ALERT – New ADA Rules Govern Accessibility of Local Government Web Content, Apps

New ADA rules from the Department of Justice relating to accessibility of web content and mobile apps provided by state and local governments were published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024. The DOJ included an Executive Summary in the rules and also released a DOJ Rule Fact Sheet. It requires compliance with the AA level of the WCAG 2.1 standard from 2018. This includes captioning requirements for live programming and audio description requirements for prerecorded programming. It applies to more than just video, so you will want to advise your member cities of these new ADA requirements.

Possible sources of funding include grants from the Department of Education, BEAD, DHS cyber security, and Treasury Department Fiscal Recovery Funds. Digital accessibility may also be an allowable cost under most federal awards as a direct or indirect cost, for those of you whose jurisdiction may receive such funds.

The deadline to comply with the new rules is April 26, 2026, for cities greater than 50,000 in population and April 27, 2027, for cities smaller than 49,999 and commissions.