If a Texas agent puts "The Shepard Team" or "Boerne Home Group" on a sign, a Facebook post, or a business card without checking two things first — is that name registered with TREC, and is the sponsoring broker's name on the ad in the right size — that's not a paperwork technicality. It's a TREC Rule violation, and TREC's Standards of Practice Advisory Committee reviews advertising complaints regularly. Here's what actually has to be registered and disclosed before a Texas real estate team can advertise under a team name.
What counts as "advertising" under TREC Rule 535.155
22 Tex. Admin. Code §535.155 defines an advertisement broadly: "any form of communication by or on behalf of a license holder designed to attract the public to use real estate brokerage services," and it lists examples that leave essentially nothing out — publications, brochures, radio and television broadcasts, email, text messages, social media, the internet, business stationery, business cards, displays, signs, and billboards. A team's Instagram bio, a "Just Listed" yard sign, and a text-message blast to a farm area are all "advertising" for purposes of this rule, exactly the same as a print ad in a magazine.
Team name vs. assumed business name vs. alternate name — they are not interchangeable
TREC recognizes three distinct categories of names a license holder can use in advertising, and confusing them is one of the most common compliance mistakes:
- Team name — a name used only by a team or group of one or more sponsored sales agents or brokers associated with a specific sponsoring broker, per Rule 535.154. Registered by the broker.
- Assumed business name (DBA) — another name for the broker's business itself, which can be used by all sponsored sales agents and brokers under that broker, not just one team. Also registered by the broker, and requires proof of legal authority to use the name in Texas (typically an assumed name filing with the Secretary of State or the county clerk).
- Alternate name — a name an individual license holder registers for personal use, separate from any team or business name. Registered by the individual license holder, not the broker.
Per TREC's own published guidance, a name used in advertising cannot be both an assumed business name and a team name at the same time — it has to be one or the other, registered under the correct category.
The naming rules: what a team name can and can't contain
Under Rule 535.154 and Rule 535.155(d), a team name must end in the word "Team" or "Group." That ending is what signals to the public that the name belongs to a group of agents operating under a broker, not an independently licensed brokerage. For the same reason, TREC prohibits team names from containing terms that imply the team offers brokerage services independent of its sponsoring broker — the rule specifically calls out "brokerage," "company," and "associates" as examples, though the prohibition isn't limited to just those three words.
The reverse restriction also applies, and it surprises a lot of brokers: a broker's own licensed name or assumed business name cannot use the words "team" or "group." TREC reserves those terms for names registered specifically as team names under sponsored agents or brokers — not for the broker's own business identity. A broker who wants to brand the whole office as "[Broker] Realty Group" needs to understand that TREC treats that as a team-name-style label, not something available for the broker's assumed business name itself.
Who registers what, and how
Registration for all three name types happens through TREC's online licensing portal, My License Services, before the name is ever used in an advertisement — not after the sign goes up. The broker registers team names and assumed business names; the individual license holder registers their own alternate name. TREC does not vet submitted names for exclusivity against other license holders' names, so registering a name with TREC doesn't clear it for trademark purposes — that's a separate check.
Current registration fees are set out in TREC's published fee schedule (trec.texas.gov/agency-information/fee-schedule) and should be confirmed there directly, since TREC updates the schedule periodically.
What every advertisement must disclose
Once a name is registered, Rule 535.155 sets the actual disclosure requirements for every ad that uses it:
- The name of the license holder or team placing the advertisement has to appear in a readily noticeable location.
- The broker's name — the broker's licensed name, a registered alternate name, or a qualifying assumed business name — must also appear, and it must be displayed at at least half the size of the largest contact information shown for any sales agent, associated broker, or team name in that same advertisement. An ad can show the broker's name alone with no violation; what it can't do is feature a team or agent name prominently while burying or shrinking the broker's name below that half-size threshold.
- If a sales agent's own surname appears within the broker's name (a common setup at franchise-style brokerages), Rule 535.155(d)(7) requires the ad to clearly indicate the sales agent isn't the broker — typically by placing "Sales Agent" or a similar designation next to that agent's name.
- For social media specifically, Rule 535.155(c) allows the required disclosures to live on a separate, directly linked page (such as a profile page) instead of every single post, as long as that page is readily accessible and the information is readily noticeable once there.
Common mistakes that trigger scrutiny
- Advertising under a team name before it's registered. The name has to be on file with TREC before first use in any ad, not filed retroactively after a sign is already in a yard.
- Broker's name too small (or missing) next to a team name. The half-size rule is measured against the largest contact info on the piece — a big team logo next to tiny broker text is a common violation.
- A team name that reads like an independent brokerage. Names like "Realty," "Homes," or a personal name alone, without "Team" or "Group" on the end, don't meet the naming requirement, and words implying independent operation ("Brokerage," "Company," "Associates") are specifically barred.
- Sales agents registering their own "assumed business name." Only brokers register assumed business names. An individual sales agent's non-licensed name has to go through the team name (or alternate name) path instead, and still needs the sponsoring broker's registration and sign-off for a team name specifically.
This is general information, not legal advice. TREC enforcement decisions are fact-specific, and a licensed Texas attorney (or a call to TREC directly at 512-936-3000) should weigh in before a broker relies on this for a specific ad campaign or a name that pushes close to the line.