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Government Website ADA Compliance Checklist

The DOJ Title II deadline is approaching. Use this checklist and our free scanner to prepare your government website for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

This scanner requires a Pro plan or higher. Running a free Accessibility scan instead.

DOJ Title II Compliance Deadlines

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published its Final Rule under Title II of the ADA, making WCAG 2.1 Level AA the legally enforceable standard for all state and local government websites and mobile applications. The deadlines are firm:

Populations 50,000+

April 2026

Cities, counties, state agencies, public universities serving 50K+ residents

Populations under 50,000

April 2027

Smaller municipalities, school districts, transit authorities, special districts

94% of government websites currently fail WCAG 2.1 AA. Settlement costs for government web accessibility cases routinely exceed $100,000, not including the cost of emergency remediation. Proactive compliance is dramatically cheaper than reactive fixes under a consent decree.

WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Checklist

Use this checklist to assess your government website against the key requirements of WCAG 2.1 Level AA. This is not exhaustive -- WCAG 2.1 AA has 50 success criteria -- but these items cover the most common and highest-risk failures.

What WCAG 2.1 AA Requires

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is organized around four principles. Your website must be Perceivable (content can be presented in ways users can perceive, including alternatives for visual and auditory content), Operable (navigation and interaction work via keyboard, with enough time, and without triggering seizures), Understandable (text is readable, pages behave predictably, and input assistance is available), and Robust (content is compatible with current and future assistive technologies).

The DOJ's Final Rule specifically adopted WCAG 2.1 AA -- not the newer WCAG 2.2 -- as the compliance standard for Title II entities. However, WCAG 2.2 is backward-compatible, so meeting 2.2 AA also satisfies the 2.1 AA requirement.

Our Government ADA Compliance Scanner tests against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria specifically and highlights the issues most likely to trigger DOJ enforcement. For detailed plan options, see our pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is my government website required to be ADA compliant?
It depends on the population your entity serves. Under the DOJ's April 2024 Final Rule for Title II of the ADA, state and local government entities serving populations of 50,000 or more must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 2026. Entities serving populations under 50,000 have until April 2027. Note that these deadlines apply to all web content and mobile applications.
What is WCAG 2.1 Level AA?
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 Level AA is a set of internationally recognized standards for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. It covers areas like text alternatives for images, keyboard navigation, color contrast, form labels, video captions, and consistent navigation. Level AA is the standard the DOJ has adopted as the legal benchmark for government website compliance.
What happens if my government website misses the deadline?
Non-compliance can trigger DOJ enforcement actions, Department of Justice settlement agreements, private lawsuits under the ADA, and loss of federal funding. Settlement costs for government web accessibility cases routinely exceed $100,000, and the cost of remediation under pressure is significantly higher than proactive compliance.
Does the requirement apply to all pages on our website?
Yes. The DOJ Final Rule applies to all web content and mobile applications published by state and local government entities. This includes PDFs, forms, videos, interactive maps, and third-party embedded content. There are limited exceptions for archived content and content posted by third parties on platforms you don't control, but the bar for claiming an exception is high.
How can PageAuditors help with government ADA compliance?
PageAuditors scans your website using a real browser and the axe-core engine -- the same engine recommended by accessibility experts and used across the federal government. Our Government ADA scanner specifically tests against WCAG 2.1 Level AA criteria and provides plain-English remediation guidance for every issue found. You can run a free scan right now or set up scheduled monitoring to track compliance over time.