California AB 723 and Virtual Staging Photos: A Checklist for Real Estate Agents

What California AB 723 Requires

The official chaptered text of AB 723 added Section 10140.8 to the California Business and Professions Code. The law took effect January 1, 2026.

It applies when a broker, salesperson, or person acting on their behalf includes a digitally altered image in advertising or promotional material for the sale of real property. It requires:

• a statement disclosing that the image was altered;
• a reasonably conspicuous placement on or adjacent to the altered image;
• a public website, URL, or QR code that includes and clearly identifies the original, unaltered image; and
• language in the disclosure statement telling viewers that the original can be accessed through that link, URL, or QR code.

On a website controlled by the covered person, the posting must also include the original image or use the statute's public-link method. A source file stored only in a private drive does not give viewers the access described by the law.

Does Virtual Staging Count as a Digitally Altered Image?

Yes. AB 723 covers images changed with photo-editing software or AI to add, remove, or change elements including furniture, fixtures, appliances, flooring, walls, paint color, landscaping, views, and neighboring-property elements. Adding virtual furniture and digitally removing existing furniture both fall within the definition.

Common photographic adjustments such as lighting, sharpening, white balance, color correction, straightening, cropping, and exposure are excluded when they do not change how the real property is represented.

For a broader explanation of image labeling and review, compare the AI virtual staging disclosure workflow with these virtual staging disclosure examples.

AB 723 and CRMLS: Related, but Not Identical

The state law establishes the California disclosure and original-access obligations. An MLS can also define how subscribers must implement image rules inside its system.

CRMLS's Digitally Altered Image Guidance & FAQs, updated July 24, 2026, tells subscribers to label the altered image in the photo description and put its original, unaltered version immediately before or after it. The guidance also says that virtually clearing furniture counts as an alteration.

For a CRMLS listing, follow its upload workflow and separately check each other advertisement—such as a brokerage site, social post, email, or print piece—against the requirements for that channel.

California AB 723 Virtual Staging Checklist

Use this checklist for every staged photo, not only once per listing.

The operational principle is simple: never let a staged image become separated from its original, disclosure, and review record.

Disclosure Wording to Adapt

No one marketing sentence is a universal safe harbor. Review wording and placement for each channel. A practical starting point is:

This image has been virtually staged and includes digitally added furnishings. View the original, unaltered image at [public URL].

For a printed flyer, the same sentence can point to a QR code:

This image has been virtually staged. Scan the QR code to view the original, unaltered photo.

For CRMLS, use an acceptable label in the image-description field and pair the image with its original. Do not assume text hidden in general remarks is “on or adjacent to” the image. These are workflow examples, not legal templates; another California MLS may use different fields or image-order rules.

Edits That Need a Stop, Not Just a Disclosure

AB 723 does not replace truth-in-advertising rules, MLS policies, or a licensee's other duties. CRMLS warns against modifying actual property components. Stop an image from publication when staging:

• changes wall dimensions, doors, windows, flooring, cabinets, or paint color;
• removes utility poles, wires, damage, stains, or other visible conditions;
• replaces the real view through a window;
• shows landscaping that the seller will not provide as part of the listed price; or
• makes furniture scale distort the room's usable dimensions.

Disclosure does not make a misleading image acceptable. Keep the original geometry and condition intact. The virtual staging for real estate photos workflow provides a practical review process.

A Safer Handoff for Photographers and Marketing Teams

AB 723 includes people acting on behalf of a broker or salesperson. Give photographers, assistants, and agencies explicit instructions. For each staged image, request:

• the original and staged files using matching identifiers;
• a note describing what was added or removed;
• no destructive overwrite of the source file;
• a ready-to-review disclosure line;
• and confirmation that permanent property features were not intentionally changed.

The licensee's team should still perform the final comparison and channel review.

Where Planua Fits

Planua can create a furnished version of a real empty-room photo for review. The team must still decide whether the output preserves the room and belongs in the marketing package.

For a California workflow:

1. Keep the source photo as the original record.
2. Create the staged variant with Planua.
3. Compare the two images for property accuracy.
4. Reject any output that changes a permanent feature or hides a condition.
5. Publish only after adding the disclosure, original access, and MLS-specific steps your reviewer approves.

Planua does not determine compliance or replace broker review. Agents remain responsible for the final listing package. Evaluate Planua's virtual staging software alongside the compliance workflow rather than treating generation as the final step.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did California AB 723 take effect?

AB 723 took effect on January 1, 2026. The official page identifies it as Chapter 497, approved and filed on October 10, 2025.

Does AB 723 apply only to MLS photos?

No. Its wording covers advertising or other promotional material for the sale of real property used by a covered licensee or someone acting on their behalf. Confirm implementation for each channel.

Does the original have to appear next to the staged image?

CRMLS currently requires the original immediately before or after the altered image. The statute describes a public website, URL, or QR-code method and adds requirements for controlled websites. Apply both rules as relevant.

Is “virtually staged” in the image description enough?

Not for the complete AB 723 workflow. The law also requires original-image access and language telling the viewer how to reach the original. CRMLS separately requires the acceptable image-description label and adjacent original.

Can an agent publish a staged image if furniture is the only change?

Furniture is specifically included in AB 723's definition of a digitally altered image. It can be a normal virtual-staging use case, but the disclosure and original-image workflow still applies.

Final Review Before Publishing

California teams should treat original-image access as part of the asset, not as a correction added after the listing goes live. Preserve the source, constrain the edit, make the disclosure conspicuous, connect the viewer to the clearly identified original, and complete the local MLS workflow.

Requirements can change, and broker policies may be stricter. Confirm the current rule with your broker and MLS for every publication system you use.

Review the MLS virtual staging guide before approving your next virtually staged California listing.