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NAR Approves 18-Policy Overhaul, Shifting MLS Rulemaking to Local Control

The move follows an antitrust review intended to reduce national legal exposure.

Overview

  • The Board of Directors finalized the changes at NAR’s Houston conference, with updates set to appear in the 2026 MLS Handbook in January 2026.
  • Local MLSs now decide on access, including whether to allow non-member brokers and open listings, as well as if and how to transmit listings to aggregators or operate public portals.
  • NAR repealed national disciplinary guidelines and removed the $15,000 fine cap, leaving onboarding, training, enforcement practices and penalties to each MLS.
  • Language asserting association membership as a reasonable condition for MLS participation was removed, clarifying that any membership requirement is a local decision.
  • In separate votes, directors approved referral-fee disclosure (716–141), deleted Standard of Practice 3-4 (860–20) and amended Standard of Practice 17-4 (876–20).