[TODO: verify dates against ada.gov before publishing]
In April 2024, the Department of Justice published its Title II rule on web and mobile app accessibility for state and local government entities, setting WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard. That part hasn't changed.
What has changed is the timeline. On April 20, 2026, DOJ issued an Interim Final Rule pushing the compliance dates back by one year:
- April 26, 2027 for entities serving 50,000 or more people
- April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts
The technical standard is the same as it was: WCAG 2.1 AA. What shifted is how much time covered entities have to get there. It's also worth saying plainly: the underlying ADA obligation to provide accessible services doesn't disappear in the meantime. Title II has applied to government services, including digital ones, for decades. This extension affects the specific technical compliance deadline, not whether accessibility matters right now.
What to do with the extra year
An extended deadline is not a reason to wait until the deadline. It's room to do the work properly instead of scrambling against a date. If you're a covered entity, or you're not sure whether you are, this is the year to:
- Audit. Get a clear, current picture of where your site stands against WCAG 2.1 AA, with specific findings mapped to specific success criteria.
- Remediate. Fix what the audit finds, in priority order, starting with the issues that block the most users.
- Set up ongoing process. Accessibility isn't a one-time fix. New content, new templates, and new vendors all introduce new risk. Put a process in place so you're not back here in three years with the same backlog.
If you serve the public and you're not sure where your site stands against WCAG 2.1 AA, now is the time to find out, not in 2027.