New York contractors should treat the updated Local Services Ads photo requirements as an immediate compliance task: remove and replace every AI-generated or AI-edited image in the LSA account. Google’s new rule took effect August 2, 2026, and it applies to New York state and the European Union. Google does not publish a safe threshold for minor AI edits, so I would treat uncertain image provenance as a reason to replace the asset with an original photo.
The immediate job is simple: audit the photo library, identify how each image was made, remove anything generated or edited with AI, and rebuild the account around real work, real equipment, and traceable source files.
Local Services Ads Photo Requirements Changed on August 2, 2026
Google’s official Local Services Ads requirements now state that AI-edited and AI-generated images are not allowed in New York or the EU. By uploading an image, the advertiser attests that it complies.
This is a geographic rule as currently written, not a nationwide U.S. ban. Google also says the photo guidelines do not apply to advertisers operating through a partner affiliate provider. A plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, restoration, or other home-service company managing its own LSA account in New York should assume the rule applies.
The wording matters. Google did not limit the prohibition to fully synthetic scenes. It names both AI-generated and AI-edited images. The policy page does not define how much AI editing triggers the rule or provide exceptions for specific editing tools.
What Counts as an AI-Edited LSA Image?
Google has not published a detailed LSA-specific test for minor versus material AI editing. That leaves some normal production tasks in a gray area. My recommendation is to judge the process, not whether the final picture looks realistic.
| Image history | Recommended decision for a New York LSA account |
|---|---|
| Fully generated technician, project, property, vehicle, or equipment scene | Remove and replace |
| Generative fill, object removal, background replacement, synthetic expansion, or AI retouching | Remove and replace |
| AI upscaling, relighting, denoising, or automatic reconstruction | Treat as uncertain and replace unless Google provides clearer guidance |
| Original camera photo with a traditional crop, rotation, or basic exposure adjustment | Keep the untouched original and document the edit; the policy does not provide a formal safe harbor |
Broader Google Ads products now support AI labels and disclosures in certain regions. That does not create an exception for Local Services Ads. A disclosure can identify an AI asset where AI creative is allowed; it does not convert a prohibited LSA image into an approved one. I covered the wider distinction between synthetic creative and authentic contractor proof in our article on AI ads for contractors.
Use Real Photos Without Ignoring the Rest of Google’s Rules
Replacing AI images with real photos does not automatically make the new assets eligible. Google’s LSA rules also reject common details that are normal in contractor photography.
Business photos must be at least 640 by 640 pixels, no larger than 10 MB, and supplied as JPEG, PNG, BMP, or ICO files. An account can hold no more than 100 images. Google also prohibits off-topic images, another business’s watermark, phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, screenshots, duplicate images, badly lit photos, and images that are too blurred to recognize.
The phone-number rule catches a lot of legitimate service-vehicle and uniform photography. A branded truck may be real and still fail if the phone number is visible. I would reshoot it from an angle that excludes restricted contact information or use a manual crop that preserves the original scene. Avoid generative removal in New York because that creates the separate AI-editing problem.
Google’s LSA performance guidance suggests photos of a company’s team, work, or equipment. It also warns against personally identifying photos. For field-service businesses, a practical library can focus on completed work, tools, equipment, clean work areas, anonymous in-progress service scenes, and vehicles framed without restricted contact details, customer addresses, faces, or license plates.
Photos still have commercial value. Google says high-quality photos may contribute to LSA rankings, and an older North American home-services experiment found that providers with at least one uploaded photo could potentially average 16% more leads than providers without photos. The test covered December 2023 through January 2024, so I would treat it as directional evidence rather than a current performance guarantee. Google’s LSA photo documentation also confirms that uploaded images can appear prominently in ad listings.
If the photo review exposes gaps across the connected Business Profile, website, local visibility, or technical setup, run Revved Digital’s free visibility audit.
A Five-Step LSA Photo Audit for New York Contractors
1. Inventory every possible image source
Review the photos in the Local Services profile and the connected Google Business Profile. Google says an LSA may include images from the Business Profile, so I would inspect both libraries even if the company normally uploads assets in only one place.
2. Record provenance before making a decision
Create a basic log with the filename, capture date, photographer or source, original-file location, editing software, edits performed, current placement, and final keep-or-replace decision. “The agency sent it” is not enough provenance when the advertiser is attesting to compliance.
3. Remove generated, AI-edited, and unknown assets
Delete obvious synthetic images first. Then replace any asset whose source cannot be established. An uncertain photo is rarely valuable enough to justify an avoidable policy risk.
4. Reshoot with the LSA restrictions in mind
Give field teams a short shot list instead of asking them to “take more photos.” Capture one wide project view, one useful detail, one equipment image, and one clean process image. Check the frame for addresses, phone numbers, customer documents, license plates, faces, and unrelated brand marks before leaving the job.
5. Upload carefully and monitor the decision
Confirm the dimensions, file type, file size, and visible content before upload. Google says photos are reviewed before publication. If an image is disapproved, follow the instructions in the notice or appeal through Policy Manager when that option appears. Several violations or one serious violation can lead to account suspension, which stops all LSAs in the affected account.
What Contractors Outside New York Should Do
As of August 3, 2026, Google’s prohibition names New York and the EU. I would not tell a contractor in California, Texas, Florida, or another state that AI-edited LSA images are banned nationwide based on the current policy.
I would still build the same provenance log and real-photo library. Google’s LSA rules already prohibit content that inaccurately represents a company’s location, equipment, vehicles, or employees. Original operational photography is easier to verify, less likely to imply a capability the business does not have, and reusable across the website, Business Profile, recruiting, social media, and other ads.
The Practical Decision for New York LSA Advertisers
For a direct New York Local Services Ads account, the safest operational standard is straightforward: no generated images, no AI edits, and no assets with unknown provenance. Keep the originals, document permitted manual changes, follow the separate LSA content and technical rules, and replace questionable files with new photography.
Established home-service companies that need paid ads, local visibility, website conversion, tracking, and follow-up managed as one system can review Revved Digital’s 90-Day Local Authority System.