Virtual staging is legal in every US state. No federal law names it; the FTC Act bans unfair or deceptive practices in commerce, and NAR's Code of Ethics requires REALTORS® to present a true picture in advertising and forbids misleading images. The rules that bite are the MLS rules, and they now disagree with each other about where the disclosure goes.
California became the first state with a statute on January 1, 2026: a conspicuous statement on or adjacent to every digitally altered image, plus a link or QR code to the original. Arizona's ARMLS requires its own MLS-applied watermark with the original beside it. Several MLSs require the original uploaded beside the staged photo, and a few forbid any text on the image itself. Wisconsin's statute follows on January 1, 2027, and New York has a bill in committee.
Stage a listing — free See what we catchThe national layer sits under every state rule: the FTC Act's ban on deceptive practices, and the Code of Ethics every REALTOR® signs.
“Unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, are hereby declared unlawful.”
Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45(a)(1), § 5 — Cornell LII · read September 2, 2026
“REALTORS® shall avoid exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts relating to the property or the transaction.”
Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, effective January 1, 2026, Article 2 — National Association of REALTORS® · read September 2, 2026
“REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful in their real estate communications and shall present a true picture in their advertising, marketing, and other representations.”
Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, 2026, Article 12 — National Association of REALTORS® · read September 2, 2026
“[The obligation to present a true picture] prohibits REALTORS® from: […] 2) manipulating (e.g., presenting content developed by others) listing and other content in any way that produces a deceptive or misleading result; […] 5) otherwise misleading consumers, including use of misleading images.”
Code of Ethics, Standard of Practice 12-10, SOP 12-10 — National Association of REALTORS® · read September 2, 2026
“Make sure listing photos that have been virtually staged are clearly labeled as such.”
Rethinking Virtual Staging for Today's Real Estate Agents — NAR, Styled, Staged & Sold, 2025-06-12 · read September 2, 2026
“Participants and subscribers are required to submit accurate listing data and required to correct any known errors.”
Model MLS Rules and Regulations, Section 1.2.0 — National Association of REALTORS® · read September 2, 2026
Three questions per state. Open one for the quoted text, the remarks line, and where it has been enforced.
| State | Disclosure | Label on image | Original kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaliforniaDRE | Required | Varies by MLS | Yes |
| FloridaFREC | Required | No | No specific rule found |
| TexasTREC | Required | Varies by MLS | Varies by MLS |
| New YorkNY DOS | Required | No specific rule found | No specific rule found |
| WashingtonWA DOL | General rule applies | No specific rule found | No specific rule found |
| ArizonaADRE | Required | Yes | Yes |
Public decisions and reports involving altered or virtually staged listing photos relevant to the United States.
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 →
Yes, in every state. What is illegal everywhere is a misleading image: the FTC Act bans deceptive practices, NAR's Standard of Practice 12-10 names 'misleading images', and each MLS enforces its own photo rule with fines from $100 to $1,000 per offence.
It depends on the MLS, and they disagree. Canopy, HAR and MLSSAZ want it on the image; ARMLS wants its own MLS-applied watermark and nothing else; CRMLS and SABOR want it in the photo description or a flag; Stellar wants the caption and the first words of the public remarks and forbids words on the photo; San Diego MLS forbids embedding it on the photo; Unlock MLS in Austin wants the unstaged twin uploaded and may remove images with stamped text. California's statute accepts on or adjacent, plus a link or QR to the original.
Publicly: CRMLS, Stellar, HAR, ARMLS, MRED, Canopy, REcolorado and NTREIS. Not publicly, as of the date read: Bright, NWMLS, ACTRIS and OneKey. Where a rule is not public, the state's misleading-advertising law and NAR's Code are what apply, and vendor blogs that quote a specific fine should not be trusted without the rule text.
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
Stellar MLS's virtual-staging article, and a state law that bans misleading ads
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. 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.