The Department of Justice's final rule requires all state and local government websites and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The deadline for entities serving 50,000+ people is April 24, 2026. Compliapoint provides source-level audits, remediation, and compliance documentation built for government procurement and legal defense.
Published April 24, 2024, the DOJ's final rule under ADA Title II eliminates decades of ambiguity. WCAG 2.1 Level AA is now the legally mandated standard for all government digital content.
The rule covers every digital touchpoint used to deliver government programs, services, or activities:
All government websites, portals, and web-based applications — including those built and managed by third-party vendors.
Government mobile apps including parking, transit, utilities, emergency alerts, and citizen service apps.
All downloadable documents including meeting agendas, forms, applications, reports, budgets, and public records.
Public meetings, training videos, informational content, and live streams require captions and audio descriptions.
Online payment systems for taxes, utilities, permits, fines, and fees — even when operated by third-party processors.
New social media posts made after your compliance date must be accessible. Pre-existing posts are exempt.
The Title II rule holds government entities responsible for all digital content and services they provide — regardless of whether a third party developed or manages them. If a vendor-built payment portal, CMS, or SaaS tool is not WCAG 2.1 AA compliant, the government entity is liable. Include WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance requirements in all technology contracts, with clear remediation timelines and indemnification language.
Overlay widgets inject JavaScript that attempts to fix accessibility at render time. They do not repair the underlying HTML, CSS, or document structure that WCAG 2.1 AA evaluates. In 2025, the FTC fined the largest overlay provider $1 million for deceptive marketing claims. Over 800 accessibility professionals have signed the Overlay Fact Sheet opposing these tools. Compliapoint fixes your actual source code — producing results that hold up in federal review.
Every engagement is scoped to your entity's specific digital footprint and delivered with documentation suitable for federal review, procurement, and legal defense.
The Title II rule includes narrow exceptions. These require careful documentation and do not remove the obligation to provide access through alternative means.
Content posted before your deadline, retained only for reference or recordkeeping, clearly labeled as archived, and not updated. If content remains relevant to current programs or is updated in any way, it must comply.
Documents posted before the deadline that are not currently used to apply for, access, or participate in services. Documents about a specific individual that are password-protected may qualify.
Content posted by members of the public (such as social media comments) that is not posted under a contract or arrangement with the government entity.
Even when an exception applies, your entity must provide an accessible alternative if a person with a disability requests one. The safest strategy is to make all current and commonly accessed content fully WCAG 2.1 AA compliant rather than relying on narrow exceptions that may not hold up under review.
The Title II rule creates enforceable legal obligations with real consequences for government entities that fail to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by their deadline.
The Department of Justice can investigate complaints and initiate enforcement actions requiring mandatory remediation under federal oversight.
Penalties up to $150,000 per violation. Multiple violations across a government website can compound rapidly.
Individuals can file private lawsuits under ADA Title II. Digital accessibility lawsuits exceeded 5,000 filings in 2025, with government entities increasingly targeted.
Non-compliance can affect federal funding eligibility and disqualify entities from procurement opportunities that require accessibility conformance.
Whether you have weeks or months, Compliapoint can scope and execute a compliance plan matched to your entity's size and digital footprint.
Catalog all websites, apps, PDFs, third-party tools, and digital content your entity provides or makes available.
Complete our 3-minute Site Accessibility Assessment. We review your digital footprint and scope the engagement.
We conduct a full WCAG 2.1 AA audit and fix violations directly in your source code. Standard 7–10 days; rush in 1–3.
Receive your audit report, compliance certificate, VPAT, and complete deliverable package for federal review.
Common questions from government IT directors, procurement officers, and ADA coordinators about Title II compliance.
Our assessment takes 3 minutes. We respond with a clear written proposal scoped to your entity's digital footprint — fixed price, no obligation, no surprises.
Start Your Government AssessmentEligible entities may recover costs via IRS Form 8826 (Disabled Access Credit)