Do I Need Permission to Post Photos of Customer Jobs?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 17, 2026

The short answer

Get written permission before you post photos or videos that show a customer, their home, their vehicle, or anything private. Say where you’ll use them, like your website, Google Business Profile, and social media. Blur faces, house numbers, license plates, and personal papers unless the customer clearly agreed to show them. Before-and-after photos must show real results from real jobs.

What this means

11.1.12 Photo permission

Permission is a simple written yes from the customer. It can be a clause in your service agreement, a short release form, or a clear reply to a text or email. It should say:

What you’ll photograph or film (the work, the property, the person)
Where you’ll use it (website, GBP, social media, ads, print)
What you’ll hide (faces, address, plates, documents)
How long you can use it, and how the customer can ask you to stop

Made-up example: Harbor Tile & Stone adds a checkbox to its agreement: “You allow us to post photos of the finished work on our website, Google profile, and social media. We won’t show your face, address, or house number.” Customers who say no get a note in their file, and the crew skips photos on that job.

11.3.6 Before-and-after content

Before-and-after photos are advertising. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says ads must be truthful and not misleading, and you need a reasonable basis for what an ad suggests. For before-and-after photos, that means:

Both photos come from the same job
Edits don’t change what the result looks like (lighting fixes are fine, removing flaws is not)
If the result was unusual, don’t present it as typical
You have permission from the customer for both photos

19.11.6 Privacy in photos and video

Look at every photo before you post it. Check for:

Faces of customers, kids, neighbors, or bystanders
House numbers, street signs, and anything that reveals the address
License plates
Mail, documents, screens, and family photos on the wall
Security systems, safes, and entry codes
Location data stored in the image file (many phones add it)

Why it matters

Customers can feel exposed. A photo of a home with the house number showing tells strangers where expensive new work was done.
Google can remove photos. Content that shows a person’s face or personal information without consent breaks Google’s Maps content policy.
Fake or misleading before-and-afters are deceptive ads. The FTC Act applies to the photos you post.
State laws protect people’s likeness. Using someone’s image to promote your business without permission can break state “right of publicity” laws, which vary.
Real photos matter. Google, Bing, and AI tools can only use what you post. Permission lets you post more of your real work.

Who this applies to

Any business that photographs customers, homes, cars, pets, or property. Photos of your own shop, team (with their okay), and equipment don’t need customer permission.

How to do it

Add a photo clause to your agreement with a clear yes or no choice (see 11.1.1 Service Agreement).
Use a short release form for photos that show people, and for any use in paid ads.
Get team members’ written okay before posting photos of them.
Mark each job in your customer records as “photos okay” or “no photos” (see 15.4 CRM Custom Fields and Tags).
Take photos with privacy in mind. Frame the work, not the street view.
Review and blur before posting. Remove location data from the files if you don’t want it shared.
Label before-and-afters honestly. Same job, real results, no misleading edits.
Post to your GBP and website with a short caption that says what the work was and the general area, not the street address (see 14.1.9 Photos).
Remove photos quickly if a customer changes their mind.

What proof to keep

Signed agreements or release forms with the photo choice
Text or email approvals, saved to the customer file
Team member photo releases
Original, unedited photo files for before-and-afters, with dates
A log of removal requests and when you handled them

Common mistakes

Posting first and asking later.
Showing the house number or license plate in the background.
Using a stock photo as a before-and-after. That’s not your work.
Using “permission” given by a renter for a landlord’s property, or by one spouse for a photo of the other.
Forgetting that videos have audio. Customers talking in the background count.
Over-editing. Heavy filters on a result photo can make it misleading.

When to get help from a pro

Attorney: to review your photo clause and release form. Questions to ask:

What does my state’s right of publicity law require for using a customer’s image?
Does my release cover paid ads as well as my website and profiles?
How should I handle photos of minors?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short note. For example, what kinds of job photos have helped SiteSmarty clients’ profiles, or a time a customer asked to have a photo taken down and how it was handled.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty handles Google Business Profile photo updates.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: the photo clause, the release form, and the review checklist]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: a signed photo permission and the matching photo on the SiteSmarty profile]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

Do I need permission to post photos of a customer’s home? Get it in writing. It protects the customer’s privacy and your right to use the photo.

Can I post before-and-after photos? Yes, with permission, from the same job, and without edits that change the result.

Can I post a photo with a customer in it on Google? Only with their consent. Google’s policy treats a person’s face as personal information.

What should I blur? Faces, house numbers, street signs, license plates, documents, and screens.

Audit check

Line	Question	Pass looks like	Fail looks like	Evidence to collect
11.1.12 Photo permission	Is written permission on file for every posted photo of a customer, home, or property?	Photo choice recorded for each job	Photos posted with no record of permission	Agreements, releases, customer record tags
11.3.6 Before-and-after content	Are before-and-after photos real, from the same job, and not misleading?	Originals on file, honest labels	Stock images, heavy edits, unusual results shown as typical	Original files with dates, posted versions
19.11.6 Privacy	Are faces, addresses, plates, and private items hidden unless the customer agreed?	Clean, reviewed photos	Visible house numbers, plates, or bystanders	Sample of posted photos on GBP, website, social

Where this fits

Do this first: 11.1.1 Service Agreement, 11.1.10 Privacy Notice

Do this next: 11.1.13 Testimonial Permission

Sources

Google Maps User Generated Content Policy Help, "Prohibited and restricted content" (checked October 17, 2026)
Federal Trade Commission, "Advertising FAQ's: A Guide for Small Business" (checked October 17, 2026)
Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google" (checked October 17, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.