Virtual staging disclosure rules (2026): California AB 723, MLS rules and state laws

1. Stage only movable items. Don’t add, remove or change walls, windows, floors, cabinets, fixtures, paint, landscaping or views.
2. Label the image, for example “Virtually staged”, on or next to the photo, or in the photo description field if your MLS says so.
3. Give access to the unaltered original with a link, URL or QR code, and say so in the statement (required in California).
4. On your own website, show the original too, or link to a public page that clearly identifies it.
5. Follow your MLS: CRMLS wants the original immediately before or after the staged photo; SDMLS forbids text or watermarks on the photo.
6. Keep the originals online for as long as the listing and its ads run.

Example statement that covers the California requirement: “Virtually staged. See the original photo at [your link].”

AB 723 (Chapter 497, Statutes of 2025) took effect on January 1, 2026. It applies to “a real estate broker or salesperson, or person acting on their behalf” who uses a digitally altered image “in an advertisement or other promotional material for the sale of real property.”

• What to include: “a statement disclosing that the image has been altered and a link to a publicly accessible internet website, URL, or QR code that includes, and clearly identifies, the original, unaltered image.”
• Where: the statement must be “reasonably conspicuous and located on or adjacent to the image” and say that the unaltered images can be accessed through the link, URL or QR code. The law does not prescribe exact words.
• Your own website: if you control the site, include the unaltered version in the posting, or link to a public page that clearly identifies it.
• What counts as altered: using photo editing software or AI “to add, remove, or change elements in the image,” including furniture, fixtures, appliances, flooring, walls, paint color, landscape, facade and views. Virtual staging is covered.
• What is exempt: “lighting, sharpening, white balance, color correction, angle, straightening, cropping, exposure, or other common photo editing adjustments” that don’t change how the property is represented.
• Enforcement: the bill digest notes that a willful violation of the Real Estate Law is a crime.

AB 2025 (2026) extends this to rentals. Signed on September 27, 2026 (Chapter 572), it adds Civil Code §1940.11 for rental advertising from January 1, 2027, and excludes leases longer than one year from §10140.8.

MLS rules decide where the label and the original go. Two large California MLSs read the same law differently:

CRMLS also treats virtually emptying a room of furniture that won’t convey as a digital alteration, and does not permit AI-generated landscaping. Other MLSs publish their own rules; check yours before you upload.

We found no other enacted state statute as of October 26, 2026. Elsewhere, MLS rules and the NAR Code of Ethics still apply.

Article 12 requires REALTORS® to “present a true picture in their advertising, marketing, and other representations.” Standard of Practice 12-10 extends this to images and prohibits “use of misleading images.” The Code doesn’t mention virtual staging by name, but an unlabeled staged photo, or one that hides defects, can mislead.

Zillow’s own buyer-side virtual staging in Showcase listings is “clearly labeled and always paired with the original unaltered photo,” and Zillow says it supports clear disclosure when AI materially alters a listing image.

• MLS-safe mode is the default: only furniture and decor change.
• Every export carries a “Virtually staged” label in the listing’s language; virtual renovations are labeled “Virtually renovated”.
• Each staged image links to a hosted page with the unaltered original, plus a short URL and QR code for your statement.
• Files include IPTC Digital Source Type metadata that marks them as AI-edited.
• The label is burned into the image today. MLSs that forbid text on photos, such as SDMLS, need a label-free export with the disclosure in the description field; that export is not available yet.

This page summarizes public rules for general information. It is not legal advice; confirm requirements with your broker or MLS.