Missouri did pass its own state statute on this topic, separate from (and following) the national NAR settlement. SS HB 596, signed into law July 14, 2025 and effective August 28, 2025, amended RSMo 339.780.3 to require that a designated broker acting as a single agent for a buyer or tenant enter into a written agency agreement with the buyer/tenant BEFORE engaging in any non-ministerial brokerage act -- removing the prior "or while" language that had allowed agents to begin working with buyers before formalizing a written agreement. This closes a gap and brings the buyer-side requirement into parity with Missouri's long-standing written-agreement requirement for seller's agents. It is a real, narrower, technical statutory fix (not a broad new consumer-disclosure regime like Texas's SB 1988 or California's AB 2992) layered on top of, and consistent with, the national NAR settlement's MLS participation rule (effective August 17, 2024), which independently requires a signed written buyer agreement with objectively ascertainable compensation terms before touring homes. So in Missouri, both frameworks now apply: the NAR/MLS settlement rule (national, MLS-participation-based) and this state statute (RSMo 339.780, license-law-based, enforceable by the Missouri Real Estate Commission).
Senate Substitute for House Bill No. 596 (SS HB 596), amending RSMo §§ 339.150 and 339.780 (part of Missouri's Merchandising Practices/Real Estate Brokerage license law, Chapter 339) — effective August 28, 2025 (bill signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 14, 2025; took effect on Missouri's standard statutory effective date since no emergency clause was attached)
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.