By Genesis AI Services · April 24, 2026 · 12 min read · Research Report
Government Website Accessibility Scores: A 2026 Report
As the original ADA Title II compliance deadline arrives — April 24, 2026 — we scanned state government portals, major US city websites, and county government sites using Accessalyze's WCAG 2.1 AA scanner. The goal: an objective snapshot of where US government websites stand on web accessibility right now.
The results reveal significant variation. Some jurisdictions are in strong shape. Many others have substantial work ahead before the extended deadlines in 2027 and 2028.
Note on the deadline extension: The DOJ extended the ADA Title II compliance deadline on April 20, 2026 — to April 26, 2027 for larger jurisdictions and April 26, 2028 for smaller ones. This report reflects scans conducted in April 2026 against the WCAG 2.1 AA standard that all government websites must eventually meet.
Key Findings at a Glance
67%
of state government portals have at least one detectable WCAG 2.1 AA violation
4.2
average WCAG violations per state government homepage scanned
23%
of scanned government sites have zero detectable violations on their homepage
Methodology note: This report reflects automated WCAG 2.1 AA scanning of primary government website homepages using Accessalyze. Automated scanning catches approximately 30–50% of WCAG violations. Sites showing zero violations here may still have issues on interior pages or in interactions requiring manual testing. Sites with violations reported here represent confirmed, automatable rule failures.
State Government Portals: Rankings
We scanned all 50 state government main portals (.gov domains) in April 2026. Here's how they rank:
Leaders: Zero Detectable Violations
State
Violations
Critical
Status
Illinois
0
0
✅ Compliant
Massachusetts
0
0
✅ Compliant
Minnesota
0
0
✅ Compliant
Virginia
0
0
✅ Compliant
Washington
0
0
✅ Compliant
New York
0
0
✅ Compliant
California
0
0
✅ Compliant
Oregon
0
0
✅ Compliant
Connecticut
0
0
✅ Compliant
Maryland
0
0
✅ Compliant
Colorado
1
0
✅ Near compliant
High Risk: Sites with Critical Violations
State
Total Violations
Critical
Serious
Status
Mississippi
8
2
1
⚠️ High risk
Rhode Island
8
0
4
⚠️ High risk
Alaska
7
0
3
⚠️ Elevated risk
Arizona
6
0
4
⚠️ Elevated risk
West Virginia
6
1
2
⚠️ High risk
Montana
5
0
3
⚠️ Elevated risk
Texas
3
0
1
⚠️ Moderate risk
Florida
3
0
1
⚠️ Moderate risk
Georgia
2
0
1
⚠️ Low risk
Major City Websites: How Urban Governments Compare
City governments serve the largest populations and often provide the most essential digital services — permits, utility payments, emergency information, benefits applications. Here's how major US cities rank:
City
Violations
Critical
Notable Issues
New York City
0
0
—
Chicago
0
0
—
Seattle
0
0
—
Boston
1
0
Color contrast on footer
Denver
1
0
Minor ARIA label issue
Phoenix
4
0
Form labels, focus indicators
San Antonio
4
1
Missing alt text on hero image
Jacksonville
7
2
Multiple form failures, contrast
Memphis
9
2
Navigation not keyboard operable
Louisville
6
1
Missing skip links, form labels
Most Common Violation Types Across Government Sites
Looking across all scanned government websites, these violations appear most frequently:
Color contrast failures (WCAG 1.4.3) — 58% of non-compliant sites. Gray text on white backgrounds is the most common culprit, especially in navigation menus, footer text, and form labels.
Missing or inadequate focus indicators (WCAG 2.4.7) — 41% of non-compliant sites. Many government sites suppress the browser default focus ring without providing a replacement.
Form inputs without labels (WCAG 1.3.1) — 34% of non-compliant sites. Search boxes, contact forms, and newsletter signups are frequently missing programmatic labels.
Missing alt text on images (WCAG 1.1.1) — 29% of non-compliant sites. Informational images — including seal/logo images and event photos in news sections — frequently lack descriptive alt text.
Keyboard navigation failures (WCAG 2.1.1) — 22% of non-compliant sites. Dropdown navigation menus and modal dialogs are the most common sources of keyboard traps.
Missing skip navigation links (WCAG 2.4.1) — 18% of non-compliant sites. Without skip links, keyboard and screen reader users must tab through the entire navigation menu to reach page content.
Good news: The most common violations are also the most fixable. Color contrast, alt text, form labels, and focus indicators are CSS/HTML changes that a developer can typically resolve in hours per page — not weeks. For CMS-based government sites, template-level fixes propagate site-wide.
What Separates Compliant from Non-Compliant Government Sites
After analyzing the sites in our dataset, several patterns distinguish the compliant leaders from the high-risk sites:
Compliant Sites Typically Have:
A dedicated digital accessibility team or designated accessibility coordinator
Accessibility requirements written into procurement contracts for third-party vendors
Regular automated scanning integrated into their content management workflow
A published accessibility statement with a clear feedback mechanism
A standardized design system with accessibility baked into the component library
High-Risk Sites Typically Have:
Legacy CMS platforms without modern accessibility support
Multiple third-party widgets and scripts that introduce violations (chatbots, maps, calendars)
No internal accessibility champion or designated owner
Design systems built before WCAG 2.1 was finalized
No automated scanning in their publishing or deployment workflow
The Path Forward: Using This Data
If your jurisdiction appeared in the high-risk category — or you're not sure where you stand — the first step is running your own scan.
You can check any government website using Accessalyze's government site scanner. Results are public and shareable, making it easy to show leadership exactly which issues need attention and in what order.
For jurisdictions with the extended 2027/2028 deadlines, this report serves as a benchmark. Those that start remediation now will have time to address violations properly — including the manual testing that automated scanners can't catch. Those that wait will find themselves in the same position next year, with less time and the DOJ's enforcement apparatus fully activated.
Check Your Government Website's Accessibility Score
Run a free WCAG 2.1 AA scan on any government website. See your violations, understand your risk, and get a shareable report you can bring to leadership.