatic Fine Schedule, Level I”
Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04 — Stellar MLS · read September 2, 2026
“Has advertised property or services in a manner which is fraudulent, false, deceptive, or misleading in form or content. The commission may adopt rules defining methods of advertising that violate this paragraph.”
Florida Statutes § 475.25(1)(c) — grounds for discipline — Florida Legislature · read September 2, 2026
“Virtually staged photos must be clearly identified as being virtually staged within the first 180 characters of the public remarks and photo descriptions.”
BeachesMLS Rules and Regulations, updated April 24, 2025, § 3.2.2 — BeachesMLS (MIAMI REALTORS® and RWorld) · read September 2, 2026
The four things a listing has to get right.
| Disclosure to buyers | RequiredBy MLS rule. Stellar: 'Virtually staged' in each photo description, the checkbox, and public remarks that begin 'One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.' BeachesMLS: within the first 180 characters of the public remarks and in the photo descriptions. Source |
|---|---|
| Label on the image | NoStellar bars words on any property photograph and text or graphics of any kind except its own watermark, so a burnt-in label is arguably a violation there. The disclosure goes in the caption and the remarks. Source |
| Unaltered original | No specific rule foundNeither Stellar nor BeachesMLS requires the original uploaded. Florida Realtors recommends pairing every staged photo with the original as best practice. Source |
| Off-limits alterations | ProhibitedStellar: no exterior staging except unattached furniture or décor, no permanent fixtures added, removed or altered, nothing outside the owner's control, no removal of defects, no distorted room dimensions, no people, words or branding. Source |
Plain words, consistent with the rule above. Sedam Staging writes the same line into the disclosure file that ships with every listing.
Public decisions and reports involving altered or virtually staged listing photos relevant to Florida.
Sedam Staging burns the “Virtually staged” label into every listing image, ships the untouched original beside it, compares every render against the photograph so walls, windows, floors and built-ins never move, and writes the remarks line into the download. See the renders we refused →
'Virtually staged' in the description of each staged photo, the virtually-staged checkbox ticked, and public remarks that begin with the sentence 'One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.' Sedam Staging's disclosure file carries that sentence for Florida listings.
Not on Stellar: Article 04.04(E) bars words on any property photograph, and 04.05(D) bars text or graphics except Stellar's own watermark. Keep the disclosure in the caption and the remarks.
Staging the exterior beyond unattached furniture, touching permanent fixtures, adding anything outside the owner's control, removing defects such as holes or exposed wiring, and shrinking furniture to make a room look bigger.
The same four questions, answered from each regulator's own text. The national layer for the United States →
AB 723: the first statute, plus CRMLS and San Diego rules that disagree on where the label goes
Four MLSs, four ways to disclose: Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas–Fort Worth
A Department of State alert on AI listings, and a disclosure bill that is not yet law
The general-impression test in DOL's advertising guideline, and a members-only NWMLS rulebook
ARMLS's own 'Digitally Altered' watermark, the original beside it, and $200 fines from December 2026
Listing across the border? The rules in Canada, province by province.
How this page was made. Each quotation was read at the linked source on September 2, 2026; our confidence that it is current and complete is high (Stellar's rules and the statute were read from the official text; BeachesMLS from its own PDF; the MIAMI MLS text could not be retrieved). Rules change and boards add policies; the linked documents are the authority, and this is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Spotted a change? Tell us and we will fix the page.