ADA Title II and PDF accessibility laws
The laws and compliance dates that make accessible documents an obligation, in the United States and elsewhere, with links to each primary source.
- State and local governments serving 50,000 people or more
- Smaller governments and every special district, regardless of size
167 days until April 26, 2027
United States: ADA Title II and related laws
The Title II web rule sets two compliance dates, depending on the size of the government. They are shown at the top of this page.
- Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II
A federal civil rights law. Title II covers all services, programs and activities of state and local governments, including small ones and special districts.
- Title II web and mobile accessibility rule
The Department of Justice rule that requires state and local governments, including special districts, to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA for the web content and mobile apps they provide, including content provided through vendors. Some older PDFs may be excepted, but current documents that people use to access services generally need to conform. The Department extended the compliance dates in April 2026; the dates above are the current ones.
ADA.gov, first steps for state and local governments (opens in a new tab)
- Americans with Disabilities Act, Title III
Title III covers businesses and nonprofits that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores and gyms.
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The 2017 update to the Section 508 Standards harmonized them with WCAG 2.0.
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance, and in programs run by federal agencies.
International accessibility laws
- European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882)
EU law that sets accessibility requirements for certain products and services. Its measures have applied since 28 June 2025.
- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005
Ontario’s accessibility law. For information and communications, organizations that serve the public must tell people they will provide accessible formats of written information on request, and provide them in a timely manner at no higher cost.
About this page
This page is information, not legal advice. Laws and deadlines change, so check the linked sources and ask a lawyer about your situation.
Docability does not certify compliance or guarantee that a document meets a particular standard.
To see what these laws point to, read about the PDF accessibility standards, or see how PDF remediation works.
Ready to make your documents accessible?
Tell us about your documents and we’ll show you how Docability works for your organization.