Missouri
MARIS: virtual staging rules
What MARIS (Mid-America Regional Information Systems) requires before a virtually staged photo goes into a listing — the disclosure rule, the edits it permits, the edits it prohibits, and what happens when a listing gets it wrong.
Disclosure rule
MARIS Rules (Rules last revised and updated August 23, 2024; a newer version was not found): photos must accurately represent the property or be indicated as visually altered, and visually altered photos must be submitted with the non-altered original in succession. The same section says virtually staged photos or videos and modifications to chattel are not required to disclose virtual staging to the property; the wording is ambiguous, so confirm with MARIS. NAR Article 12 still requires a true picture. Serves greater St. Louis.
Permitted
Virtually staged photos and chattel modifications, per the MARIS rule text.
Prohibited
Photos that do not accurately represent the property and are not indicated as altered.
Penalty
Not confirmed; check the MARIS fine schedule.
Provenance: these board rules were documented as part of RELTO's Missouri research, whose state entry is verified against the board or statute’s own public rulebook. 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 Missouri: Missouri virtual staging rules.
Disclosure language you can copy
RELTO's recommended wording — always confirm the exact format MARIS requires (photo label, caption, or public remarks) before publishing.
- On the photo
- Virtually Staged
- In public remarks
- One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.
- Extended disclaimer
- Images have been virtually staged to illustrate the property's potential. Furniture and decor shown are digitally rendered and are not included with the property. Please refer to the original photographs for an accurate representation of the property's current condition.
Sources
- MARIS Rules and Regulations (last revised and updated August 23, 2024) (PDF) — Missouri
- Heartland MLS Rules and Regulations (revised August 2024), Section 11.2.2 (PDF) — Missouri
- 20 CSR 2250-8.070 — Advertising (Cornell LII) — Missouri
- Missouri Real Estate Commission — Chapter 8 Rules (PDF) — Missouri
- RSMo 339.100 — Investigations and discipline (Missouri Revisor of Statutes) — Missouri
- RSMo 407.025 — Private action under the Merchandising Practices Act — Missouri
- MREC — Business Conduct and Practice chapter index — Missouri
Stage compliantly on MARIS
RELTO's free tier watermarks every image automatically, and MLS-ready downloads on paid plans add the disclosure label. Free to start, no credit card.
Stage a photo freeInformational only — not legal advice. RELTO is a virtual-staging technology provider, not a law firm, and nothing on this page creates an attorney-client relationship. 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. Every rule above was documented as part of the state research that covers this board; verification dates and confidence tiers describe those state entries, not board-specific rulebook citations.