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Get ReportADA Compliance Checklist for State and Local Governments
State and local governments must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with deadlines arriving in 2027 and 2028. Use this checklist to work through it step by step, from scoping and auditing your content to fixing issues and keeping your site compliant over time.
Author: Missy Jensen, Senior SEO Copywriter
Published: 06/22/2026
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ADA Title II requires state and local government websites and apps to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. The hard part isn't knowing that. It's knowing what to actually fix, and in what order. Our ADA Title II guide covers the law; the checklist below gets you through the work, step by step, before your deadline.
Deadline
Population 50,000+
April 26, 2027
Under 50,000 + Special Districts
April 26, 2028
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Who Must Comply
State agencies
Local governments
Public universities
K-12 + libraries
Public healthcare
Special districts
The Checklist
Phase 1: Scope and Inventory
Confirm your population tier and the deadline that applies to your entity
Inventory every public-facing website, subdomain, and mobile app
List third-party tools and vendor platforms in scope (payment, maps, forms, etc.)
Flag archived content and document any planned archival exceptions
Phase 2: Audit Against WCAG 2.1 Level AA
Run an automated scan to catch common errors at scale
Add expert testing for more complex issues (e.g., focus order, context, accuracy)
Test with screen readers and keyboard-only navigation
Prioritize findings by severity and user impact, not just error count
Phase 3: Fix
Fix color contrast, text resizing, and visible focus indicators
Add descriptive alt text, form labels, and error messaging
Fix PDFs and documents, or replace them with accessible HTML
Caption video and provide transcripts for audio content
Confirm third-party and vendor components meet the same standard
Phase 4: Document and Maintain
Publish an accessibility statement with a dated conformance claim
Add a feedback channel so users can report barriers
Train content authors to keep new pages accessible
Set a recurring re-audit cadence to catch regressions
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What Happens if You Miss the Deadline?
After the deadline, every page that still fails WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines is a violation that can be acted on.
The DOJ can investigate and take your organization to court, and residents can sue you directly. Legal fees alone can be substantial, and the cost of fixing your site climbs the longer you wait and the more pages pile up.
Meeting the deadline isn't just about avoiding risk, but about making sure users can actually use the services they rely on.
Check the accessibility of your site in seconds
See if your digital content is ready for the deadline.
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