California AB 723: the altered listing photo guide for agents
Updated October 21, 2026 · 6 min read
In short: since January 1, 2026, a California agent or broker who advertises a property with a digitally altered photo must say, on or next to the photo, that it was altered, and give a link, URL or QR code to the unaltered original. Lighting, color, exposure, straightening and cropping don't count as altering. Adding, removing or changing anything about the property does.
What AB 723 is
Assembly Bill 723 was signed on October 10, 2025 and adds section 10140.8 to the California Business and Professions Code, part of the Real Estate Law. It applies to real estate brokers and salespersons, and to anyone acting on their behalf, such as an assistant, photographer or marketing team, when they use a digitally altered image to advertise or promote a property for sale or lease.
Which photos count as “digitally altered”
A digitally altered image is one created by or for the agent and changed with photo editing software or artificial intelligence to add, remove or change elements of the image. The law names, among others:
- fixtures, furniture and flooring
- floor plans, facades and landscaping
- things outside or visible from the property: streetlights, utility poles, window views, neighboring properties
Which edits are exempt
Images where only routine adjustments were made, and the property is represented as it is, are not “digitally altered” under the law. That covers lighting, exposure, white balance, color correction, sharpening, angle, straightening and cropping, and similar corrections. The law doesn't name HDR, but merging bracketed exposures of the same shot, or bringing back the real view through a window from a darker exposure of it, adds and removes nothing, and Showlit treats both as routine.
Common edits at a glance
| Edit | Disclosure under AB 723 |
|---|---|
| Brighten, fix white balance, correct color | Not needed |
| Straighten verticals, crop, sharpen, reduce noise | Not needed |
| HDR merge of your own bracketed shots | Not needed |
| Replace the sky, green the lawn | Required |
| Remove furniture, clutter or cars | Required |
| Virtual staging, virtual renovation, new paint or flooring | Required |
| Day-to-dusk (twilight) conversion | Required |
| Remove utility poles or wires, change the view or neighboring homes | Required, and best avoided: it hides facts buyers care about |
Blacking out a TV screen or blurring faces and license plates removes nothing that belongs to the property, so Showlit doesn't label them. If your broker prefers a label, add one.
What the disclosure must include
- A statement that the image was altered, for example “Digitally altered: sky replaced” or “Virtually staged”.
- Where to see the original: a publicly accessible website, URL or QR code that includes and clearly identifies the unaltered image.
- Placement: reasonably conspicuous, on or next to the altered image.
If the ad runs on a website you control, the unaltered versions should be there too, or behind a link from the disclosure to a public page that identifies them.
Check a photo
Who enforces it
AB 723 is part of the Real Estate Law, which the California Department of Real Estate enforces against licensees. Separately, MLSs set their own rules on altered photos and can fine or remove listings that break them. Check your MLS's photo rules as well as the law.
Other states
Wisconsin: 2025 Wisconsin Act 69 takes effect January 1, 2027. It requires licensees to disclose advertising images altered with technology, including AI, when the changes could give a false impression of the property. Other states have bills in progress; this page will be updated as they pass.
How Showlit handles it
Showlit makes every edit itself, so it knows which ones change the property. Routine fixes (HDR, light, color, straightening, window pull) carry no label. Edits like a sky replacement get a disclosure printed on the photo at export, and the unaltered version is exported right after it. Edits that would misrepresent the home, such as erasing a window or changing the view, are refused. See how Showlit works.