# ARMLS: virtual staging rules

- Board: ARMLS
- States: Arizona
- Canonical page: https://relto.app/mls-compliance/boards/armls

## As documented in RELTO's Arizona research (42,000+ (per ARMLS website) subscribers)

- Disclosure rule: Rule 8.23(n): any Media that has been Digitally Altered must carry a clear and conspicuous disclosure, which at a minimum includes the MLS system-provided watermark applied directly to the Media, and each altered item must be paired directly before or after with the unaltered original. The separate ARMLS-approved "virtually staged" watermark is optional; any other watermark must be ARMLS-approved, and only one watermark per photo is allowed. For videos and virtual tours, use the ARMLS-approved Digitally Altered watermark or put "Digitally Altered" in the description (armls.com/digitally-altered-media).
- Permitted: Virtual staging that adds, removes or modifies furniture and décor, disclosed with the MLS system-provided Digitally Altered watermark and paired with the unaltered original (Rule 8.23(n)). Routine brightness, contrast or color correction that does not change the property's representation is permitted (Rule 8.23(f)).
- Prohibited: Digitally altering Media to materially misrepresent the existing condition or existing structure of a property, including surrounding elements such as views or neighboring structures, unless disclosed as the rules describe (Rule 8.23(f)). People in Media unless they are in the background (Rule 8.23(c)). Contact information or branding on Media (Rule 8.23(a)-(b)). Broker policies may be stricter.
- Penalty: ARMLS has said it will fine $200 per violation of the Digitally Altered disclosure rule from December 2026, with no fines issued June–November 2026. Rule 8.23 also lets ARMLS immediately remove non-compliant Media.

Provenance: these board rules were documented as part of RELTO's Arizona research, whose state entry is verified against the board or statute’s own public rulebook (last verified 2026-10-11). No separate board-rulebook citation is indexed for this rule — confirm the current wording with the board directly. Full legal context, penalties, and sources for Arizona: https://relto.app/mls-compliance/arizona

## Not legal advice

Informational only. RELTO is a virtual-staging technology provider, not a law firm. Board rules and enforcement practices change; confirm each rule with the board’s current rulebook, your broker, and a licensed real-estate attorney before relying on it. Verification dates and confidence tiers describe the state entries, not board-specific rulebook citations.