The ADA Title II web rule and its 2027 deadline
State and local governments, including public schools, community colleges and public universities, must make their web content and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The first deadline is now April 26, 2027.
At a glance
Checked against the official sources on 13 September 2026. General information, not legal advice.
- Who it covers
- State and local government entities, including public schools, community colleges and public universities.
- Standard
- WCAG 2.1 Level AA, for web content and mobile apps they provide or make available.
- Deadlines
- April 26, 2027 for entities with a total population of 50,000 or more. April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special district governments.
- Rule
- Published by the Justice Department on April 24, 2024. An interim final rule on April 20, 2026 moved both deadlines back by a year.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| April 24, 2024 | The Justice Department publishes the Title II web rule. |
| April 20, 2026 | An interim final rule extends both compliance dates. |
| April 26, 2027 | Deadline for entities with a total population of 50,000 or more. |
| April 26, 2028 | Deadline for entities under 50,000 and special district governments. |
More than web pages
The rule covers web content and mobile apps, and it sets out some exceptions. Page checks are one part of the work. Documents, video and apps need their own review.
For agencies serving public institutions
Colleges, cities and school districts often rely on agencies for their sites. Auditing the pages you build, reporting what fails and keeping a dated record of fixes helps them plan the work before the deadline.
Where AccessGuard helps
An audit shows what fails today and keeps a dated history as fixes land.
- WCAG 2.2 AA audit
- Covers the WCAG 2.1 AA criteria in the rule, apart from 4.1.1 Parsing, which WCAG 2.2 removed, plus the newer 2.2 criteria.
- Reports for the client
- A PDF under your agency's name that explains each failure in plain words.
- A record of progress
- Scan history shows what failed, when it was fixed and what's new since the last audit.
What an audit can't do
- It can't confirm that an entity meets the rule. Only part of WCAG can be checked automatically.
- It checks the pages you add, not a whole site crawl, PDFs or mobile apps.
- This page is general information, not legal advice. Ask counsel about a specific institution.
Questions
When is the Title II web accessibility deadline?
April 26, 2027 for state and local government entities with a total population of 50,000 or more, and April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special district governments.
Does the rule apply to public universities?
Yes. The Justice Department lists public schools, community colleges and public universities among the entities covered.
Which standard does the rule use?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Do private colleges fall under Title II?
No. Title II covers public entities. Private colleges may have obligations under other laws, such as Title III of the ADA or Section 504.
Related
- European Accessibility Act
EU law applying since 28 June 2025 to e-commerce, consumer banking, transport, e-books and communications services, with penalties set by each country.
- ADA and business websites
US businesses open to the public. There is no federal web standard under Title III, and WCAG is the usual benchmark.
- Section 504 web rule
Recipients of HHS funding, including many healthcare providers, must meet WCAG 2.1 AA by May 11, 2027 or May 10, 2028.
- Keyboard and focus checker
Finds controls people can't reach by keyboard, focus styles that were removed, and focused elements hidden behind sticky headers.
- Headings and landmarks checker
Checks that pages have a clear heading outline, a main landmark and a way to skip repeated navigation.
- Data tables checker
Checks that data tables mark header cells, connect cells to their headers and have a caption or name.
- WCAG 2.2 checklist
Every A and AA criterion, and how much of each an automated audit can check.
See where a client site stands today
Run a free WCAG 2.2 AA audit of any page. Results in about a minute.