Accessibility Compliance

ADA Title II web accessibility for state and local governments

The Department of Justice’s ADA Title II rule requires state and local governments to make their websites and mobile apps conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That includes counties, cities, towns, school divisions, public colleges, transit authorities and special districts.

We help public entities find out where they stand, fix what matters most before their deadline, and keep their sites accessible afterwards.

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Compliance deadlines

An interim final rule published on 20 April 2026 extended the original deadlines by one year. The technical standard did not change.

Public entity	Must conform to WCAG 2.1 AA by
Total population of 50,000 or more	26 April 2027
Total population under 50,000, and all special districts	26 April 2028

What the rule covers

Web content a public entity provides or makes available, including documents such as PDFs posted on its sites
Mobile apps a public entity provides or makes available
Content provided through contractors, licensing or other arrangements on the entity’s behalf

The rule has limited exceptions, for example for archived content and some documents posted before the compliance date. Read the rule itself, or ask your counsel, before relying on one.

How we help

Inventory: your websites, apps, documents and third-party tools, so nothing is missed
Audit: testing against WCAG 2.1 AA, with an issue log your team can act on
Plan: fixes ranked by impact on residents and by your deadline
Remediation: we fix the issues or work alongside your developers and vendors
Procurement: accessibility requirements for vendor contracts and renewals
Ongoing: an accessibility statement, a feedback process and periodic retesting

Based in Richmond, Virginia

We’re a Richmond-based studio, so we can meet in person with Virginia localities, school divisions and agencies, and work remotely with public entities anywhere in the country.

This isn’t legal advice

This page summarizes the rule as published. Whether and how it applies to your organization is a question for your counsel. The Department of Justice’s fact sheet on ada.gov is the authoritative plain-language source.

Frequently asked questions

What standard does ADA Title II require for websites?

WCAG 2.1 Level AA, for both web content and mobile apps provided by state and local governments.

When is the ADA Title II web accessibility deadline?

26 April 2027 for public entities with a total population of 50,000 or more, and 26 April 2028 for smaller entities and all special districts. These dates come from the Department of Justice’s interim final rule of 20 April 2026.

Does the rule cover PDFs and other documents?

Yes, documents posted on a public entity’s site are web content under the rule. There is an exception for some documents posted before the compliance date, but it does not apply to documents currently used to apply for, access or take part in the entity’s services.

Are we responsible for vendor and third-party tools?

Content and apps provided on your behalf through contractors or licensing arrangements are covered. Build accessibility requirements into vendor contracts and ask vendors for an Accessibility Conformance Report.

Sources

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