Realtor advertising rules: brokerage name, team names, license

The rule: every ad names the brokerage

Every place below requires an agent's advertising to show the brokerage's licensed or registered name. The details differ: size, placement, license numbers and team names. "Ad" is broad: in Texas it includes social media, texts, websites, business cards and signs (22 TAC § 535.155(b)(1)).

NAR members

"REALTORS® shall not advertise nor permit any person employed by or affiliated with them to advertise real estate services ... without disclosing the name of that REALTOR®'s firm in a reasonable and readily apparent manner either in the advertisement or in electronic advertising via a link to a display with all required disclosures." (NAR: 2026 Code of Ethics, Standard of Practice 12-5)

The Code applies to NAR members. State license law applies to every licensee, member or not.

Texas

"(1) the name of the license holder or team placing the advertisement; and (2) the broker's name in at least half the size of the largest contact information for any sales agent, associated broker, or team name contained in the advertisement." (22 TAC § 535.155(a))

"Contact information" includes a name, phone, email, website, social handle or scan code (§ 535.155(b)(4)). So if your name is the biggest text in the ad, the broker's name must be at least half that size.

Florida

"All real estate advertisements must include the licensed name of the brokerage firm." (Fla. Admin. Code 61J2-10.025(1))

If your own name appears, at least your last name must appear as registered with the Commission. Online, the firm name goes "adjacent to or immediately above or below" the point of contact information (61J2-10.025(2)–(3)).

California

California licensees must show their name, license number and the responsible broker's identity on "all solicitation materials intended to be the first point of contact with consumers" (B&P Code § 10140.6(b)(1)). Those materials include "business cards, stationery, advertising flyers, advertisements on television, in print, or electronic media" (§ 10140.6(b)(3)). If you are also a mortgage loan originator, add your NMLS ID.

Team names: what they can say

A team name can't make a team look like its own brokerage. That is the shared rule. The wording differs by state.

• Texas: TREC says team names "must end in 'team' or 'group'" and "cannot contain the words 'brokerage', 'company', 'associates' or other similar terms." The broker registers the name with TREC before you use it in ads (TREC: advertising rules FAQ).
• California: to count as a team name (no separate license), it uses the surname of at least one member plus "associates," "group" or "team," and avoids words like "broker" or "brokerage" (B&P Code § 10159.7(a)(3); DRE team name FAQ). Ads with a team name must show the name and license number of at least one team member (§ 10159.6(a)), and:

"The responsible broker's identity shall be displayed as prominently and conspicuously as the team name in all advertising and solicitation materials." (B&P Code § 10159.6(b))

Note the conflict: "Smith Associates" works in California but breaks the Texas rule.

Using "REALTOR®" in ads

REALTOR® is NAR's membership mark, not a job title. NAR says it "should never be used to refer to real estate brokers, agents, or professionals in general" (NAR: Membership Marks Manual). The marks "may be used in connection with, but not as part of, your firm name": "Smith Realty, REALTORS®" is NAR's own example (Membership Marks Manual).

Social media, websites and domain names

• Texas: on social media or text, the required details may sit on your profile or a separate page if it is "readily accessible by a direct link" (§ 535.155(c)).
• NAR: SOP 12-5 allows a link to a display with the disclosures. SOP 12-8 requires "reasonable efforts to ensure that information on their websites is current." SOP 12-12 bars URLs or domain names "that present less than a true picture" (2026 Code of Ethics).
• Texas also counts as misleading an email or website address that implies a sales agent runs the brokerage (§ 535.155(d)(4)).

Canada: Ontario

Ontario's rule is in the regulations under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act:

"A broker or salesperson shall not advertise in any manner unless the advertisement clearly and prominently identifies the brokerage that employs the broker or salesperson, using the name in which the brokerage is registered." (O. Reg. 567/05, s. 12.1(3))

Ontario also sets your title: "salesperson," "real estate agent," "broker" and similar terms. CREA members may use "REALTOR®" instead (s. 12.1(4)–(6)). You need written consent to show a property, a party, or a sale price in an ad (s. 12.1(8)–(10)). RECO says the brokerage-name rule applies to "agents working in teams" and to websites and social media (RECO Bulletin 5.1).

Example

Texas yard sign

Your name and phone are 4 inches tall. The broker's name must be at least 2 inches tall. A team called "Lone Star Home Company" fails twice: it doesn't end in "team" or "group," and it uses "company."

California Instagram ad

"The Garcia Team" ad shows Maria Garcia's name and license number. The broker's name is as large as "The Garcia Team." Maria is also a loan originator, so her NMLS ID goes on it too.

Ontario Facebook post about a sale

You post a sold home with the price. You need written consent from the parties to show the price, and the brokerage's registered name must be clear and prominent in the post.

Different for you?

• Writing the ad copy itself: the Fair Housing Act limits words and photos. See fair housing advertising words.
• Running Facebook or Instagram ads: housing ads fall in Meta's special ad category. See Meta special ad categories.
• Your Google listing: see can a real estate agent have a Google Business Profile.
• Mortgage ads or co-marketing with a lender: see mortgage advertising trigger terms and RESPA Section 8.
• Building a compliant agent website: see the Website Agent.