The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) just approved the most extensive update to its MLS Handbook in two decades.
The association announced 18 policy changes during NAR NXT, held in Houston from November 14 to 16.
The updates follow a comprehensive antitrust risk assessment and are detailed in NAR’s document titled “MLS Policy Risk Assessment PAG Recommendations.”
Perhaps the most significant is the repeal of “Policy Statement 7.7: Association Membership as a Prerequisite to MLS Participation.” With the new changes, prerequisites to access the MLS will now be a “matter of local discretion.”
Read on for the highlights.
How the Review Process Unfolded
Earlier this year, NAR hired a national antitrust law firm to evaluate every MLS policy for potential legal risk. After reviewing the findings, 2025 President Kevin Sears created a Presidential Advisory Group made up of MLS executives, brokers, association leaders, and industry partners.
The group’s task was to evaluate the assessment and recommend policy modifications or repeals that would reduce legal exposure while maintaining continuity for MLSs.
Once the Presidential Advisory Group completed its work, all 18 recommendations were reviewed and approved by the MLS Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board and the Multiple Listing Issues and Policies Committee. NAR’s Executive Committee voted to adopt the full set of updates, which take effect in January 2026.
Sears acknowledged the scale and intent of the changes before the Executive Committee vote. In his words,
“These updates to the MLS Handbook strengthen and modernize NAR’s policies and reflect our efforts to align MLS policies with how real estate professionals do business today. I want to thank each of our MLS PAG members, who represent a broad cross-section of our industry, for their time, ideas and passion. Their recommendations will help our organization and our industry move forward.”
The recommendations are grouped into three categories. Below is the full list, and more details can be found here.
Policies Related to Non-Member Access to MLS
These seven recommendations focus on clarifying local discretion and removing outdated or ambiguous prerequisites tied to MLS access.
1. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.25, which outlined procedures for requesting access to an MLS without association membership.
2. Repeal of the Note under Policy Statement 7.26 regarding prerequisites for participation in commercial and industrial MLSs.
3. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.7, which previously stated that association membership was a prerequisite to MLS participation
4. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.38 related to MLS indoctrination requirements for individuals entitled to participation without membership.
5. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.55 concerning nonmember broker and appraiser access.
6. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.92 governing MLS orientation and training requirements.
7. Amendment to Policy Statement 7.58 removing the optional local provision that limited IDX display rights to Realtors only.
Policies Related to MLS Operations and Agreements
The second group addresses operational rules and the structure of agreements between associations and MLSs.
8. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.54 regarding naming conventions for multiple listing services.
9. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.42, which encouraged MLS service areas to reflect natural market boundaries rather than association jurisdictions.
10. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.19 involving reciprocal agreements, contract services, or cooperative ventures between MLSs or associations.
11. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.87 concerning the transmission of listings to third-party aggregators or display on public websites.
12. Amendment to Policy Statement 7.20 addressing relationships between associations and independent MLSs.
13. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.47 outlining minimum security requirements for centralized key repositories.
Policies Related to Brokerage Activities and Rules Enforcement
The final set of updates involves brokerage-related rules and MLS disciplinary structures.
14. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.62, which excluded open listings from MLS compilations.
15. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.71 related to prompt presentation of offers.
16. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.73 involving cooperating brokers’ rights during the presentation of offers.
17. Repeal of Policy Statement 7.89, which authorized financial penalties up to fifteen thousand dollars.
18. Repeal of Section 5 of the MLS Disciplinary Guidelines in the MLS Handbook.
After the vote, Sears underscored NAR’s commitment to ongoing policy evaluation.
“NAR will continue to review and implement policy modifications, when necessary, with transparency and in a timely manner, to ensure that policies remain current and in line with the evolving needs of our members and the industry.”
As these changes move toward a January 2026 effective date, now’s a good time to familiarize yourself with the new framework so you know exactly what is changing, which policies have been removed, and where your local MLS will retain full decision-making authority.
Staying proactive now will make it easier to adapt once your MLS begins outlining its next steps.
