Is your website
ADA compliant?
The ADA requires websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. Courts measure compliance against WCAG 2.1 AA — and enforcement is accelerating.
Free · No account required · Results in 60 seconds
Overview
What is the Americans with Disabilities Act?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990 and prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in places of public accommodation. While the ADA predates the web, courts have consistently ruled that websites are covered, applying WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the de facto standard. (The DOJ's 2024 rule set the same WCAG 2.1 AA standard formally, but only for state and local government websites under Title II — it does not itself govern private businesses.) In 2025, over 4,800 ADA website lawsuits were filed across US federal and state courts (UsableNet). Non-compliant websites receive demand letters, face serial litigants, and risk settlements averaging $25,000–$75,000 per claim.
Technical standard
Scope
Any organization covered by the ADA
Enforcement
Private lawsuits, DOJ enforcement
ADAGuard covers
WCAG 2.2 AA — 23 check categories
Scope
Who does the ADA apply to?
If your organization matches any category below, you are legally required to comply.
Title I — Employers (15+ employees)
Employment-related web portals, HR tools, job application systems
Title II — State and local governments
All public-facing government websites and digital services
Title III — Places of public accommodation
Businesses serving the public — retail, restaurants, hotels, entertainment, professional services
E-commerce stores
Online stores with US customers are covered under Title III
SaaS and software companies
Web applications available to the public or sold to covered entities
Technical checklist
What does ADA compliance require?
These are the specific technical obligations your website must meet. ADAGuard automatically checks most of these on every scan.
Check your site nowAlternative text for all meaningful images (WCAG 1.1.1)
Color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text (WCAG 1.4.3)
All functionality operable by keyboard alone — no mouse required (WCAG 2.1)
Captions for all prerecorded video content (WCAG 1.2.2)
Readable and understandable text content (WCAG 3.1)
Consistent navigation and labeling across pages (WCAG 3.2)
Error identification and descriptive error messages in forms (WCAG 3.3)
Labels for all form inputs and instructions (WCAG 1.3.1)
No seizure-triggering content — no flashing faster than 3Hz (WCAG 2.3.1)
Text resizable up to 200% without loss of content or functionality (WCAG 1.4.4)
Sufficient time for users to read and complete tasks (WCAG 2.2)
Skip navigation links to bypass repeated blocks of content (WCAG 2.4.1)
The cost of
non-compliance
ADA enforcement is primarily through private litigation — any individual can file a lawsuit. The DOJ can also bring enforcement actions and impose penalties.
First violation: up to $75,000 in civil penalties (DOJ enforcement)
Subsequent violations: up to $150,000 per violation
Private lawsuits: settlements typically $15,000–$75,000 plus plaintiff attorney fees
Serial plaintiffs file hundreds of cases per year — a single non-compliant site can receive multiple demand letters
Demand letters from plaintiff law firms often demand $5,000–$20,000 to settle before filing
Your path to compliance
How to become ADA compliant
Run your free scan
Paste your URL and run a free WCAG 2.2 AA scan. ADAGuard checks 23 categories of ADA requirements in under 60 seconds.
Scan free →Review violations
Get a prioritized list of every violation with the failing element, the WCAG criterion, and before/after code examples to fix it.
Fix & document
Fix violations with your dev team, re-scan to verify, and download a dated audit report as evidence of your compliance effort.
Why ADAGuard
Everything you need for ADA compliance
One platform to scan, fix, document, and monitor your accessibility compliance.
WCAG 2.2 AA scanning
23 check categories. Real browser rendering. Not a simulated or partial test.
Element-level guidance
Every issue includes the failing HTML, the WCAG criterion, and a before/after code fix.
Compliance reports
Dated PDF audit reports to show regulators, clients, or your legal team.
Continuous monitoring
Scheduled rescans alert you when new issues appear after deploys or content updates.
No credit card · No account required
FAQ
Common questions about ADA compliance
Sources & primary references
The legal and standards claims on this page are drawn from the primary sources below. Enforcement details vary by jurisdiction — consult qualified counsel for advice specific to your situation.
Don't wait for a lawsuit.
Find out where you stand today.
Scan your site free. Get a full ADA violation report in 60 seconds — with WCAG criterion, failing element, and how to fix it.
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