NORIS §4.5 requires the phrase “Virtually Staged” on the image and in the photo description, interior only, with no branding on the photo. $100 fine plus photo removal.
Yes — and NORIS is one of the few US MLSs that requires the label ON the image by rule. NORIS §4.5 imposes a two-part duty: the phrase “Virtually Staged” must appear “in a clear and reasonably sized font on the image”, and the same phrase must also be entered in the photo “enter description” field. Virtual staging is permitted for interiors of existing structures only — exteriors may not be staged, permanent fixtures may not be removed, altered or added, and defects may not be edited out. Critically, §4.5(f) bans branding on any virtually staged photo, so the required label must not carry a vendor name, logo or verification URL. Non-compliance means the photo is pulled by MLS staff plus a $100 fine under the §7(b) schedule.
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| Disclosure required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Required label wording | EXACT PHRASE REQUIRED: “Virtually Staged”. §4.5 mandates that literal phrase both on the image and in the photo description field. No alternative wording ('Digitally Altered', 'Virtually Enhanced', 'Staging is virtual') is authorised by the rule. The label must carry no vendor branding (§4.5(f)) and no company name, agent name, phone, fax, email or URL (§4.4). |
| Label placement | ON THE IMAGE — §4.5, verbatim: “must have in a clear and reasonably sized font on the image the phrase ‘Virtually Staged’.” No corner, band, pixel size or font family is specified (contrast HAR TX, which specifies ≥1024×89px, Arial, across the bottom). PLUS the same phrase in the photo ‘enter description’ field in the manage-photo module. Interior images of an existing structure only. |
| Listing description must disclose | Yes |
| Original photo required | No |
Alterations this rule covers:
Not offered for this board
That’s the NORIS (Northwest Ohio Real Estate Information Systems, Inc. — Toledo & Northwest Ohio) rule. This board bans the on-image disclosure our product produces. We can host your original photo and issue a verification record, but not a board-compliant delivery.
What we can always do for any board: host your original, unaltered photo at a public URL and issue a timestamped verification record. What we don’t claim here is a board-compliant on-image delivery.
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To meet the NORIS (Northwest Ohio Real Estate Information Systems, Inc. — Toledo & Northwest Ohio) rule, an agent completes these MLS-side steps (from the cited source):
Effective 2018-03-02.
Published by Northwest Ohio Real Estate Information Systems, Inc. (NORIS) — serving Toledo / Northwest Ohio (Lucas & Wood counties).
VERIFIED from the rulebook's own Section 7(b) fine schedule, which lists the line item “4.5 Virtual Staging $100”. §4.5 also states, verbatim: “Failure to comply with Virtual Staging Rules and Regulations shall result in the Virtual Staged photo(s) being removed from the Multiple Listing Service by MLS Staff and will be subject to a fine as set forth in Section 7(b).” So: photo removal by MLS staff + a $100 fine. (For contrast, the same schedule sets §4.4 branding violations at “$50 1st offense, increases by $50 each offence” after a 1st and 2nd courtesy notice.)
Yes. NORIS Rules & Regulations §4.5 requires two disclosures for every virtually staged image: the phrase “Virtually Staged” in a clear and reasonably sized font on the image itself, and the same phrase in the photo “enter description” field in the manage-photo module. Both are mandatory; one does not substitute for the other.
No. §4.5(f) states that “no branding is permitted on any photo(s) or virtual tour that has been virtually staged,” and §4.4 separately bars company names, agent names, phone numbers, fax, email or URLs from consumer-visible areas of a NORIS listing. The label must say “Virtually Staged” and nothing that identifies a brand or vendor.
No. §4.5 limits virtual staging to “the Interior of an existing structure,” and §4.5(b) states plainly: “No photo(s) of the exterior of the property shall be virtually staged.”
No. §4.5 contains no requirement to file an unaltered version of the same view. That distinguishes NORIS from HAR (Houston), ACTRIS (Austin) and ARMLS (Arizona), each of which requires an unaltered companion image in some form.
§4.5 provides that non-compliant virtually staged photos are removed from the MLS by NORIS staff and the participant is fined under the §7(b) schedule, which lists “4.5 Virtual Staging — $100.”
Last verified 2026-08-31.
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.