Build your website to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. It is the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and it is backward compatible — a site that meets WCAG 2.2 AA automatically meets 2.1 and 2.0 as well. The laws that matter today, including the DOJ's web rule and the European Accessibility Act, still formally reference WCAG 2.1 AA, so meeting 2.2 AA clears every current legal benchmark plus the nine newer requirements regulators are likely to adopt next. In the WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2 debate, the practical answer is: aim at 2.2 AA and you cover both.
Here is what each version actually contains, which laws name which version, and why WCAG 3.0 is not something you need to plan around yet.
What is the difference between WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are published by the W3C, the organization that maintains core web standards. Every version in the 2.x line is additive: a new version adds success criteria without removing or rewriting the old ones.
- WCAG 2.0 (2008) — the foundation. It defined the structure still in use today, but it was written before smartphones shaped how most people browse.
- WCAG 2.1 (2018) — added criteria for mobile devices, low vision, and cognitive disabilities. This is the version most laws currently name.
- WCAG 2.2 (October 5, 2023) — the current W3C Recommendation. It adds nine success criteria, including clearly visible keyboard focus indicators (Focus Appearance), alternatives to drag-and-drop gestures (Dragging Movements), a minimum tap-target size of 24×24 CSS pixels (Target Size), and login flows that do not force users to memorize or transcribe codes (Accessible Authentication).
Because the versions nest inside each other, choosing between them is less of a fork in the road than it sounds. Meet 2.2 AA and the earlier versions come along for free. For a plain-English walkthrough of the nine additions, see what changed in WCAG 2.2, or read the official WCAG 2.2 specification if you want the source text.
What do Level A, AA, and AAA mean?
Separate from the version number, every WCAG success criterion carries a conformance level:
- Level A — the bare minimum. Failing Level A criteria usually means some visitors cannot use the page at all.
- Level AA — the benchmark courts, the DOJ rule, and the EU all reference. This is the level that matters for legal exposure, and the level ADA Fail audits against.
- Level AAA — aspirational. Valuable where achievable, but not what any regulation demands across an entire site.
A concrete example: at Level AA, normal-size text must have a color-contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background, and large text at least 3:1. When someone talks about a site "meeting WCAG," they almost always mean Level AA. We break the level down further in what WCAG Level AA actually requires.
WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2: which version do the laws actually name?
The ADA and private business websites
ADA Title III — the part covering private businesses — has no formal federal regulation that names a web standard. But the DOJ's longstanding position and most courts treat business websites as covered by the ADA, and WCAG is the de facto benchmark that lawsuits and settlement agreements reference. Plaintiffs' firms test against the current published standard, not the version that existed when your site launched.
The DOJ rule for state and local governments
For government websites, there is now a real regulation. The DOJ's Title II rule, finalized April 24, 2024, adopts WCAG 2.1 AA for state and local government web content and mobile apps. In April 2026 the DOJ extended the compliance deadlines: entities serving 50,000 or more people have until April 26, 2027, and smaller entities and special districts have until April 26, 2028. Note what it names — 2.1, not 2.2 — because regulations lock in whatever standard existed when they were drafted. Details in our plain-English guide to the DOJ web accessibility rule.
The European Accessibility Act
If you sell to EU consumers, the European Accessibility Act applies — enforcement began June 28, 2025, and it explicitly covers e-commerce. Its technical standard, EN 301 549, incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA. US companies selling into the EU are in scope unless they qualify for the microenterprise exemption for services (under 10 staff and no more than €2M turnover). See what the European Accessibility Act means for US companies.
Notice the pattern: every regulator writes "WCAG 2.1 AA" because that was the current version when the rules were drafted. A site built to 2.2 AA satisfies all of them today and is positioned for the next round of rulemaking. If you are not sure where your site stands, a free accessibility audit will show you exactly how it measures against the 2.2 AA benchmark.
What about WCAG 3.0?
WCAG 3.0 is an early draft — years from being a requirement anywhere. No law references it, no court cites it, and no deadline attaches to it. It is worth knowing the name and nothing more right now.
Treat any vendor that uses WCAG 3.0 to create urgency — "get ready for 3.0 before it's too late" — with skepticism. The standard you can be sued over in 2026 is in the 2.x line, and the level is AA. Anyone selling you 3.0 preparation is selling you a solution to a problem that does not exist yet.
So which standard should your website meet?
Target WCAG 2.2 Level AA, for three reasons:
- It contains everything. Meeting 2.2 AA means meeting 2.1 AA and 2.0 AA — every benchmark the DOJ, the EU, and US courts currently reference.
- The nine additions are practical. Bigger tap targets, visible focus, easier logins — these fix problems your customers hit every day, not paperwork abstractions.
- Standards only move forward. When the next regulation is drafted, it will reference the current version. Building to 2.2 now means you do not redo the work later.
Frequently asked questions
Does passing an automated scan mean my site meets WCAG 2.2?
No. Automated scanning can detect only roughly a third of WCAG success criteria; the rest require human testing with a keyboard and a screen reader. A zero-violation scan result is a good automated-scan grade — it is not conformance, and full-conformance claims are only meaningful when backed by expert human testing.
The gap matters: WebAIM's 2025 analysis found that 94.8% of the top one million homepages had detectable WCAG failures — and those are only the failures software can see. The most common were low-contrast text, missing image alt text, missing form labels, and empty links or buttons.
My site was built to WCAG 2.0 years ago. Is it out of date?
Almost certainly, in the ways that matter. WCAG 2.0 dates to 2008, before mobile browsing dominated, so a 2.0-era build typically has gaps around touch targets, mobile layouts, focus visibility, and form usability — exactly the areas 2.1 and 2.2 added.
The good news is that nothing you did for 2.0 is wasted, because the versions are additive. The right move is a gap assessment against 2.2 AA, not a rebuild from scratch.
Will WCAG 3.0 make my accessibility work obsolete?
No. WCAG 3.0 is an early draft, years away from being required anywhere, and it builds on the same underlying principles as the 2.x line. A site that genuinely meets 2.2 AA today is in the strongest possible position for whatever 3.0 eventually becomes.
The real risk runs the other way: waiting for 3.0 means staying exposed under the laws that reference 2.x right now.
The version question has a one-line answer; the harder question is how far your site is from meeting it. Request a free WCAG 2.2 audit and we will show you exactly what fails, what it takes to fix, and what can wait — in plain English, with no scare tactics.