Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS)
What ARMLS requires in Arizona: the Flexmls Digitally Altered disclosure, Rule 8.23’s watermark ban, what counts as altered, and the $200 fine (from Dec 2026).
Virtual staging is allowed in ARMLS, but you cannot burn your OWN disclosure onto the photo: Rule 8.23 bans text and non-ARMLS watermarks on media. As of May 28, 2026, ARMLS requires the Flexmls-provided “Digitally Altered” disclosure ON any virtually staged or digitally altered image, paired with the original unaltered photo uploaded directly before or after it (armls.com/digitally-altered-media, read 2026-08-25). Enforcement is a $200 fine per violation from December 2026; no fines during the June–November 2026 education phase.
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What Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) requires
| Disclosure required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Required label wording | “Digitally Altered” — the required Flexmls “Digitally Altered” disclosure applied to the image; an additional ARMLS-approved watermark is optional (armls.com/digitally-altered-media, read 2026-08-25). The older ARMLS-approved “Virtually Staged” watermark is being retired. |
| Label placement | ON the photo: the required Flexmls “Digitally Altered” disclosure is applied to the image itself, per armls.com/digitally-altered-media (read 2026-08-25) — verbatim, digitally altering media “requires, at a minimum, the MLS watermark ‘Digitally Altered’ disclosure on the photo paired with the original unaltered image.” The mark must be the ARMLS/Flexmls-provided one: §8.23 (rulebook, read directly) prohibits altering media to display text or images except property-location attributions, and prohibits watermarks of any kind except those specifically provided by ARMLS — so a third-party/vendor disclosure overlay (e.g. a branded label or verification URL burned onto the image) is NOT permitted in ARMLS, whether alone or alongside the ARMLS mark. For videos/virtual tours, either the ARMLS-approved Digitally Altered watermark or the words “Digitally Altered” in the description. |
| Listing description must disclose | Yes |
| Original photo required | Yes |
Alterations this rule covers:
- adding furniture to a room (virtual staging)
- adding an accent paint color
- removing items from a room
- adding a fire to a fireplace
- adding architectural detail the property does not have (PROHIBITED outright, not merely disclosable)
- NOT covered: brightness, contrast, color, cropping, sharpening (per ARMLS guidance, these do not change the substance of the image)
That’s the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) rule. SEAREI applies a clear virtually-staged disclosure to your photos, hosts the original, and issues a certificate that proves it — in about 2 minutes. Your first listing is free.
ARMLS Rules & Regulations §8.23 (Photographs, Renderings, Floor Plans, Files, Video, Media), rulebook last updated May 28, 2026; plus ARMLS “Digitally Altered Media” operational guidance
Effective 2026-05-28.
Published by Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. — serving Arizona.
Digitally Altered disclosure rule: education phase (no fines) June–November 2026, then $200 per violation from December 2026 (verified from ARMLS Digitally Altered Media page). ARMLS may also immediately remove non-compliant media (§8.23).
- ARMLS Rules & Regulations §8.23 (PDF, last updated May 28, 2026) — media text/watermark restrictions; read directly
- ARMLS — Rule 8.23 and Watermarks (official; ARMLS-approved-watermarks-only policy, 'virtual staging is allowed'). Note: the Digitally Altered disclosure enforcement timeline ($200/violation from Dec 2026) is on the Digitally Altered Media page, not this one.
- ARMLS Blog — Virtually Staged Photos (official; what may and may not be staged in AZ)
- ARMLS — Digitally Altered Media (official page for the 2026 disclosure requirement; browser-confirmed 2026-08-25)
Last verified 2026-08-25.
The rule differs board by board. A few related markets to compare — the full list is on the compliance overview:
This page summarizes publicly available rules for general information and is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the cited source or your broker or legal counsel before relying on it.