April 24, 2027, is the deadline for compliance with the new ADA rules for digital accessibility for government agencies with 50,000 residents or less. This article outlines what small government agencies need to do to comply with the new ADA rules for digital accessibility, ensure accessibility for residents, and avoid ADA digital accessibility lawsuits.
What Is the DOJ ADA Digital Accessibility Rule?
Governments with more than 50,000 residents must be accessible by April 24, 2026. For smaller governments though, you have until April 24, 2027.
The new rules under the ADA require state and local governments to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA across all digital platforms and within very specific ways. The new rules include all websites, social media, GIS maps, and large volumes of regularly created content, such as court documents, meeting minutes, and newsletters-all the ways government interacts, updates, and engages with residents digitally.
While federal agencies and large state departments may already have compliance staff or designated funding for accessibility, small and midsized agencies are now being asked to meet the same federal standards, without the same resources.
Why This Rule Hits Small Governments Hardest
For years, digital accessibility existed in a regulatory grey zone. Agencies were encouraged, but not strictly required, to meet WCAG standards for public facing content.
That’s changed. In April 2024, the DOJ finalized its Title II rule under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requiring all public entities to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. This includes:
Government websites
Online forms and applications
PDFs and digital documents
Mobile apps
Constituent portals
Small government agencies with less than 50,000 residents are now held to the same expectations as their state level counterparts. But they’re doing it with less funding, fewer staff, and limited control over legacy systems.
7 Steps to Get Your Agency Compliant Before April 24, 2027
1. Run a Real Accessibility Audit (Not Just a Scan)
Many agencies start with a free web tool that spits out a score and calls it a day. Unfortunately, the DOJ and the courts know that automated tools miss 70% of issues.
What you need is a comprehensive audit that includes both automated and manual accessibility testing, performed by real users who rely on screen readers and assistive tech.
A comprehensive audit gives you:
WCAG 2.1 Level AA findings
Prioritized fixes based on user impact
Legal documentation to prove your effort
2. Fix the Barriers That Affect Real People First
Forget trying to “make the whole website accessible” at once. That’s not strategic and it’s overwhelming.
Instead, start with:
Navigation menus and search bars
Online forms, payment portals, and applications
Downloadable documents and PDFs
Emergency notifications and time sensitive alerts
3. Create A Plan & Take Action
You don’t need to be perfect by 2027, but you do need to show a “Good Faith Effort.” That means:
Complete a comprehensive accessibility audit.
Document your findings and create a remediation action plan.
Upskill your team and incorporate accessibility best-practices.
Publish an accessibility statement and provide a means of getting accommodations.
4. Train the Trainer and Build Internal Champions
Hiring a full time accessibility specialist is ideal for some agencies but it’s not the only way forward. With the right training, your existing staff can:
Catch accessibility issues before they go live
Use accessible templates and document tools
Communicate more effectively with vendors and developers
5. Don’t Avoid the PDF Problem
PDFs are one of the top reasons small agencies get hit with accessibility complaints.
Unfortunately, the new DOJ rule explicitly includes PDFS, making them impossible to avoid.
Local municipalities and smaller governments produce a lot of PDFs. Pay close attention to what you produce on a regular basis and determine if you are creating more and more accessibility violations in the process.
You will want to review your PDFs that are:
Agendas
Meeting minutes
Budgets and public policies
Notices, forms, and community updates
Fixing PDFs doesn't have to be overwhelming. Start with our PDF Accessibility Blog Series.
For free, you can explore step-by-step instructions for how to tag PDFs, remediate common PDF accessibility violations, and prevent inaccessible PDFs from being published to your government website.
If that’s too much for your team to manage, we have you covered!
6. Test Third Party Features, Products, and Vendor Tools
Even if your website is built in house, you’re still responsible for third party services like:
GIS maps
Event calendars
Payment portals
Scheduling tools
If those tools are inaccessible, you’re out of compliance. That’s why vendor compliance management and accessibility procurement practices is good government.
7. Publish a Public Accessibility Statement
Posting your accessibility intent is simple, but powerful. It:
Communicates that your agency is aware and actively improving
Provides a point of contact for residents with disabilities
Helps you comply with the “Good Faith Effort” exception under the ADA.
How To Get ADA Compliant Without a Big Team or Budget
We know you’re stretched thin. You weren’t given extra staff. You weren’t given an extra budget.
But you were given a deadline, and we can help you meet it with clarity and credibility.
Here’s How We Help Small Agencies Comply:
Accessibility Audits → Manual WCAG evaluations conducted by real screen reader users
Accessibility Audit Training → Equip your team to find and prevent issues
Accessibility Managed Service → Your remote accessibility team, handling audits, PDFs, vendor support, and documentation
Built for small teams with limited capacity trying to meet the ADA’s big compliance goals.