ADA Title II Compliance for Local Governments
Is Your City Ready for the April 2026 ADA Digital Accessibility Deadline?
Local governments nationwide face a significant compliance deadline on April 24, 2026.
The Department of Justice requires that all municipal digital platforms and content be accessible to people with disabilities, per the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards under the ADA Title II final rule.
Many websites were built before accessibility standards became law. As a result, under-resourced municipal IT and communications teams are now struggling under pressure to meet compliance.
Beyond the human impact of falling short of these standards, costly fines and other legal penalties are also at stake.
If you’re looking for practical guidance and next steps to help city teams assess and remediate accessibility barriers before the April 2026 deadline, you’re in the right place.
Why Digital Accessibility Matters for Cities
Digital accessibility is both a legal requirement and a civil rights issue. Residents have a right to fully access municipal services and information. Unfortunately, accessibility barriers affect everyday tasks associated with municipal life, including:
- Paying bills or fines online
- Completing permit applications or public forms
- Accessing emergency alerts and public safety information
- Viewing meeting agendas, council minutes, and recorded sessions
- Participating in community programs and services
Addressing these blockers reduces legal risk and enhances trust in city services. It also allows residents to participate in local government, making your community stronger in the long run.
Municipal websites and digital services are essential to resident engagement, yet research shows that local governments are still grappling with accessibility readiness.
A national survey of more than 1,000 U.S. local officials found that while most agree web accessibility is important, understanding of accessibility requirements is limited. This highlights the gap cities and counties must close ahead of the ADA Title II deadlines.
Source: CivicPulse
Common Accessibility Issues of Municipal Websites
- Inaccessible forms and PDFs: Residents who rely on screen readers or keyboard navigation may not be able to complete online forms or read important documents if PDFs are scanned images or improperly structured. This can block users from submitting permit applications, public requests, bill payments and other actions.
- Images and icons without alt text: Screen readers cannot describe visual content to residents who are blind or have low vision. Without meaningful alt text, users can miss out on context or instructions needed to fully understand a webpage.
- Videos without captions or transcripts: Deaf or hard-of-hearing residents cannot access spoken/audio content without captions. Transcripts also help users reference and understand video content.
- Navigation that breaks assistive technology: Menus that cannot be used with a keyboard, pop-up windows that are difficult to exit and missing focus indicators all make it impossible for residents who rely on screen readers or keyboard navigation to access local services.
- Low color contrast: Text and other interface elements that do not stand out from their backgrounds are difficult to read for users with low vision, color blindness or cognitive disabilities.
- Poor heading and content structure: Pages without logical headings or properly structured sections make it hard for those using screen readers to scan and understand content. Long, unstructured pages increase frustration and errors when completing tasks online.
- Unlabeled or confusing interactive elements: Buttons, links and form fields without clear labels prevent residents from knowing what actions they are taking. Additionally, unclear error messages create barriers to submitting forms and completing applications.
Accessibility Resources for Local Governments
2025 Accessibility Webinar Replay
Recorded on March 5, 2025, this webinar recording from Aspiritech and RaLytics provides information on new regulations and strategies for maintaining compliance.
Automated Accessibility Guidance
Automated accessibility testing tools promise to streamline compliance and catch issues early. How much accessibility testing should you automate, and where do you still need human analysis? Our experts provide practical guidance on choosing the best approach.
Accessibility Self-Checkup
Take a short self-checkup to evaluate your city’s current compliance level and understand where you need to update your website and other platforms.
Neurodivergent Accessibility Experts
Aspiritech’s team of neurodivergent accessibility experts are Section 508 Trusted Testers that have been certified by the Department of Homeland Security. Combining lived disability experience with intensive professional training, our team is ready to help your city meet digital compliance standards.
Get Accessibility Help Now
Schedule a Free Strategy Session
Are you ready to start improving your local government’s digital accessibility? We’re here to help!
Schedule a free 30-minute strategy session to identify your highest-risk accessibility barriers and create an actionable roadmap for meeting compliance standards.
Have questions you want to ask before scheduling? Send an email to Claire Flanagan, Business Development & Partnerships Manager at Aspiritech, to get the conversation started.
Case Study: Accessibility Testing for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The Challenge
As NOAA transitioned from on-premise systems to a modern cloud environment, the agency needed to ensure that all new digital interfaces and data tools were fully accessible to users of all abilities.
The migration posed risks of introducing accessibility gaps across complex data dashboards and portals used by diverse internal and public audiences.
Aspiritech’s Approach
Aspiritech’s accessibility experts worked with NOAA and a partner firm to test the new cloud environment for compliance with WCAG and Section 508 standards.
Our team helped resolve issues early in deployment, integrating accessibility into the build process rather than a retrofit.
The Results
Aspiritech’s testing ensured NOAA’s cloud-based systems delivered equal access to mission-critical data, strengthened compliance and provided a smoother, more intuitive experience for all users.
Frequently Asked Questions About Accessibility for Local Governments
Websites, mobile apps, public documents and other content must comply with WCAG 2.1, Level AA under ADA Title II.
Yes. All public-facing digital content—including forms, scanned documents, images and videos—must be accessible.
Yes. Municipalities can focus on high-impact, public-facing services first, then address secondary content as part of a phased plan.
Begin with a human-led accessibility audit of top-priority pages, public-facing forms and multimedia content to generate a realistic remediation roadmap.
- Populations of 50,000 or more: April 24, 2026
- Populations under 50,000: April 26, 2027
- Special districts: April 26, 2027
Legal Disclaimer:
This content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Accessibility requirements and compliance obligations can vary based on specific circumstances and may change over time. State and local governments should consult their legal counsel to understand how the ADA Title II final rule and related accessibility laws apply to their websites, mobile applications, documents and digital services.
