ADA compliance · State & Local Government

ADA Title II website compliance for state and local government.

The DOJ rule gives public entities a WCAG 2.1 AA deadline of April 2027 or April 2028. We help cities, counties, and districts get there and stay there.

See plans and pricing

$75

Monitor · per month

$250+

Remediate · per month

The short answer

What does ADA compliance mean for cities, counties, and special districts?

The DOJ's 2024 ADA Title II rule requires state and local governments to make their websites and mobile apps conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. After an April 2026 interim final rule extended the dates by one year, entities serving 50,000 or more people must comply by April 26, 2027, and smaller entities and special districts by April 26, 2028.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the technical standard in the Title II rule.
DOJ extended the deadlines by one year on April 20, 2026. Public comment ran through June 22, 2026, and the dates could still change.
The rule covers content provided by contractors and vendors on the government's behalf, like payment portals, permitting, and agenda software.
The rule has five limited exceptions, including archived content, pre-existing documents, and some third-party posts. Each one is narrow.

The exposure

Where most governments start behind

Government sites are document-heavy. Agendas, minutes, ordinances, budgets, RFPs, and forms are often scanned PDFs. The pre-existing document exception doesn't cover documents residents need to apply for, use, or take part in a service.

Critical services run through vendors: utility billing, permits, court payments, and parks registration. The entity is still responsible for their accessibility.

The extension doesn't reset the finish line. Remediating a document backlog and a vendor portfolio typically takes longer than the year DOJ added.

The rules

Accessibility laws that apply to cities, counties, and special districts.

ADA Title II (2024 DOJ rule)
Who it covers
State and local governments, including special districts
Standard
WCAG 2.1 AA
Timing
April 26, 2027 (50,000+); April 26, 2028 (smaller entities and special districts)
Section 504
Who it covers
Entities receiving federal financial assistance
Standard
Equal access to federally funded programs
Timing
In effect now
State accessibility laws
Who it covers
Varies by state (e.g., Colorado HB21-1110, California Government Code 7405)
Standard
Often WCAG 2.1 AA
Timing
Varies. Some are already in effect

Accessibility laws that apply to cities, counties, and special districts
Law or rule	Who it covers	Standard	Timing
ADA Title II (2024 DOJ rule)	State and local governments, including special districts	WCAG 2.1 AA	April 26, 2027 (50,000+); April 26, 2028 (smaller entities and special districts)
Section 504	Entities receiving federal financial assistance	Equal access to federally funded programs	In effect now
State accessibility laws	Varies by state (e.g., Colorado HB21-1110, California Government Code 7405)	Often WCAG 2.1 AA	Varies. Some are already in effect

Common failures

Where government sites fail

What we find most often on sites in this industry, and the WCAG success criterion each one fails.

Scanned agendas, minutes, and ordinances
Where it shows up
Council and board pages
WCAG criterion
1.1.1 Non-text Content, 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Fillable forms that aren't labeled or can't be completed by keyboard
Where it shows up
Permits, applications, records requests
WCAG criterion
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions, 2.1.1 Keyboard
Payment portals with session timeouts and unlabeled fields
Where it shows up
Utility billing, tickets, taxes
WCAG criterion
2.2.1 Timing Adjustable, 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
GIS and parcel maps with no text alternative
Where it shows up
Planning, zoning, property search
WCAG criterion
1.1.1 Non-text Content, 2.1.1 Keyboard
Livestreamed meetings without live captions
Where it shows up
Council meetings
WCAG criterion
1.2.4 Captions (Live)
Emergency notifications that aren't accessible
Where it shows up
Alerts, closures, weather
WCAG criterion
4.1.3 Status Messages, 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)

Common accessibility barriers on websites for cities, counties, and special districts
Barrier	Where it shows up	WCAG criterion
Scanned agendas, minutes, and ordinances	Council and board pages	1.1.1 Non-text Content, 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Fillable forms that aren't labeled or can't be completed by keyboard	Permits, applications, records requests	3.3.2 Labels or Instructions, 2.1.1 Keyboard
Payment portals with session timeouts and unlabeled fields	Utility billing, tickets, taxes	2.2.1 Timing Adjustable, 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
GIS and parcel maps with no text alternative	Planning, zoning, property search	1.1.1 Non-text Content, 2.1.1 Keyboard
Livestreamed meetings without live captions	Council meetings	1.2.4 Captions (Live)
Emergency notifications that aren't accessible	Alerts, closures, weather	4.1.3 Status Messages, 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)

What you get

What's included for cities, counties, and special districts.

On Monitor ($75/mo)

Monthly scans of the main site and department pages, reported by department
Manual testing of payments, permits, records requests, and forms
Vendor inventory with WCAG status and contract-language recommendations
Document inventory sorted into fix, archive, and exception

Added on Monitor + Remediate (from $250/mo)

Template, navigation, and color fixes across the site
PDF and form remediation or conversion to accessible HTML forms
Archive section set up to meet the rule's archived-content exception
Accessibility statement, feedback process, and a compliance log you can produce on request

Pricing

ADA compliance pricing for cities, counties, and special districts.

No annual audit invoice, no widget license. Monthly pricing and work you can see in the report.

Monitor

$75/mo

Continuous WCAG 2.2 AA monitoring and a prioritized fix list your team can ship.

Baseline audit against WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 Level AA
Automated scans of your site every month, plus alerts when new issues ship
Manual checks of key templates: keyboard, screen reader, zoom, and forms
Prioritized recommendations with the exact WCAG success criterion and fix guidance
Monthly report showing open issues, resolved issues, and trend
Accessibility statement drafted for your site

Best for: Teams with a developer or agency who can implement fixes.

Start monitoring

Monitor + Remediate

$250/mo and up

Everything in Monitor, and we fix the issues in your code and content.

Everything in Monitor
We implement fixes in your theme, templates, CMS, and content
Alt text, captions, form labels, color contrast, focus order, and ARIA repairs
Accessible PDF and document remediation, quoted by volume
Regression checks after every fix and every major release
Documented remediation log you can hand to counsel or procurement

Best for: Businesses that want the issues fixed, not just reported.

Get a remediation quote

Monitor + Remediate starts at $250/mo. Final price depends on site size, number of unique templates, platform, and how much content (PDFs, video) needs remediation. You get a fixed monthly quote before anything starts.

How it works

Baseline, prioritize, fix, and keep it fixed.

01
Baseline
Automated crawl plus manual testing of your highest-traffic and highest-risk templates. You get a scored list of every WCAG failure we find.
02
Prioritize
Issues ranked by user impact and legal exposure: checkout, booking, forms, and navigation first. Cosmetic issues last.
03
Fix or hand off
On Monitor, your developers get fix-ready tickets. On Remediate, we ship the fixes and verify them.
04
Hold the line
Monthly scans and manual spot checks catch regressions from new pages, plugins, and releases before a plaintiff's scanner does.

Questions

State & Local Government ADA compliance FAQ.

Is the April 2027 deadline final?

It's the current rule. DOJ issued the extension as an interim final rule effective April 20, 2026, and took public comment through June 22, 2026, so DOJ could revise it again. We track changes and update this page. Plan to the current date, not a hoped-for delay.

Do we need to fix third-party vendor sites?

Content that vendors provide on your behalf through contracts, licenses, or other arrangements is covered. That includes most payment, permitting, and agenda platforms. We test those flows and give you findings to take to the vendor, plus accessibility language to add at contract renewal.

What counts as archived content?

Under the rule, archived web content must have been created before the compliance date, be kept only for reference, research, or recordkeeping, not have been changed since it was archived, and be kept in a clearly identified archive area. Someone can still request an accessible version, and you must provide it.

Keep reading

More on ADA website compliance

Related industries

Other industries we cover.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Quorum is not a law firm, and this page is not legal advice. Deadlines and rules change. For advice on your situation, talk to an attorney.

Get a baseline for your site.

See every WCAG failure on your site, ranked by risk, before you commit to fixes.

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