# Miami MLS: virtual staging rules

- Board: Miami MLS (SEFMLS)
- States: Florida
- Canonical page: https://relto.app/mls-compliance/boards/miami-mls

## From the Miami MLS rulebook

Quoted from “MLS Rules and Regulations of MIAMI Association of REALTORS®, Inc. d/b/a Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service”, effective 2025-08-21, read by RELTO on 2026-10-28. Source: https://www.miamirealtors.com/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2019/12/MLS-RR-and-Fines.pdf

Source note: Fine schedule read at https://www.miamirealtors.com/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2021/07/MLS-Fines.pdf (revised 09/17/2025). About 38 of 67 rulebook pages were readable through the page reader; a staging rule may sit in the unread pages.

### No watermarks, logos or text on photos (Rule 15.1.12)

> Copyright protected photographs, other copyright protected content, or photographs containing watermarks, logos, text, or other brands cannot be entered into the SEFMLS under any circumstances.

### No copied photos (Rule 15.1.12 (copying))

> Copying photographs or remarks from other Brokers' previous listings is prohibited without the appropriate written license or rights to do so.

### Fine schedule line for photos (MLS Fine Schedule (Data Integrity))

> Inappropriate, inaccurate, or branded photos, virtual tours and videos containing text, embedded links, watermarks, logos

## Fines that apply

- Inappropriate, inaccurate, or branded photos, virtual tours and videos containing text, embedded links, watermarks, logos (1st violation) (15.1.12): $500, no warning
- Same violation, 2nd (15.1.12): $750, no warning
- Same violation, 3rd (15.1.12): $1,500, no warning

## Where the rules apply

Southeast Florida.

## FAQ

### Can I put a “Virtually Staged” watermark on a Miami MLS photo?

Rule 15.1.12 says photos “containing watermarks, logos, text, or other brands cannot be entered into the SEFMLS under any circumstances.” It makes no exception for a staging label, so keep the photo clean and disclose in the remarks.

### Does Miami MLS require virtual staging to be disclosed?

RELTO did not find a virtual staging rule in the pages of the Miami MLS rulebook it could read. The fine schedule fines “inaccurate” photos, Florida law bars misleading advertising, and the NAR Code of Ethics bars misleading images, so disclose staging in the public remarks and confirm the preferred wording with Miami MLS.

### What is the fine?

The fine schedule lists “Inappropriate, inaccurate, or branded photos … containing text, embedded links, watermarks, logos” at $500 for a first violation, $750 for a second and $1,500 for a third.

## State law context

- Florida: https://relto.app/mls-compliance/florida

## 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. Rule text is quoted from the edition named above; Miami MLS may have amended it since.