The Legal Landscape
Website accessibility laws,
mapped in plain English
There is no single “website ADA law” — there's a patchwork of federal statutes, state damages laws, agency rules, and now EU regulation. Here's every regime that can reach your site in 2026, and what each one actually demands.
ADA Title III
Private businesses open to the public (all 50 states)The engine behind the lawsuit wave. Title III bans discrimination by places of public accommodation, and courts across much of the country treat websites as covered. There's no private-business web regulation to comply with — which is exactly why plaintiffs' firms test sites against WCAG and file first.
Is compliance actually required? · What a lawsuit costs · How serial plaintiffs pick targets
DOJ Title II Rule
State & local governments — and their vendorsThe first explicit US web-accessibility regulation: WCAG 2.1 AA, with hard deadlines of April 26, 2027 (populations of 50,000+) and April 26, 2028 (smaller entities and special districts). If you build or host anything for a government client, their deadline is effectively yours.
California — Unruh Act
Any business with California visitorsCalifornia attaches statutory damages — a minimum of $4,000 per violation plus attorney's fees — to ADA violations, which is why California generates a huge share of website suits. You don't have to be located in California; serving its residents is enough for plaintiffs to file there.
New York
Any business with New York customersNew York's federal courts are the country's busiest venue for website accessibility suits, with state and city human-rights laws layered on top of the ADA. NY plaintiffs' firms file in volume — hospitality, e-commerce, and professional services are favorite targets.
Section 508
Federal agencies & federal contractorsFederal agencies — and technology sold to them — must meet accessibility standards harmonized with WCAG. If you sell software or content to the federal government, expect to produce a VPAT/ACR documenting your conformance.
European Accessibility Act
US companies selling into the EUIn force since June 28, 2025: e-commerce, banking, travel, and other consumer-facing digital services sold to EU consumers must be accessible (EN 301 549, which builds on WCAG). Enforcement is by member-state authorities — no plaintiff required.
This page is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.
Accessibility law FAQ
Is there one single law that requires my website to be accessible?
No — it's a patchwork. Private businesses face ADA Title III lawsuits filed under a decades-old statute that never mentions websites, plus state laws like California's Unruh Act that attach dollar amounts. Government sites have an explicit DOJ rule with deadlines. If you sell into the EU, the European Accessibility Act applies too. The common thread: every regime measures your site against WCAG.
My business is small — do these laws really apply to me?
ADA Title III applies to places of public accommodation regardless of size, and serial plaintiffs deliberately target small businesses because they settle quickly. The majority of website lawsuits name companies under $25M in revenue.
What are the DOJ rule deadlines?
The DOJ's Title II rule requires state and local government websites (and their vendors' sites) to meet WCAG 2.1 AA — by April 26, 2027 for governments serving 50,000 or more people, and April 26, 2028 for smaller ones and special districts. It doesn't directly bind private businesses, but it cements WCAG as the legal benchmark courts reference for everyone.
Does an accessibility overlay protect me legally?
No. Sites running overlays are sued routinely — plaintiffs' scanners test the underlying code, which the overlay doesn't fix. The FTC has also acted against overlay compliance claims. Fixing the code is the only position that holds up.
What should I actually do first?
Find out where you stand. A free automated audit against WCAG 2.2 AA shows your exposure in minutes — most sites' failures trace to a handful of root causes that are far cheaper to fix than to litigate. This page is general information, not legal advice; for advice about your situation, consult an attorney.
Every one of these regimes measures your site the same way: against WCAG.
See Where You Stand — Free Audit