--- title: "Stellar MLS IDX attribution and display rules" description: "Review Stellar MLS listing credit, source labels, thumbnail branding, and filtered-search disclosures before approving an agent website's IDX design" canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/stellar-mls-idx-attribution-display-rules" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Stellar MLS IDX attribution and display rules Review listing-brokerage credit and MLS source identification separately on a Stellar MLS website. Article 19.22 addresses the listing brokerage. Article 19.23 addresses the providing MLS and MLS GRID identification. [Stellar listing-credit rule](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1922-identifying-the-listing-brokerage), [Stellar source-identification rule](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1923-identifying-the-source-of-idx-listings). Checked: 2026.10.23. Use the current HTML rules when preparing a redesign. Give the provider a list of every proposed property display, including search cards and custom homepage modules. ## What should appear beside the property information? Article 19.22 requires the listing brokerage name, listing number, and status immediately beside the property information. It specifies visible type at least as large as the median listing-data type. Sold displays require the cooperating brokerage name or the rule's alternative disclaimer. [Stellar Article 19.22](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1922-identifying-the-listing-brokerage). Checked: 2026.10.23. Ask the builder to show a complete property page with the description and required credit visible together. Include the narrow phone layout in the review brief. Record the field names used for the displayed brokerage and status. Ask the provider to resolve an empty required field before inventing replacement information. ## Does the MLS source need its own identification? Article 19.23 requires conspicuous identification of the providing MLS as distributed by MLS GRID. It also requires approved MLS GRID source icons or logos on the first page displaying listings. [Stellar Article 19.23](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1923-identifying-the-source-of-idx-listings). Checked: 2026.10.23. Both articles exempt minimal displays of two hundred characters or fewer when they link directly to a display containing all required disclosures. Have the provider document that condition for each proposed minimal format. [Stellar Article 19.22](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1922-identifying-the-listing-brokerage), [Article 19.23](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1923-identifying-the-source-of-idx-listings). Checked: 2026.10.23. Request the current approved assets and complete wording from your provider. Ask it to identify where each appears in the proposed templates. Keep the source label distinct in your design notes from the listing brokerage credit. Review both when accepting a multi-source search. Use the [commingling guide](/articles/mls-idx-commingling-display-rules) to prepare the source inventory. ## Can the search thumbnail carry your contact branding? Article 19.10 defines a thumbnail as a property summary with no more than eight selection criteria. It prohibits the website participant's or brokerage's contact information and branding in that thumbnail display of another participant's listing. [Stellar thumbnail rule](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1910-criteria-for-thumbnail-display). Checked: 2026.10.23. Give your builder an annotated card design before implementation. Ask the MLS reviewer to resolve its classification and any proposed exception. Inspect the rendered card as a whole. Include hover states, expanded previews, and mobile actions in the proposed review set. Keep an approval tied to that exact format. ## What if your search shows only a selected area? Article 19.09 permits independently selected objective filters, including geography, price, and property type. A limited display must tell consumers that some IDX listings have been excluded. [Stellar subset-display rule](https://rules.stellarmls.com/article/article-1909-criteria-for-idx-display). Checked: 2026.10.23. Record the approved filter criteria alongside the disclosure supplied by your provider. Ask the builder to show both on the proposed neighborhood or specialty search. Test the intended area and a boundary case using authorized inventory. Request an explanation for any record that conflicts with the approved criteria. ## What should the acceptance sheet compare? Agree on these proposed checks: | Display | Evidence to request | | --- | --- | | Search page | Approved source identification and applicable subset disclosure | | Thumbnail | Reviewed field count, labels, and branding treatment | | Detail page | Brokerage credit, listing number, and status beside property information | | Sold page | Approved cooperating-brokerage identification or supplied disclaimer | | Property inquiry | Correct reference and question in the received test | Keep a display approval separate from a delivery test. Use controlled contact details and retain the actual received message. Bring the templates, provider field mapping, source assets, and unresolved checks to [Scale With Search's work request](/work). Request the defined IDX design corrections in the written scope. [Real estate website guides](/for/real-estate). - [What does commingling mean on an MLS and IDX website?](/articles/mls-idx-commingling-display-rules) - [Real estate CRM and website: map forms to contact records](/articles/real-estate-crm-and-website) - [Single property websites for agents: separate site or listing page?](/articles/single-property-websites-for-agents) ## Related: Real estate - [What does commingling mean on an MLS and IDX website?](/articles/mls-idx-commingling-display-rules) - [Real estate CRM and website: map forms to contact records](/articles/real-estate-crm-and-website) - [Single property websites for agents: separate site or listing page?](/articles/single-property-websites-for-agents) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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