Your Government Website Has a Federal Compliance Deadline
The DOJ now requires all local government websites to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards.
Most municipal sites are not ready. We can tell you exactly where you stand — and fix it.
Compliance Deadlines — DOJ Title II
| Jurisdiction Population | Deadline |
|---|---|
| 50,000 or more | April 24, 2026 |
| Under 50,000 | April 26, 2027 |
Counties, townships, municipalities, school districts, and special districts all fall under Title II. If your government entity has a public-facing website, this rule applies to you.
This is not optional. It is federal law.
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published a final rule under Title II of the ADA requiring all state and local governments to make their websites and mobile applications accessible under WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
Non-compliant agencies are subject to DOJ complaints, federal civil rights investigations, and potential legal action. Beyond legal exposure — residents with disabilities cannot access the services their tax dollars fund. That is the real cost.
End-to-End ADA Compliance Services
WAM DevTech provides ADA compliance services for municipal and government websites. We understand both the technical requirements and the operational reality of government IT — limited budgets, small teams, legacy platforms, and procurement constraints.
You Need to Know Where You Stand
A comprehensive WCAG 2.1 AA audit of your current website — manual testing plus automated analysis — with a prioritized findings report and specific remediation guidance for every issue we find.
- Automated scan using axe-core
- Manual keyboard navigation testing
- Screen reader evaluation (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver)
- Color contrast verification
- PDF and document accessibility review
- Formal accessibility statement for DOJ records
You Need Your Current Site Fixed
We remediate accessibility gaps directly in your codebase, your CMS, or your document library. We work within your current platform where possible and deliver fixes with re-audit verification before your deadline.
We work with: WordPress, Drupal, CivicPlus, Granicus, and custom-built platforms.
You Need a New Site Built Right
For municipalities whose current platform cannot be made compliant without significant structural rework, we build a replacement on our headless CMS architecture with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility built into the foundation from day one.
No retrofitting. No patching a broken foundation. Accessibility designed in from the first line of code.
What WCAG 2.1 AA Actually Means
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Level AA is the standard required by the DOJ rule. In plain English, your website must be accessible across four dimensions.
Perceivable
All content can be understood regardless of disability. Images have meaningful text alternatives. Videos have accurate captions. Color is never the only way information is communicated.
Operable
All functionality works with a keyboard alone — no mouse required. Users can navigate without time pressure. Nothing flashes more than three times per second.
Understandable
Every page has a clear, descriptive title. Language is declared in the page code. Error messages explain what went wrong and how to fix it. Navigation is consistent.
Robust
Content works correctly with current and future assistive technologies — screen readers, voice control software, switch access devices, and refreshable Braille displays.
The 20 Most Common Government Website Violations
Based on our audits of municipal and county websites, these are the issues we find most frequently.
Structure and Navigation
- Missing or duplicate H1 heading
- Skipped heading levels (H1 directly to H3)
- No skip navigation link — keyboard users tab through the entire nav on every page
- Missing
langattribute on the HTML element - Unlabeled navigation landmarks
Images and Media
- Images with missing alt attributes
- Images with uninformative alt text ("image001.jpg", "photo")
- Videos without closed captions
- Meeting recordings posted without transcripts
- Charts and maps with no text description
Color and Contrast
- Body text below 4.5:1 contrast ratio
- Gray text on white backgrounds (extremely common in municipal templates)
- Buttons and interactive elements with insufficient contrast
- Required fields or errors indicated only by color
Forms and Interaction
- Search inputs with no visible label
- Contact form fields with placeholder text as the only label
- No visible keyboard focus indicator
- Error messages that say "invalid input" without specifying which field or why
Documents
- Meeting agendas and public notices posted as scanned PDF images — not text
- PDF forms with no accessible field labels
Why Headless Is a Compliance Advantage
Traditional platforms mix accessibility fixes with platform upgrades. Fixing a focus indicator requires a plugin update. Adding ARIA labels requires a theme change. Every remediation carries platform risk.
WAM DevTech's headless architecture separates content from presentation. Accessibility fixes in the frontend deploy independently of the CMS — no plugin conflicts, no platform upgrade dependencies.
Chippewa County Government CMS — Built Accessible from Day One
WAM DevTech built a production-ready municipal CMS for Chippewa County, Michigan in 5 days — with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility as a foundational requirement. Semantic HTML structure, proper heading hierarchy, color contrast, and keyboard navigation were designed in from the first line of code, not retrofitted after.
Read the Case Study"We built the foundation. The compliance audit is a contract deliverable, not an afterthought."
Frequently Asked Questions
Get a Free ADA Compliance Assessment
Tell us about your site and we will review it and send you a findings summary within 2 business days — no obligation, no sales pressure.
The deadline is real. The legal exposure is real. The fix is achievable — but it takes longer than most municipalities expect, and the clock is running.