ADA Title II compliance deadline for large entities (population >50,000) was April 24, 2026. What does this mean for your municipality?
ADA Title II / WCAG 2.1 Level AA
The Department of Justice now requires state and local government websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. Most sites we scan have critical violations on the homepage alone. Enter your URL to find out where you stand.
Sample scan result
gainesville.gov — scanned 2026-03-31
Images missing alternative text
WCAG 1.1.1 — 3 elements affected
Color contrast below 4.5:1 ratio
WCAG 1.4.3 — 13 elements affected
Links have no discernible text
WCAG 2.4.4 — 3 elements affected
Real data. Gainesville, GA. Population 43,078.
What automated scanning finds
Missing image alternative text
WCAG 1.1.1Screen reader users receive no information about images. Common on sites with photo galleries, staff directories, and event banners. Every decorative image needs alt="" and every informational image needs a meaningful description.
Color contrast below 4.5:1
WCAG 1.4.3Gray text on white, light blue on white, or white text on mid-tone backgrounds fail the contrast requirement. Affects users with low vision and anyone reading in bright sunlight. Found on 61% of sites we scan.
Form inputs without labels
WCAG 1.3.1Search boxes and contact forms that use placeholder text instead of proper <label> elements. Screen readers announce "blank" instead of "Search" or "Email address." Affects every form on your site.
How the scan works
STEP 01
Submit your .gov domain. No account, no installation, no browser extension required. Works on any publicly accessible government website.
STEP 02
We run axe-core — the same WCAG engine used in Chrome DevTools — against your page in a headless browser. You receive a 0-100 score, grade, and the top violations found, with specific elements flagged.
STEP 03
Each violation includes the WCAG criterion, the specific HTML elements affected, and a plain-English remediation description. The full PDF report is structured for sharing with your web vendor or IT team.
Pricing
Free
$0
One-time scan, no account
Monitoring
RECOMMENDED$99/mo
Cancel anytime, no contract
Billed monthly. Cancel from your dashboard.
Frequently asked
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 Level AA is the accessibility standard published by the W3C that the Department of Justice has adopted for ADA Title II compliance. It covers four principles: Perceivable (can users perceive all content?), Operable (can users navigate using only a keyboard?), Understandable (is the interface predictable and error-resistant?), and Robust (does it work with assistive technologies like screen readers?). Level AA is the middle tier — it excludes some of the most burdensome requirements in Level AAA while covering the vast majority of real-world accessibility barriers. Read our complete WCAG 2.1 AA guide.
No, and we are explicit about that in every report. Automated scanning with axe-core reliably finds approximately 30-40% of WCAG violations — the ones that are structurally detectable in HTML and CSS. The remaining 60% require manual testing: navigating using only a keyboard, testing with screen readers like NVDA or JAWS, and evaluating cognitive accessibility. A11yGov is the fastest way to find the most common, highest-impact issues and track whether they are resolved over time. For formal DOJ compliance certification, a full manual audit conducted by a certified accessibility professional (CPACC or WAS credential) is required.
For entities covered by ADA Title II, non-compliance with the final rule can result in DOJ complaints, civil rights investigations, and consent decrees requiring remediation on a DOJ-supervised timeline. Complaints can be filed by any member of the public — there is no standing requirement. DOJ has historically prioritized complaints against entities that have received prior notice of violations. The practical risk is proportional to complaint volume, which is higher in communities with active disability advocacy organizations and in jurisdictions where legal firms are actively filing ADA cases. Running a scan and documenting remediation progress demonstrates good-faith effort, which is relevant in any enforcement proceeding. Learn about the ADA Title II deadlines and penalties.
Monthly monitoring includes: a full PDF compliance report delivered on subscription (all violations, not just the top 3), weekly automated rescans so you catch regressions when the site is updated, email alerts when your compliance score drops more than 5 points, a remediation guide that maps each violation to the specific WCAG criterion and provides implementation guidance for common CMS platforms, and access to your score history dashboard. There is no setup fee, no contract, and you can cancel from the customer portal at any time. The subscription covers one domain; contact us for multi-site pricing.
Resources
GUIDE
What Is WCAG 2.1 AA?
The standard explained for IT directors. POUR principles, success criteria, and testing tools.
DEADLINE
ADA Title II Compliance Deadline
April 2026 for large entities, April 2027 for small. Penalties, steps, and cost comparison.
CHECKLIST
Accessibility Checklist
20 items to check on your government website. What, why, and how to fix each one.