Virtual staging disclosure: what agents must label

Virtual staging disclosure comes down to two habits: label every virtually staged photo as staged where buyers see it, and keep the unaltered original. In California, a law in force since January 1, 2026 also requires a link to that original. Wisconsin adds its own disclosure rule on January 1, 2027. This is general information, not legal advice.

This post is for listing agents, photographers and stagers who use virtual staging. It quotes each rule from its own source and gives the date we checked it. It does not cover every MLS, so check with your MLS and broker before you publish.

Key takeaways

• NAR's Code asks members to present a true picture and bars misleading images. California's AB 723 requires a statement that an image is altered and a link to the original.
• MLS rules differ. CRMLS wants a label in the photo description and the original next to the altered image. Stellar limits what staging may change.
• A label doesn't fix a misleading image: changing paint colours or fixtures is a different problem from showing furniture.

Do you have to disclose virtual staging?

Assume yes. Nothing in the rules quoted below bans virtual staging; they govern labelling and misleading images. The NAR Code of Ethics asks members to "present a true picture in their advertising", California requires a statement and a link to the original, and many MLSs require a label. Check with your MLS and broker for the rule that applies to your listing.

Standard of Practice 12-10 (adopted 2007, amended 2018) bars "otherwise misleading consumers, including use of misleading images". Read both in the 2026 NAR Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (checked 2026-10-04).

What does California's AB 723 require?

AB 723 asks for two things when a broker or salesperson advertises a property for sale with a digitally altered image: a statement that the image is altered, placed so it is "reasonably conspicuous and located on or adjacent to the image", and a link, URL or QR code to the original unaltered image. It is chaptered as Ch. 497, Stats. 2025, and in force since January 1, 2026.

The disclosure must be "reasonably conspicuous and located on or adjacent to the image".

Most guides cover the label and skip the second half: the link to the original. The statute covers a broker or salesperson, or someone acting for them, in advertising the sale of real property. Read the text yourself at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (checked 2026-10-04), then check with your broker.

What counts as "digitally altered"?

AB 723 defines an altered image as one changed with photo editing software or AI "to add, remove, or change elements". The statute's examples include fixtures, furniture, flooring, paint, landscaping and neighbouring properties. Staged furniture falls in that group. Common adjustments do not.

The statute excludes "lighting, sharpening, white balance, color correction, angle, straightening, cropping, exposure, or other common photo editing adjustments" that don't change the representation.

One open question: the exclusion list includes the word "angle". We draw no conclusion about whether an AI-generated new viewpoint of a room, such as the views of a room generated from one photo or the angles AI tools generate from one image, counts as an angle adjustment or as an altered image. If your listing uses generated views, ask your MLS and broker before you publish.

What do MLS rules add?

MLS rules are stricter on details and differ from one MLS to the next. Two examples, both checked 2026-10-04. CRMLS Rule 11.5.2 wants a label in the photo description, such as "digitally altered" or "virtually staged", with the original image placed right before or right after the altered one. Stellar MLS limits what a staged photo may change.

• CRMLS Rule 11.5.2 (knowledge base, updated July 24, 2026). Label in the photo description; original image right before or right after the altered one; minor adjustments are not covered; a warning, then a $250 fine if the listing is not corrected.
• Stellar MLS (photo rules). Interior: you may alter furnishings that won't remain, but may not swap or remove permanent fixtures or change paint colours. Exterior: you may not remove utility lines, add plantings or cover material flaws.

Your MLS may differ from both. Check with your MLS and broker.

Which other states have disclosure rules?

Wisconsin has one on the books, effective January 1, 2027, and New York has a bill. Neither is the whole picture; this post covers only the sources it quotes.

• Wisconsin, 2025 Wisconsin Act 69 (Legislative Council memo, December 19, 2025, checked 2026-10-04). A licensee must disclose if an advertisement "has been altered or modified using technology, including artificial intelligence, to add, remove, or change elements of the property that create a false or misleading impression". Effective January 1, 2027.
• New York, A.11635 (Rosenthal) (NY Assembly, checked 2026-10-04). It would require a disclosure and the unaltered image for a sale or lease. It is in committee (referred to housing, July 29, 2026): a bill, not law.

The rules side by side

What does a labelled listing photo set look like?

A labelled set shows the staged photo with its label on or next to it, the original photo right after it, and a link or QR code to the original. That layout answers both halves of AB 723 and the CRMLS placement rule at once. Your MLS decides the wording and where each piece goes.

Where it fails

A label does not make a misleading photo acceptable, and a tool can't carry your obligations for you. The limits worth knowing:

• A label doesn't fix misrepresentation. Showing furniture is one thing. Changing paint colours or swapping fixtures is something Stellar's rules prohibit, and NAR's Standard of Practice 12-10 bars misleading images whatever the label says.
• The link to the original is on the agent. AB 723 asks for a link, URL or QR code to the unaltered image. Someone has to host the original at a public address and keep it there.
• Rules differ by MLS. CRMLS puts the label in the photo description; your MLS may put it somewhere else. We quote examples, not the rule for your MLS.
• AI staging can quietly change more than furniture. Window frames, fixtures and floors can drift. Run the checklist in the staging checklist for an empty room before you label anything.
• This post is limited. It quotes six sources, is dated, and is not legal advice. Rules are moving; the Wisconsin rule and the New York bill both change the picture.

How does MultiAngle's staging output help?

MultiAngle's virtual staging recipe returns a labelled copy, a clean copy, and your original with disclosure text. Those are files, not a compliance guarantee: the labelled copy carries a notice on the image, the clean copy is for places where the notice sits next to the image, and the original with disclosure text shows buyers the room as it is.

You still host the original at a public URL or QR code, place each file the way your MLS requires, and follow the rules above. The interior and real-estate guide covers the rest of the room tools.

Stage a room with labelled and original copies

FAQ

Is virtual staging legal?

Nothing in the rules quoted here bans virtual staging. They govern labels and misleading images: California requires a statement and a link to the original, CRMLS requires a label, Stellar limits what may be changed, and NAR's Code bars misleading images. Whether a given listing meets them is a question for your MLS and broker, not legal advice.

Is the $250-per-photo MLS fine real?

CRMLS Rule 11.5.2 describes a warning, then a $250 fine if the listing is not corrected (CRMLS knowledge base, checked 2026-10-04). We quote only that source. Other fine ranges in vendor guides, which we could not trace to a primary source, we don't repeat.

Does brightening or cropping need disclosure in California?

AB 723's text excludes "lighting, sharpening, white balance, color correction, angle, straightening, cropping, exposure, or other common photo editing adjustments" that don't change the representation. Adding, removing or changing elements is what triggers the statement. Check with your broker for edge cases.

Does AB 723 apply to rentals?

The text refers to advertising the sale of real property. New York's pending bill would cover a sale or lease, but it is not law. Check with your MLS and broker for lease listings.

What wording should I use for the label?

CRMLS gives example terms: "digitally altered" and "virtually staged". Your MLS may require specific wording, so ask it first.

Read next: stage an empty room and check every changeVirtual staging an empty room: 4 styles, same cameraHow to virtually stage an empty room: shoot one level corner photo, stage it, then check every change against the original. One room shown in 4 styles.