What Local Governments Need to Do Before the April 2026 ADA Title II Digital Accessibility Deadline

Local governments nationwide are preparing for a major legal shift in how digital services must serve residents with disabilities. The Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requiring state and local government websites and mobile applications to conform to specific accessibility standards. This rule is not optional and has real compliance deadlines coming as soon as Spring 2026.

But this poses a difficult challenge if you work in a city IT department or are a communications officer or municipal ADA coordinator. With limited staff and tight budgets, one question matters more than anything else:

What are local governments actually getting cited for today, and what can you realistically fix before the April 2026 deadline?

This guide answers that question with practical steps, high-priority fixes and links to official resources to help you comply with the new requirements responsibly and efficiently.

What the ADA Title II Rule Actually Requires

Under the new DOJ rule, all state and local government web content and mobile applications must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA technical standard. Compliance is not optional.

The platforms and formats this standard covers include:

• Websites and microsites
• Online forms and service portals
• Document libraries (PDFs, Word, etc.)
• Videos and multimedia
• Mobile apps used for public services

This rule applies whether content is produced in-house or by a vendor on your behalf.

Official DOJ Resources:

• Title II compliance planning and action steps
• Fact sheet detailing technical requirements and compliance dates
• General ADA web guidance 

These are high-authority references you can link from your internal compliance documentation or public webpages as you update your platforms to be accessible to all.

Key Deadlines

Compliance timelines depend on your population:

These deadlines are not optional. After these dates, you are expected to maintain ongoing accessibility compliance going forward.

What Local Governments Are Actually Getting Cited For

When local governments receive ADA complaints or get audited, the same accessibility errors come up again and again. These issues are not edge cases, but rather barriers that affect real-life residents and, increasingly, attract compliance reviews or legal scrutiny.

1. Inaccessible Documents (Especially PDFs)

City council agendas, minutes, permit forms and notices often live online as scanned images or untagged PDFs. If a screen reader can’t interpret the text, a blind or low-vision resident can’t use the document. This is one of the most common compliance failures auditors find.

To remedy this issue, you can:

• Convert PDFs to properly tagged, accessible versions
• Update publishing workflows so new documents are accessible by default

2. Forms that Don’t Work With Keyboard or Assistive Tech

Any form where a resident applies for a permit, makes a payment, or submits contact information needs to have:

• keyboard navigation
• properly labelled fields
• accessible error messaging

Forms that can be navigated only with a mouse are functionally unusable for many users with disabilities.

3. Missing or Poor Alt Text and Media Accessibility

All images and icons on your website need meaningful alternative text (“alt text”) so that screen readers can describe them to people who are blind or have low vision. Without alt text, critical information conveyed in images, charts, buttons or alerts is essentially invisible to these users.

Likewise, videos should include accurate captions and transcripts. Captions allow deaf and hard-of-hearing residents to follow public announcements, meeting recordings and service updates. Transcripts also help people who use screen readers, people in noisy or quiet environments, and anyone who can’t easily watch a video.

These are not cosmetic fixes or “nice-to-haves.” They determine whether residents with visual or hearing disabilities can fully access and participate in your government’s digital information and services.

4. Navigation That Breaks Assistive Technology

Many residents with disabilities navigate websites using a keyboard, screen reader or other assistive technology instead of a mouse. When menus and other interactive elements aren’t built correctly, these users might be unable to move through your site at all.

Common problems include:

• menus that can’t be reached or activated with a keyboard
• focus indicators that disappear so users can’t tell where they are on the page
• pop-ups or modal windows that trap users and prevent them from returning to the main content

These issues often aren’t obvious to a sighted person who uses a mouse or trackpad, but they can make everyday tasks like finding a department page, submitting a form or reading meeting information frustrating or impossible for residents who rely on assistive technology.

5. Low Color Contrast and Poor Text Structure

It is a problem when text doesn’t have enough contrast against its background, or when pages aren’t structured clearly with headings and logical sections. This especially affects people with low vision, color blindness, cognitive disabilities or anyone viewing your site on a small screen or in poor lighting.

Common issues include light gray text on white backgrounds and buttons that are hard to distinguish from surrounding content. Long pages that have no meaningful heading structure make it difficult for screen reader users to find information and understand instructions.

Where Risk Is Highest: Public-Facing, High-Usage Services

It’s important that every part of your government platform is accessible. However, these pages and site functions tend to get the most complaints when they are not disability-friendly:

• Online payments and utility portals
• Permit/license applications
• Emergency alerts and public safety info
• Public meeting agendas and video archives
• Resident service requests
• Core department landing pages

These especially are the areas where accessibility barriers block participation in civic life and services. Courts and agencies tend to prioritize their usability, which means that you need to, as well.

What You Can Realistically Accomplish Before April 2026

You don’t have to fix everything about your local government’s website in one quick sprint. Your goal right now should be to show meaningful progress on high-impact areas.

Here is a practical, phased plan to begin implementing accessibility improvements:

1. Audit and Prioritize

Use a human-led accessibility audit focused on:

• Top-traffic pages
• Forms and documents
• Interactive systems, like payment portals

This gives you real insight into what’s actually broken. Don’t trust off-the-shelf automated tools to flag or fix everything.

2. Fix the Biggest Barriers First

Start with:

• Accessible PDF conversion
• Form remediation
• Alt text and captions
• Keyboard navigation and focus order
• High-contrast text and headings

These deliver the fastest wins and cut the biggest compliance risks.

3. Build Guardrails for New Content

Train content authors, implement accessible templates and add accessibility checks to your publishing pipeline.

If your web development team needs to become more familiar with accessibility best practices, consider enrolling them in the Web Accessibility Initiative’s free Digital Accessibility Foundations online course or other training.

These guardrails will prevent new accessibility barriers from being created while you’re busy fixing your current ones.

4. Track, Document and Publish a Roadmap

Document your actions for internal accountability. Doing this will also demonstrate good-faith progress to stakeholders or auditors. Be sure to show:

• What you fixed
• What’s in progress
• What’s scheduled
• How you maintain compliance going forward

From a legal standpoint, progress and documentation can matter nearly much as the fixes themselves.

Why Accessibility Goes Beyond Compliance

Accessibility doesn’t just mean avoiding fines and legal fees. It’s also about whether every resident can:

• Complete a form
• Pay a bill
• Find emergency information
• Participate in public meetings
• Access public services without barriers

When your digital services are accessible, they work better for everyone, regardless of ability. With everyone able to fully participate in your local government, your community will be stronger because of the accessibility updates you make.

How Aspiritech Can Help

Aspiritech works with government IT and communications teams to turn compliance goals into actionable plans that respect your staff capacity and budget.

We specialize in:

• Human-led accessibility audits
• Prioritized remediation roadmaps
• Document and form accessibility
• Training and process integration
• Ongoing compliance support

If you’re wondering where to start or how to make demonstrable progress before April 24, 2026, our team of Section 508 Trusted Testers are certified by the Department of Homeland Security to help you build a plan that fits your reality and your residents’ needs.

Get in touch with us to set up a free strategy session with Aspiritech’s accessibility team.