How does Bay East MLS want altered photos labeled?

Our reading as of , from the sources below. Not legal advice.

Short answer

Lighting, color, straightening and cropping are fine. Anything that adds, removes or changes elements, including a new sky and AI enhancements, must be marked as altered, with the unaltered photo shown immediately after it.

  1. Lighting, white balance, color, exposure, straightening and cropping don't count as altered.
  2. Virtual staging, object removal, sky replacement, AI enhancements and digital renderings do.
  3. Mark them "altered", "digitally altered" or "AI altered", and show the unaltered photo immediately after.

What Retouch Homes does in Bay East MLS

On by default, no label
Straightening, leveling and cropping, done with fixed math rather than AI.
Planned
A new sky. When it ships it stays off until you turn it on, and then the photo is marked altered and the original comes back with it.
We don't do
Removing fixed features or views.

Edit by edit

Exposure and color in Bay East MLS

No label

Lighting, white balance, color correction and exposure aren't altering, but Bay East lists AI enhancements as altered. Mark it if an AI tool made the change.

If an AI tool makes this edit: Label

Label text
Digitally Altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.

Source 1

Straightening and lens in Bay East MLS

No label

Angle and straightening aren't altering. Mark it if an AI tool did it.

If an AI tool makes this edit: Label

Label text
Digitally Altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.

Source 1

Cropping in Bay East MLS

No label

Cropping isn't altering.

Source 1

New sky in Bay East MLS

Label

Sky replacement is on Bay East's list of altered images.

Label text
Digitally Altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.

Source 1

Grass and landscape in Bay East MLS

Label

Changing elements in the image, including landscape, makes it altered.

Label text
Digitally Altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.

Source 1

Removing clutter in Bay East MLS

Label

Object removal is on Bay East's list of altered images.

Label text
Digitally Altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.

Source 1

Removing fixed features or surroundings in Bay East MLS

Label

Object removal is on the list. AB 723 applies too.

Label text
Digitally Altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.

Source 1

Virtual staging in Bay East MLS

Label

Virtual staging is on the list. Mark it and show the unstaged photo immediately after.

Label text
Virtually Staged
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On or next to the photo, with the original immediately after.

Source 1

Day to dusk in Bay East MLS

Unclear: label it

Not named, but a dusk conversion changes the sky and usually takes AI. Mark it as altered to be safe.

Label text
Digitally Altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it immediately after the edited photo.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

AI-generated image in Bay East MLS

Label

Digital renderings are on the list.

Label text
Digital Rendering

Source 1

Retouch Homes makes these edits with fixed math, not AI, so its own edits keep the first verdict.

Label text to copy

Digitally Altered

Use "altered", "digitally altered" or "AI altered" in a reasonably conspicuous way. "Virtually Staged" and "Digital Rendering" are Bay East's own examples. Show the original immediately after.

The rule, word for word

“…immediately after the digitally altered image…”

Bay East Association of REALTORS, Digitally Altered MLS Photo Rule (11.5.1–11.5.2). Our summary above isn't binding; the source is.

Questions agents ask

Do AI-enhanced photos need a label in Bay East MLS?

Yes. Bay East lists AI enhancements as altered images, even though the same edits done without AI, such as lighting and color, aren't.

Where does the original photo go in a Bay East MLS listing?

Immediately after the altered photo in the listing.

What happens if I don't label an altered photo in Bay East MLS?

Bay East says it may be an MLS compliance violation, enforced under its MLS rules. California's AB 723 also applies.

Sources

  1. Bay East Association of REALTORS, Digitally Altered MLS Photo Rule (11.5.1–11.5.2) · January 1, 2026 · primary source · checked November 6, 2026

Our reading as of November 6, 2026. Not legal advice. Rules change, so check the sources before you rely on them. See all markets.