Guide · Arizona · updated October 2026

Virtual staging on ARMLS: the Digitally Altered watermark rule

ARMLS, the MLS for the Phoenix area, changed how altered listing photos are disclosed. Since May 28, 2026, Rule 8.23 treats a virtually staged photo as digitally altered media: staging is still allowed, but each staged photo needs the Flexmls “Digitally Altered” watermark and the original photo next to it. The education phase runs to November; from December 2026, a missing disclosure is a $200 fine. Here is the rule in plain English, plus a checklist for every listing.

What counts as digitally altered

ARMLS's definition: a photo is digitally altered “when software or AI is used to add, remove, or significantly change image content.”

Needs the watermark: virtual staging, decluttering, removing valuable items, adding a fire to a fireplace.
Doesn't: brightness, contrast, color, cropping and sharpening, which don't change what is in the picture.
Edge cases from ARMLS's FAQ: a changed sky color needs no watermark (submit the photo for review if unsure); a blurred yard sign needs none either, as long as you follow ARMLS's blurring guideline.

Each staged photo needs two things

The Flexmls Digitally Altered watermark. ARMLS requires it on every digitally altered photo in Flexmls, and you add it within Flexmls itself; its post How to add a Digitally Altered watermark has the steps. Only one watermark goes on a photo, and only ARMLS's: other companies' watermarks are prohibited, and so is other text on the image.
The original, directly before or after it. ARMLS: subscribers must upload the original, unaltered photo directly before or after the watermarked, altered version.

You can also write a note such as “Virtually staged” in the Flexmls media description field, which is where ARMLS wants disclosures and extra details instead of on the image. The note adds to the watermark; it doesn't replace it. For stills inside videos or virtual tours, ARMLS has an approved watermark file to use instead.

What you may and may not change

ARMLS's own examples of virtual staging:

Yes: furniture in a room, an accent paint color, patio furniture in the backyard, clearing clutter such as trash cans at the end of the driveway (all of it with the watermark, since content was added or removed).
No: architectural features the home doesn't have, such as a fireplace, a swimming pool or a garage. Removing a tree is deceptive and not allowed.

Arizona's advertising rule for licensees (R4-28-502) applies on top of the MLS rule: advertising must contain accurate claims, and a salesperson or broker must not create “misleading or ambiguous impressions.” It covers online advertising, AI included, and the designated broker answers for all of it. So defects stay visible, and furniture stays true to the room's size.

Timeline and fines

May 28, 2026: the updated rule took effect.
June to November 2026: education phase. ARMLS enforces the rule, but fines are abated.
From December 2026: $200 per violation, in the Penalty Violation category of the ARMLS penalty policy.

The checklist

Stage furniture and décor only: nothing the home doesn't have.
Compare each staged photo with the original: same walls, floors, windows, fixtures and views; any damage still visible; furniture to scale.
Upload the clean staged version, with no label, logo or text on it.
Add the Flexmls Digitally Altered watermark to it, the only watermark on that photo.
Upload the original directly before or after it.
Optional: write “Virtually staged” in the media description.
Off the MLS too, say the photo is virtually staged wherever you use it: in ads, on social media and on flyers.

How ORVIONIS fits these rules

Virtual Staging adds furniture and décor to your own room photo and is instructed to keep the walls, floors, windows and fixtures as photographed. You get two versions of each room as clean, unbranded JPGs: upload one to Flexmls, add its Digitally Altered watermark, and put your original directly before or after it. The copies labeled “Virtually staged” are for ads, social posts and flyers outside the MLS; don't upload them to ARMLS, where the only watermark allowed is its own. If a version changed something it shouldn't have, don't upload it: one redo is included.

Pricing: $15 a room, or $49 for a whole listing (up to 5 rooms + the MLS description), $99 for 10. Your first photo is free, so you can try it on a real listing first.

Stage your first photo free

Listing in Tucson? MLSSAZ, the Southern Arizona MLS, has its own rule: a “virtual staged” label along the top of the photo and the unmodified photo next to it. Listing elsewhere? Stellar MLS in Florida wants no words or watermark on the photo at all, only a description, a checkbox and a line in the remarks, and in California AB 723 puts the label on or next to the image and requires access to the original. In Texas, HAR and SABOR want the disclosure in the photo description. The wording for each place is in our virtual staging disclaimer examples. Other boards, from Bright MLS to Canopy MLS, are compared in virtual staging rules by MLS, and the state laws (California now, Wisconsin from 2027) in virtual staging laws by state.

Questions

Is virtual staging allowed on ARMLS?

Yes. Under Rule 8.23, in effect since May 28, 2026, a virtually staged photo counts as digitally altered: it needs the Flexmls Digitally Altered watermark, and the original, unaltered photo has to be uploaded directly before or after it.

Can I use the “Virtually staged” label from my editor or staging company?

Not on photos in Flexmls. The rule asks for the Digitally Altered watermark added within Flexmls; ARMLS allows one watermark per photo, only the ones it provides, and no other company's watermark. Upload the clean staged photo and add the watermark in Flexmls.

Do I have to upload the original photo too?

Yes. ARMLS says subscribers must upload the original, unaltered photo directly before or after the watermarked, altered version, so keep the original of every room you stage.

When do the fines start?

ARMLS has enforced the rule since June 2026 with fines abated (its education phase runs to November 2026). From December 2026 a missing disclosure is a $200 fine per violation, under the Penalty Violation category of its penalty policy.

Does brightening a photo count as digitally altered?

No. Brightness, contrast, color, cropping and sharpening don't change what is in the picture, so they need no watermark. Adding, removing or significantly changing content does: virtual staging, decluttering, removing valuables, adding a fire to a fireplace. A changed sky color needs none, ARMLS says, but submit the photo for review if you're unsure.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Checked against ARMLS's published pages on October 9, 2026; rules change, so check the current version and your broker's policy.