Accessibility and the ADA deadline

What the rule says

In April 2024 the US Department of Justice issued a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It says the websites of state and local governments, including towns and townships, have to meet a standard called WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That standard covers things like text that's easy to read against its background, pages that work without a mouse, and documents a screen reader can read aloud.

The deadline

The Justice Department pushed the dates back in April 2026. Towns with fewer than 50,000 people now have until April 26, 2028, and larger ones have until April 26, 2027. Read the Justice Department's summary of the rule.

What we take care of

• Every page is built to WCAG 2.1 AA and checked before launch.
• Headings, colors, links and forms are set up so the site works with a screen reader or a keyboard alone.
• Old agendas and minutes can go in a clearly marked archive section, which is one of the things the rule's archived-content exception asks for.

What your office takes care of

The rule covers the documents your staff post as well. A PDF saved straight from Word or your agenda software is usually readable, but a scanned sheet of paper is a picture of text that a screen reader can't read. We show your staff what to check before they post.

We build websites and don't give legal advice, so for questions about exactly what the rule requires of your town, check with your attorney.