CRMLS Rule 11.5.2.
How the largest MLS in the United States implements California AB 723 — what Rule 11.5.2 requires, how CRMLS Compliance enforces it, and how SEAREI ships the four artifacts in one delivery.
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CRMLS Rule 11.5.2 (Digitally Altered Images).
The California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS) — the largest MLS in the United States — drafted Rule 11.5.2 in adherence to California AB 723, which took effect January 1, 2026. CRMLS’s published guidance states the operative requirement:
When adding a digitally enhanced image to the MLS, the original, unaltered version must appear in the listing immediately before or after the digitally enhanced image. Clearly label the digitally enhanced image in the photo description text field. Use terms such as “digitally enhanced,” “digitally altered,” or “virtually staged.”
Two obligations follow: the unaltered original must be present in the listing’s image set, positioned immediately adjacent to the altered version, and the altered image must carry a written disclosure in its photo description field. This is CRMLS’s implementation choice; AB 723 itself (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §10140.8) requires a conspicuous disclosure plus a publicly accessible original, and leaves the placement mechanics to each MLS.
What a CRMLS Rule 11.5.2 review looks like.
Per CRMLS’s guidance, a user who violates the rule “will be contacted by CRMLS Compliance to correct the issue as any user would be for any other violation.” As of CRMLS’s current guidance there is no fine for violating Rule 11.5.2, but the CRMLS Rules Committee stated it will revisit the matter of fines in 2026 — so brokerages should treat documentation as something they may need to produce on request, not an optional nicety. The underlying state law adds real exposure: a willful AB 723 violation is a crime under California Real Estate Law (Bus. & Prof. Code §10185).
The wording SEAREI applies.
Virtually staged / digitally altered. Original, unaltered image available at the verification URL or via the QR code.
Four concrete artifacts per job.
- Disclosure-labeled export with the digitally altered / virtually staged wording, ready to paste into the CRMLS photo description field and placed on or adjacent to the image.
- Unaltered original retained and hosted at a permanent public URL — so the before/after pair Rule 11.5.2 wants in the listing is always available, even if an image slot is later re-ordered.
- Immutable compliance certificate — HTML plus a SHA-256 manifest recording the disclosure text, the staging and delivery timestamps, and the job ID.
- Forensic audit trail. Every state transition — upload, overlay applied, certificate generated, re-rendered after revisions — is recorded with a server timestamp and surfaced through the verification URL, so a CRMLS Compliance officer can reconstruct the full provenance of every image.
CRMLS guidance: CRMLS Knowledge Base — Digitally Altered Image Guidance (FAQs). State law: California Legislative Information — AB 723 (2025–2026).
SEAREI provides compliance workflow tools. This page is not legal advice and is not affiliated with or endorsed by CRMLS. Confirm current rule text and requirements with CRMLS and your brokerage.
Last updated: June 15, 2026 · SEATECHONE LLC
Other jurisdictions: California AB 723 · Washington · NWMLS Rule 80 · British Columbia.
New to the rules? Start with the complete AB 723 guide or the disclosure glossary.