Website compliance checklist

This is not legal advice. Acreline ships configurable tools and empty slots so a licensed office can display what their state commission, MLS, and counsel require. Rules vary by state and by board. The theme cannot make a site “compliant for every MLS.”

1. State advertising / brokerage identification

Almost every U.S. state requires the brokerage’s licensed name (exact as registered) on the website. Extra ID varies — examples, not a complete list:

• California — license number on first-point-of-contact materials, including websites (Business & Professions Code and DRE regulations).
• Texas — broker name sizing rules; statute bars TREC from requiring license numbers. Leave the license field blank if your state does not want it.
• Florida — licensed name on every page, typically next to contact information.
• New York — broker name plus address/phone; agent sites should link to the broker.

Theme fields: brokerage legal name, optional license number, optional broker license, jurisdiction, office city/state. Display toggles for footer and header / top bar. Phone comes from Identity. Check your state commission — do not assume one state’s rule.

2. Fair Housing (federal)

The binding advertising rule is 42 U.S.C. §3604(c): no discriminatory preference in copy or imagery (race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, plus any class your state or locality adds).

The Equal Housing Opportunity logo is not federally mandatory (HUD Part 109 was rescinded in 1996). The house mark and slogan are industry best practice. Acreline ships a statement plus an optional official-style house SVG — not HUD or NAR artwork. Customize or hide both.

Do not write neighborhood copy that signals who “belongs” there. Describe the house and the lot.

3. NAR Code of Ethics (if you are a REALTOR®)

Internet advertising typically wants the name as licensed, the brokerage, office city/state, and license jurisdiction. The fields above cover that.

REALTOR® is a trademark. Use it only if you are a member. Acreline demo brand strings do not include REALTOR. Do not paste NAR logos you are not licensed to use.

4. IDX / MLS (when you add a feed later)

Acreline is featured-listings-first. It is not an IDX product and does not claim compliance for every MLS. When your board requires on-page text, use the slots:

• Listing-office attribution (per listing field listing_office, or the site brokerage name when the attribution toggle is on)
• MLS disclaimer textarea — paste your board’s exact disclaimer
• Copyright line
• Last-updated date (listing modified date)
• IDX / MLS logo URL you have rights to

Slots stay empty until you enable them and fill text. Pair a real feed with the plugin or integration your board approves.

5. Lead / showing forms — TCPA-style consent

Prior express written consent is still the safe pattern before autodialed or prerecorded marketing calls and texts. (The FCC one-to-one consent rule was vacated in 2025; that does not remove the need for clear consent.)

When the toggle is on, showing and contact forms show an unchecked checkbox, configurable disclosure that names the brokerage (use {brokerage}), and “consent is not required to purchase.” Optional SMS/call sentence underneath. Showing requests store a consent flag and UTC timestamp on the Booking post. The contact form is a concept confirm (nothing is emailed) — still require the checkbox on the page.

Consult counsel before you connect a texting or CRM tool. This checkbox is not a substitute for a TCPA program.

6. Accessibility

Keep WCAG 2.2 AA contrast. Forms use visible labels, a 44px-friendly consent target, and aria-live on confirms. Add useful alt text on listing photos. Do not install “accessibility overlay” widgets — they often fail users and audits.

7. Privacy

Footer fields accept a Privacy Policy URL and an optional Terms URL. The theme does not invent legal policy text. Publish real pages, then paste the URLs.

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