New York real estate email signature requirements
New York is the only state here whose rule speaks to email directly: an initial email to a client or prospect must include the required information, which may be left out of later emails to the same person. It requires the license type and broker or brokerage details, not a license number.
Regulator: New York Department of State. Summarized from the rule text and official guidance linked below, as of September 28, 2026. Not legal advice.
Does the rule cover email?
- 19 NYCRR 175.25(a)(1) defines advertising to include websites, e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, business cards and signs.
- 175.25(d)(4) says an initial e-mail to a client or potential client shall provide the information required by the rules and regulations, and that information may be omitted from subsequent e-mail communications to the same recipient.
- The required information under (c) includes: that the advertiser is a real estate broker or the broker's or brokerage's name; and either the full address or the telephone number of the broker or brokerage. If an associate broker, salesperson or team is named, the broker or brokerage name must also appear.
Is a license number required?
- 175.25 requires the license type, not a license number, and we found no New York requirement for a license number in advertising.
Team names
- Team names must use the word “team”; “associate,” “realty” and “group” are prohibited.
- The team name must contain the licensed names of the team members, or be followed by “at” or “of” the full name of the broker or brokerage. Unlicensed team members must be identified as unlicensed.
Anything specific to signatures
- License type must be stated correctly. Abbreviations are allowed if not misleading, but “sales associate,” “licensed sales agent” and simply “broker” are prohibited.
- The full licensed name must be shown (a nickname only if the full name is clearly shown), and other phone numbers must be labeled as desk, home or cell.
- We found no Department of State FAQ on signatures. Because you cannot always tell which email will be the “initial” one, a permanent signature that carries the required items is the practical way to comply.
A practical checklist
Our reading of the rules above, not language from any rule. Your broker-in-charge has the final say.
- Include the broker's or brokerage's name and its address or phone number.
- State your license type correctly (for example, “Licensed Real Estate Salesperson”), and never just “broker” unless you are one.
- Use “team” in a team name, followed by “at” or “of” the brokerage.
What we could not confirm
- The latest amendment we could confirm is effective November 2, 2020; check the Department of State's current text.
Add your license number, brokerage name and Equal Housing line in the free generator, or set them once for your whole brokerage and keep every agent's Gmail signature in step.
Other states
- North Carolina
- Florida
- Texas
- California
- Georgia
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Washington
- Michigan
- Maryland
See also what a real estate signature can carry and how to keep it out of spam.
Sources (read September 28, 2026)
Rules change and this page can fall behind. Email Signature Magic is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any regulator. Found something out of date? Tell us.