🚨 ADA Title II Deadline: April 26, 2027 — Large jurisdictions (50,000+ population) must meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
🏛️ ADA Title II — WCAG 2.1 AA Required

ADA Title II Deadline:
April 2027.
Is Your Agency Ready?

The DOJ's final rule requires state and local government websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. Section 508 already applies to federal agencies. Scan your agency website free — find every violation now.

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Compliance Calendar
Key ADA Title II Dates You Cannot Miss

The DOJ's final ADA Title II web accessibility rule was published April 24, 2024. Compliance deadlines are tiered by jurisdiction size. Missing these deadlines exposes your agency to federal enforcement, funding risk, and civil rights complaints.

April 24, 2024

DOJ Final Rule Published

The DOJ published its final ADA Title II web accessibility rule in the Federal Register, establishing WCAG 2.1 AA as the technical standard for all state and local government websites and mobile apps.

April 26, 2027 — LARGE JURISDICTIONS

Compliance Required: 50,000+ Population

All state governments and local governments serving 50,000 or more residents must achieve full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across all public-facing web content, mobile apps, and digital forms.

April 26, 2028 — SMALL JURISDICTIONS

Compliance Required: Under 50,000 Population

Smaller local governments have one additional year, but DOJ enforcement can begin for any complaints filed after the 2027 deadline regardless of jurisdiction size.

Ongoing

Section 508 — Federal Agencies

Federal agencies have been required to comply with Section 508 since 2001. The current technical standard references WCAG 2.0 AA; DOJ guidance strongly recommends WCAG 2.1 AA for all government websites.

What the Law Requires
ADA Title II, Section 508 & WCAG 2.1 AA Explained

Government agencies face the most comprehensive digital accessibility obligations of any sector. Three overlapping legal frameworks create distinct but complementary requirements.

ADA Title II

State & Local Governments

Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by state and local governments. The DOJ final rule (2024) adopts WCAG 2.1 AA as the binding technical standard for all web content and mobile applications. No exemption for small agencies or outdated systems.

Section 508

Federal Agencies & Federal Contractors

Requires all federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible. Covers websites, web-based applications, documents, and software. Any organization receiving federal funding has Section 508 obligations for federally-funded programs.

WCAG 2.1 AA

The Technical Standard

WCAG 2.1 AA is the W3C standard adopted by the ADA Title II final rule. It includes 50+ success criteria covering perceivability (alt text, captions), operability (keyboard nav, timing), understandability (labels, errors), and robustness (ARIA, semantics).

Real Data — Government Sites
What We Found Scanning 89 Government Sites

We ran Accessalyze on 89 state, federal, and local government sites. 78 out of 89 — 87% — had at least one WCAG 2.1 AA violation. Most had multiple critical issues. The April 2027 deadline is already close.

ms.gov Score: 15/100

8 critical violations including missing alt text, unlabeled forms, and low-contrast body text. High DOJ enforcement risk.

alaska.gov Score: 53/100

7 violations: navigation landmarks missing, keyboard traps in permit portal, and inadequate skip links.

knoxvilletn.gov Score: 52/100

10 violations on the homepage alone. City government sites are especially exposed under the Title II rule.

illinois.gov Score: 100/100

Zero violations. Fully WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. Achievable — this is the bar every agency must hit.

What Must Comply
Every Page, Not Just the Homepage

The ADA Title II final rule covers all "web content" published or made available by the public entity — not just a few featured pages. Your entire digital presence is in scope.

📋

Online Forms & Applications

Permit applications, service requests, business licensing, benefits enrollment — all must be screen-reader accessible.

🗓️

Meeting Agendas & Public Notices

City council agendas, zoning notices, and public comment periods must be accessible as posted — PDFs included.

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Emergency Information

Emergency alerts, evacuation routes, and disaster services must reach disabled residents. Inaccessible alerts are a life-safety issue.

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Payment & Transaction Pages

Utility bill payment, court fine payment, parking ticket resolution — transactional pages carry high accessibility risk.

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Mobile Apps

The ADA Title II rule explicitly covers mobile applications — transit apps, 311 apps, parks and rec booking — not just desktop websites.

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Published Documents & PDFs

Budget documents, annual reports, planning documents, and policy PDFs posted online must be tagged and accessible.

How Accessalyze Helps
Compliance Tools Built for Government Teams
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Full Site Crawl

Pro plans crawl up to 50 pages per scan — homepage, service pages, forms, contact pages. Covers the full public-facing site, not a single snapshot.

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Compliance Documentation

Dated PDF and HTML compliance reports with violation inventories and remediation status — documentation your legal team needs if DOJ inquires.

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AI Fix Code

Each violation includes exact HTML, CSS, and ARIA fix code generated by AI. Your developer doesn't need to research — they implement.

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Weekly Automated Monitoring

Content updates and site changes introduce new violations. Weekly scans maintain continuous compliance visibility before the 2027 deadline and after.

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axe-core Engine

The same scanning engine used by the U.S. Web Design System accessibility team, Google, and Microsoft — aligned with DOJ-referenced WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.

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WCAG 2.1 AA Coverage

All 50+ Level AA success criteria tested. Directly maps to the technical standard referenced in the DOJ's April 2024 final rule.

Common Questions
ADA Title II & Section 508 FAQ
What is the ADA Title II website compliance deadline?
Large jurisdictions (50,000+ population) must comply by April 26, 2027. Small jurisdictions (under 50,000) have until April 26, 2028. Federal agencies are already subject to Section 508. These are hard deadlines — there is no extension mechanism for individual agencies.
What happens if our agency misses the deadline?
Agencies face DOJ enforcement investigations, mandatory corrective action plans, and potential restrictions on federal funding. Individual residents can also file civil rights complaints with the DOJ, HHS, or the relevant federal funding agency. After the deadline, non-compliance carries substantially higher legal exposure.
How is ADA Title II different from Section 508?
Section 508 applies to federal agencies and federal contractors, requiring WCAG 2.0 AA. ADA Title II applies to state and local governments and now requires WCAG 2.1 AA — a stricter standard. Agencies receiving federal grants may face both obligations. Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA satisfies both.
Does the rule cover our mobile app?
Yes. The ADA Title II final rule explicitly covers mobile applications maintained by the public entity. Transit apps, 311 apps, parks and recreation booking systems, and any other public-facing mobile app must meet WCAG 2.1 AA by the applicable deadline.
Are there any exemptions under the rule?
The rule includes limited exemptions for archived content (pre-2024 documents not actively used), preexisting conventional electronic documents (if not needed for services), and third-party content linked from government sites but not controlled by the agency. Most current, actively-used content is not exempt.
How much does Accessalyze cost for a government agency?
Pro is $49/month for unlimited scans, 50-page site crawls, AI fix code, PDF compliance reports, and weekly monitoring. For agencies needing multi-site scanning and white-label reporting, the Agency plan at $99/month covers unlimited client sites. Both plans are month-to-month with no contract.

The 2027 Deadline Is Closer Than It Looks.

Remediation takes time. Budget approvals take time. Contractor procurement takes time. Start with a free scan now — know exactly what you're up against before it's urgent.