Website Accessibility for Cities, Towns & Special Districts
A federal rule gives local governments a deadline to make their websites accessible. We’ll show you where your site stands, fix what matters most, and hand you a plan your council or board can actually fund.
Last updated: October 11, 2026
When’s Your Deadline?
Under ADA Title II, your website has to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by one of these dates. Your size is based on your 2020 Census population.
Under 50,000 people
April 26, 2028
Most cities, towns, townships and counties.
50,000 or more
April 26, 2027
Larger cities and counties get a year less.
Special districts, any size
April 26, 2028
Water, fire, library, parks, hospital and the like.
Part of a bigger government? City departments and libraries use the population of the government they belong to.
Run a program with HHS money? You may have a second, earlier date too: May 11, 2027 if you have 15 or more employees.
How We Got Here, and What’s Still Moving
These deadlines have already moved once, and a lawsuit is trying to move them back. Here’s the short version.
If the court sides with the National Federation of the Blind, the original dates could come back, and some of them have already passed. Nobody knows yet how that would play out.
We check the rules, the Federal Register and the court docket every month, and update this page when anything moves.
Our advice: plan for the dates on this page, not later ones.
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Apr 24, 2024
DOJ publishes the rule. Original deadlines: April 2026 and April 2027.
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Apr 20, 2026
DOJ pushes both deadlines back one year.
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May 21, 2026
The National Federation of the Blind sues to undo the extension.
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Sep 28, 2026
NFB asks the judge to decide the case.
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Now
No ruling yet (last checked October 11, 2026)
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Apr 26, 2027
Deadline: 50,000 or more
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Apr 26, 2028
Deadline: under 50,000 and all special districts
Simple, Upfront Pricing
Every project starts with an Assessment. Nobody gets a quote for fixes until we know what’s actually wrong.
Step 1
Assessment
- Standard, $1,950: up to 10 key pages and 2 key tasks
- Large, $3,900: up to 25 key pages and 4 key tasks
- Automated scan plus hands-on keyboard and screen reader testing
- Plain-English report and a phased cost estimate
- Draft accessibility statement
- 45-minute walkthrough call
Step 2
Remediation
- Templates, menus and forms fixed in the code
- Document sorting, so you only pay to fix what matters
- Questions and a letter for your outside vendors
- Split into phases you can fund across budget years
- Retest when the work is done
Step 3
Ongoing Care
- Monthly scan, with small fixes included
- Every new page we build or change, checked
- Yearly hands-on spot-check
- Yearly accessibility report for your records
- Annual invoicing available
The Assessment report is yours to keep, whoever ends up doing the fixes.
A Report You Can Take to Your Board
No 80-page printout full of code. You get a short, plain-English report that says what’s wrong, who it affects and what to fix first.
Then it puts a price on it, split into phases, so you can fund the important work now and plan the rest into next year.
- Every issue marked by how much it affects people
- Who can fix each item: you, your vendor or us
- A list of your documents and outside services
Accessibility Assessment
Town of Maple Creek
Sample
“Pay your water bill” form can’t be finished with a keyboard
Fix once in the form template · OGAL
Council agendas are scanned images a screen reader can’t read
New agenda template · Town clerk
Online permit portal has no accessibility report on file
Ask the vendor · Letter included
Gray footer text is too faint: 3.1:1 contrast, needs 4.5:1
One site-wide style change · OGAL
Phase 1 · Forms, menus, templatesThis budget year
Phase 2 · Documents and archiveNext budget year
You Probably Don’t Have to Fix Every PDF
Documents are usually the biggest cost for a city. The rule has exceptions for older documents kept only for the record, so before anyone fixes anything, we sort.
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Archive
Old documents kept for reference move to a clearly labeled archive.
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Convert
PDF forms people fill out become simple web forms. Easier for everyone.
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Template
Agendas, minutes and newsletters get an accessible template, so new ones come out right.
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Fix
Whatever’s left goes to a document specialist to fix properly.
Archived documents only qualify if they meet every condition in the rule. We’ll walk through them with you.
WordPress + Accessibility Expertise
Developer-level fixes, certified-specialist oversight.
Kyle Van Deusen
Owner & Lead developer
Cheryl Hock IAAP CPACC
Accessibility specialist · IAAP Certified (CPACC)
Questions Cities Ask
Don’t see your question? Schedule a free 30-minute call and ask us.
Yes. Every special district (water, fire, library, parks, hospital and similar) has until April 26, 2028, no matter how many people it serves. That’s the same date as governments under 50,000.
Under the rule, yes, if you contract with them. In practice you pass it on through the contract. The Assessment lists every outside service you link to, and we’ll give you the questions to ask and a letter to send.
The Assessment works on any site. Government platforms usually have their own accessibility programs, so the fixes typically go through your vendor. If you’ve been thinking about moving to WordPress, that’s where we do our best work.
No. The Title II rule names WCAG 2.1 AA. We test against 2.2 AA, which builds on 2.1 and covers it, so you’re set either way.
It might. We update this page whenever it does. Either way the work isn’t wasted: your residents can use your site better the day it’s done, and the duty to be accessible applies now, whatever the deadline.
