ADA website compliance

Does the ADA cover my website?

Title III of the ADA covers businesses open to the public, like shops, restaurants, hotels, banks and doctors. In its 2022 guidance, the Justice Department said these businesses must make their websites accessible to people with disabilities.

Courts don't all agree about businesses that only exist online. Some federal courts, including the one covering California, have said the ADA covers websites linked to a physical shop. One court covering Alabama, Florida and Georgia said a website on its own isn't covered. Read the cases that shaped this on our Why Alleviator page. Because the law is hard to predict, most businesses aim to meet WCAG rather than argue about it.

Which standard should I meet?

Settlements and the Title II rule for governments ask for WCAG 2.1 Level AA. WCAG 2.2 is the newest version: it keeps the 2.1 criteria and adds 6 more at Levels A and AA. Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA covers 2.1 AA too, so it's the safer target. See every criterion explained in a sentence in our WCAG 2.2 checklist.

If you sell to the US government, you'll also see Section 508, which uses WCAG 2.0 AA for websites. A site that meets WCAG 2.2 AA meets that as well.

Lawsuits and widgets

Most cases start with a demand letter or a lawsuit from a visitor who couldn't use the site. Accessibility widgets don't prevent them: in September 2026 alone, 91 US companies were sued even though they had a widget installed. In 2025 the Federal Trade Commission fined accessiBe $1 million over claims that its widget could make any site compliant. See how fixing your site compares with an overlay.

How to check your website

1. Scan every page. Alleviator checks your whole site against WCAG 2.2, at desktop and phone sizes, and lists each problem with the page it's on and a screenshot. One page is free.
2. Fix the biggest problems first. The fix guide puts them in order and explains each in plain words, with steps for your website builder. If someone else built your site, send them a developer link with time estimates, or ask us to fix it.
3. Check what a scan can't. Some criteria need a person, like whether captions are accurate. Your report includes a guided checklist for them.
4. Keep a record. Paid plans build an accessibility statement, a draft conformance report in the VPAT® format buyers ask for, and a dated history of what you've fixed.
5. Keep checking. Websites change. Paid plans rescan every week and email you about new problems.

What we don't promise

We won't tell you a scan makes your site ADA compliant. Nobody can promise that, because the ADA has no official certification and some criteria always need a person. What we can do is show you exactly what's wrong, help you fix it, and give you a dated record of the work. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

• US Department of Justice: Guidance on web accessibility and the ADA (2022)
• DOJ extends the Title II web accessibility deadlines (April 2026)
• UsableNet ADA lawsuit tracker
• FTC: final order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million (April 2025)
• Section508.gov: applicable standards

Checked in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we'll fix it.