Compliance Blog

ADA Website Compliance Checklist: What Your Site Actually Needs

Q: How often should I re-audit my site for ADA compliance?

Any time you make significant changes to your site, and at minimum once per year for stable sites.

The Americans with Disabilities Act does not include a specific list of website requirements. That ambiguity has led to thousands of lawsuits against businesses of all sizes. This ADA website compliance checklist explains what courts and regulators actually expect, which technical standard applies, and what you need to fix first.

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Does the ADA Apply to Websites?

Yes. Courts in the United States have consistently ruled that websites are places of public accommodation under Title III of the ADA. This applies to most businesses that serve the public, regardless of company size. The Department of Justice confirmed in 2022 that web accessibility is required under the ADA.

The most common technical standard used to measure compliance is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, known as WCAG. The current enforced version is WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Meeting this standard is the strongest defense against ADA web accessibility claims.

ADA Website Compliance Checklist

Use this checklist to audit your site. Items are grouped by category.

Images and Media

All images have descriptive alt text. Decorative images use empty alt attributes.
Videos have captions for all spoken content.
Audio content has a text transcript available.
No content flashes more than three times per second (seizure risk).

Keyboard Navigation

Every interactive element is reachable using Tab and Shift-Tab.
Focus indicators are visible. Users can always see which element is focused.
No keyboard traps. Users can navigate out of every component using only the keyboard.
Skip navigation links allow keyboard users to jump past repeated menus.

Color and Contrast

Body text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background.
Large text (18pt or 14pt bold) has a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
Information is not conveyed by color alone. Error states use text or icons, not just red color.

Forms

All form fields have visible, descriptive labels. Placeholder text does not replace labels.
Required fields are clearly marked.
Error messages identify the field with the problem and explain how to fix it.
Forms can be completed using only a keyboard.

Page Structure

Each page has a unique, descriptive title in the browser tab.
Headings (H1, H2, H3) are used in logical order, not for visual styling.
The page language is declared in the HTML tag (for example, lang="en").
Links have descriptive text. Avoid "click here" or "read more" without context.

Text and Zoom

Text can be resized up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality.
Line spacing, letter spacing, and paragraph spacing can be overridden by the user without breaking the layout.
Content does not require horizontal scrolling at standard screen widths.

How to Test Your Site for ADA Compliance

Automated tools catch roughly 30 to 40 percent of accessibility issues. Manual testing and screen reader testing are needed for full coverage.

Free automated tools to start with include WAVE (wave.webaim.org), Google Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools, and the axe browser extension. Run these on your most important pages: homepage, contact page, any page with a form, and product or service pages.

For manual testing, tab through your entire page using only the keyboard. If you get stuck anywhere or lose track of where focus is, that is a failure. For screen reader testing, NVDA is free on Windows and VoiceOver is built into Mac and iOS.

You can also use our free ADA compliance checklist to go through every requirement so you can see exactly what you have covered and what still needs attention.

ADA vs WCAG: What Is the Difference?

The ADA is the law. WCAG is the technical standard. The ADA requires accessible websites but does not specify exactly how to build them. Courts and the DOJ have pointed to WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the accepted benchmark for what "accessible" means.

If you meet WCAG 2.1 AA, you are in a strong legal position. If you fall significantly short of it and receive a demand letter, that gap becomes evidence in a lawsuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my small business website need to be ADA compliant?

If your business serves the public, yes. Title III of the ADA applies to places of public accommodation, and courts have extended this to websites. Small businesses are not exempt. Demand letters are frequently sent to small and medium-sized businesses because they are less likely to have had a prior audit.

What WCAG level do I need to meet?

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard most commonly referenced in U.S. court cases and DOJ guidance. Level A is the minimum and Level AAA is the highest, but AA is the practical target for compliance purposes.

Can I get sued even if I am working on fixing accessibility issues?

Yes. Demonstrating active remediation efforts can help in settlement negotiations and may reduce damages, but it does not prevent a lawsuit from being filed. Having an accessibility statement on your site that describes your current efforts and provides a contact method for users who encounter barriers is generally considered a positive signal.

How often should I re-audit my site for ADA compliance?

Any time you make significant changes to your site, such as redesigning a page, adding a new form, or launching new features. For stable sites, an annual audit is a reasonable minimum. Running automated tools such as Lighthouse or WAVE as part of your deployment process catches regressions early.