Virtual staging disclosure: California AB 723 and originals

For California listings, AB 723 says the statement accompanying a digitally altered image must disclose that it was altered and point to where the unaltered image can be accessed, via a linked website, URL or QR code. So a virtual staging workflow needs two things: a disclosure line next to each altered photo, and a public place for the original. This is a summary of the bill text, not legal advice.

What does AB 723 require?

From the bill text read 2026-09-30: the disclosure must say the image has been altered and include language indicating that the unaltered images can be accessed on the linked internet website, URL, or QR code. Brokers must provide the unaltered version of the images the altered ones were created from, either in the posting itself or through a link to a publicly accessible website with clearly identified originals. The bill was approved on October 10, 2025, and the page shows no delayed implementation date.

How does a Sume image edit keep the original separate?

Sume's image endpoint covers text-to-image and reference-guided editing, so the original photo is an input and the staged result is a new file. The docs show output landing on a Sume-hosted https://media.sume.com/img/... URL, which is separate from the reference URL you sent. Reference URLs must be public HTTPS, so the original already needs a public address; that same address can be the one your disclosure links to. See Image generation.

On edit calls the docs recommend aspect_ratio: "auto" to match the source frame; omitting the field is not the same as auto. That keeps the staged photo the same shape as the original it replaces.

What should I store per listing?

Keep one record per photo: the original URL, the edited URL returned by the job, and the disclosure text you published. Nothing in the Sume docs adds a disclosure or provenance mark to the output, so the disclosure line and the link live in your listing, not in the image.

Where do I go from here?

For the staging workflow itself, see virtual staging with AI and AI real estate photo editing. Check the bill text and your broker's counsel for what applies to your listings.