Government Websites Are About to Face Strict Accessibility Deadlines

If you work for a city, county, school district, or any state or local government agency, there is a deadline coming that you need to know about. On April 24, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires state and local government websites and mobile apps to meet specific accessibility standards. And the clock is ticking.

What the New Rule Requires

The DOJ's final rule officially adopts the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard that state and local government digital content must meet. This means 50 specific success criteria covering everything from color contrast and keyboard navigation to video captions and form labels.

This is a big deal because, until now, there was no formal federal regulation spelling out exactly which technical standards government websites had to meet under the ADA. Courts have referenced WCAG in rulings, but there was no official mandate. Now there is.

The Deadlines

April 24, 2026: Public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more must comply. That is just about a month away as of this writing.

April 26, 2027: Smaller public entities (under 50,000 population) and special district governments have an additional year.

What This Covers

The rule is broad. It covers websites, mobile applications, and all digital content that these entities make available to the public. That includes text, images, audio, video, interactive forms, animations, and even electronic documents like PDFs posted online. The mandate also extends to internal tools used by government employees, not just public-facing content.

Why This Matters Beyond Government

Even though this rule specifically targets state and local governments, it sends a strong signal to the private sector too. The DOJ choosing WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the standard reinforces it as the benchmark everyone should be aiming for. If the government is being held to it, courts are very likely to hold private businesses to the same standard in ADA lawsuits.

And remember, while there is no identical rule for private businesses under Title III yet, WCAG 2.1 AA is already the de facto standard referenced in most web accessibility lawsuits against private companies.

Section 508: The Federal Side

On the federal level, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act has required federal agencies to make their digital content accessible for years. However, compliance has been uneven. The General Services Administration (GSA) has acknowledged in its annual reports that the federal government continues to fall short of its legal obligations in this area.

The 2024 OMB memorandum (M-24-08) on "Strengthening Digital Accessibility" pushed federal agencies to take accessibility more seriously, including maintaining accessibility statements on their websites and improving procurement practices.

Making Government Content More Readable

One of the simplest and most impactful things government websites can do right now is improve their color contrast. When official information about permits, voting, public health, or benefits is posted in low-contrast text, it is harder for everyone to read, but especially for the millions of Americans with visual impairments.

Tools like our Accessibility Color Contrast Checker make it easy to verify that text meets WCAG standards before publishing. For government agencies facing these new deadlines, starting with a color contrast audit is one of the quickest wins available.