ResourcesStandards and laws
Accessibility requirements by industry
Quick answer
State and local government, public schools and organizations that receive HHS funding have federal rules that name WCAG 2.1 Level AA, and airlines have one that names WCAG 2.0 Level AA. For stores, restaurants, banks and cash-pay clinics there is no specific web regulation. Private lawsuits over their websites usually cite ADA Title III, and courts have not all agreed on when it reaches a website. Your attorney decides which rules apply to you.
This page describes what the rules and public sources say, as we read them on the date shown. It is not a full list, and rules change. We are not a law firm, and this isn't legal advice. Your attorney decides which rules apply to you.
Facts last checked
At a glance
The rules people in each industry usually run into. "Usually" is not "always": your attorney decides what applies to you. The "journeys that matter" notes further down are our own view of where visitors most often get stuck, not part of any rule.
| Industry | Rules that usually come up | Standard named | Key date |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local government | ADA Title II, plus state laws such as Colorado's HB21-1110 | WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA | April 26, 2027 or April 26, 2028, by population. Special districts get the later date. |
| Public schools and public universities | ADA Title II | WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA | Same as state and local government |
| Private colleges and universities | No specific web regulation. Private lawsuits usually cite ADA Title III. Section 504 for programs that receive federal funds. | None in Title III or the Education Department's Section 504 rule | None |
| Health care providers that receive HHS funding | HHS Section 504 rule, and ADA Title III | WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA | May 11, 2027 or May 10, 2028, by staff size |
| Cash-pay clinics and medspas | No specific web regulation. Private lawsuits usually cite ADA Title III. | None | None |
| Stores and their websites | No specific web regulation. Private lawsuits usually cite ADA Title III. | None | None |
| Restaurants, bars and hotels | No specific web regulation. Private lawsuits usually cite ADA Title III. Hotels also have a reservation rule. | None | None |
| Banks and financial services | No specific US web regulation. Private lawsuits usually cite ADA Title III. | None | None |
| Airlines | Air Carrier Access Act website rule | WCAG 2.0 Level AA | Core pages by December 12, 2015. All pages by December 12, 2016. |
| Telecom and video | CVAA and FCC rules | FCC rules, not WCAG | Video conferencing captions from January 12, 2027 |
| Software sold to government | Section 508 for federal buyers. ADA Title II for state and local buyers. | WCAG 2.0 for federal, WCAG 2.1 for state and local | April 26, 2027 or April 26, 2028, for Title II |
| Selling to consumers in the EU | European Accessibility Act | No WCAG version named | Applies from June 28, 2025 |
Source: Code of Federal Regulations, ADA.gov and EUR-Lex, read October 3, 2026. A pending court case, NFB v. DOJ, challenges the Title II and Section 504 dates. DOJ plans, and HHS is considering, a proposal to revisit those rules.
Public sector and schools
State and local government
People pay bills and fines, apply for permits and benefits, and read meeting agendas, forms and PDFs. DOJ's own examples include paying for parking in a mobile app and viewing a water bill online.
Public schools and public universities
ADA.gov lists public schools, community colleges and public universities as examples under the Title II rule. Journeys that matter: enrollment, parent and student portals, course materials and lecture video.
Private colleges and universities
The ADA lists a private school or other place of education as a public accommodation under Title III. Journeys that matter: admissions and financial aid applications, course registration and tuition payment.
Section 504 and schoolsSection 504 covers any program that receives federal financial assistance. The HHS rule under it names WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The Department of Education's rule names no web standard.
Health care
The difference is whether the provider receives HHS funding.
Providers that receive HHS funding
- The HHS Section 504 rule covers recipients of HHS funding.
- It names WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA for web content and mobile apps.
- It includes content provided "through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements".
- In a 2024 rule, HHS said it treats Medicare Part B payments as federal financial assistance.
- ADA Title III also lists a health care provider's office and a hospital.
Cash-pay clinics and medspas
- No specific web regulation.
- Private lawsuits over websites usually cite ADA Title III.
- The statute lists a health care provider's office, a beauty shop and a health spa.
- The HHS rule applies only to recipients of HHS funding.
- Whether a clinic receives that funding is a question of fact for that clinic.
Clinics and hospitals
Journeys that matter: booking an appointment, the patient portal, intake forms, paying a bill, telehealth visits and prescription refills.
Medspas and cash-pay clinics
Journeys that matter: the online booking widget, service and price menus, before-and-after galleries, consultation forms, and buying gift cards or memberships.
Booking and payment tools
Scheduling, intake and payment tools from other companies sit inside the patient's journey, so a test of that journey includes them.
Stores, restaurants and hospitality
Stores and their websites
The ADA lists stores and other sales or rental establishments as public accommodations. Journeys that matter: search and filters, the product page, choosing a size or color, cart, checkout and returns.
Restaurants and bars
The ADA lists "a restaurant, bar, or other establishment serving food or drink". Journeys that matter: the menu, which is often a PDF or an image, online ordering, table reservations, gift cards, and location and hours.
Hotels and lodging
The ADA lists "an inn, hotel, motel, or other place of lodging". Journeys that matter: reserving an accessible room and reading its features.
The hotel reservation ruleA Title III rule covers reservations "made by any means, including by telephone, in-person, or through a third party". Among other things, a place of lodging lets people reserve accessible rooms in the same hours and the same way as other rooms, and describes accessible features in enough detail for a guest to judge whether a room meets their needs. It applies to reservations made on or after March 15, 2012.
Banks, airlines, telecom and software vendors
Banks and financial services
The ADA lists a bank and an insurance office as public accommodations. Journeys that matter: opening an account, signing in, statements and PDFs, transfers, bill pay and loan applications.
Airlines
The rule names seven core services, including booking or changing a reservation, checking in, flight status and flight schedules. It also calls for the site to be tested "in consultation with individuals with disabilities or members of disability organization(s)".
Telecom and video
FCC rules call for captions on full-length internet video that was shown on US television with captions. Journeys that matter: caption controls in the player, plan sign-up, billing and support chat.
Software vendors selling to government
Federal buying rules carry Section 508 into what agencies buy, and the Title II rule covers content a government provides "through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements". Journeys that matter: sign-in, the product's core tasks, the admin console and exported reports.
VPAT and ACRThe VPAT is a free reporting template from the Information Technology Industry Council. A completed VPAT is called an Accessibility Conformance Report, or ACR.
Selling to consumers in the EU
Who it names
The European Accessibility Act defines a service provider as anyone who provides a service to consumers in the EU, or offers to. The text has no carve-out by where the company is based. Each EU country enforces the Act and sets its own penalties, so how it works for a company outside the EU is a question for an attorney.
What is in scope
Services in scope are e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books, electronic communications, access to audiovisual media and parts of passenger transport.
The microenterprise exemption
Microenterprises that provide services are exempt. The Act defines one as fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet of no more than €2 million.
Journeys that matter
The full purchase path for EU shoppers, plus the accessibility information the Act asks service providers to publish.
Multi-location and franchise businesses
One template, every location
Location pages usually share templates. One template fix reaches every location.
Journeys that matter
The store locator, each location's page and hours, a shared booking or ordering system, the loyalty account and coupons.
State law varies
State law varies by location. Your attorney decides which state laws apply to each one.
Which rules apply to your business is a legal question. Your attorney decides it. We test and fix against WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
Sources
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 28 CFR 35.200: ADA Title II rule for web content and mobile apps (2026)
- ADA.gov, fact sheet on the Title II rule for web content and mobile apps (2024, updated 2026)
- ADA.gov, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (accessed 2026)
- Colorado General Assembly, HB21-1110 signed act (2021)
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR Part 104: Department of Education Section 504 regulation (2026)
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 45 CFR 84.84: HHS Section 504 rule for web content and mobile apps (2026)
- US Department of Health and Human Services, Section 1557 final rule (89 FR 37522) (2024)
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 28 CFR 36.302: Title III rule on reservations at places of lodging (2026)
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 14 CFR 382.43: airline website accessibility (2026)
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 47 CFR 79.4: captions for internet video (2026)
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 47 CFR 14.21: FCC accessibility performance objectives (2026)
- Federal Acquisition Regulation, Part 39, Subpart 39.2 (2026)
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 1194: Section 508 standards (2026)
- Information Technology Industry Council, VPAT (2025)
- EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2019/882, the European Accessibility Act (2019)
We provide technical accessibility services, not legal advice.
More guides
WCAG explained: principles, levels and versions
What WCAG is, what Levels A, AA and AAA mean, and which version the rules name, shown in charts and tables.
Accessibility laws at a glance
Which accessibility laws cover websites, who each one names, and the WCAG version and dates each one sets.
What's changing: accessibility dates to know
The accessibility dates ahead through 2030, what moved in 2026, which standards are changing and what still has no date.
Start with a free snapshot.
Tell us your website. We'll run an automated check of up to 10 key pages and walk you through what we found. It's an automated check that finds only some issues, not an audit.
Get a free snapshot