Which Web Accessibility Laws Apply to Your Website? (2026 Guide)

Which Web Accessibility Laws Apply to Your Website? ADA, WCAG, Section 508, AODA and EAA (2026)

If you have ever tried to work out whether your website is legally required to be accessible, you have probably run into an alphabet soup: ADA, WCAG, Section 508, AODA, EAA. They overlap, they use different names, and most guides explain only one of them. This page does the opposite. It tells you, in plain English, which of these laws apply to your website based on where you operate and what kind of organization you are, and what to do next.

The good news is that they nearly all measure accessibility against the same technical standard, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). So while the laws differ by region and sector, the work of complying with them mostly overlaps.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.

The short answer: which laws apply to you

A quick decision path:

• You run a US business with a public website, expect ADA Title III to apply. Courts treat websites as places of public accommodation.
• You are a US state or local government body, ADA Title II applies, with a firm deadline under the 2024 Department of Justice rule.
• You are a US federal agency or you sell to one, Section 508 applies.
• You operate in Ontario, AODA applies.
• You sell products or services into the EU, the European Accessibility Act applies.
• Almost everyone, in practice, is measured against WCAG.

Not sure if you comply?Scan your site free against 50+ WCAG 2.2 checks in seconds, no signup. WCAG is the standard behind ADA, Section 508, AODA, and the EAA, so one scan tells you where you stand against all of them. For a full conformance report you can hand to counsel, book an expert audit.

ADA (Title II and Title III), the big one for US websites

The Americans with Disabilities Act does not spell out a web standard in its text, but the Department of Justice and US courts have consistently measured website accessibility against WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Two parts of the ADA matter for websites:

• Title II covers state and local government bodies. Under a 2024 Department of Justice rule, their websites and mobile apps must meet WCAG 2.1 AA, with compliance deadlines in 2026 and 2027 depending on population size.
• Title III covers private businesses that are open to the public, from retail and restaurants to banking and healthcare. This is where most website accessibility lawsuits are filed.

If you are a US business with a public-facing website, ADA Title III is almost certainly your primary concern. Thousands of web accessibility cases are filed every year, and e-commerce is hit hardest. Learn more on the ADA compliance hub, and see how these cases actually play out in our guide to web accessibility lawsuits.

Section 508, for federal agencies and contractors

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires US federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible. Since the 2018 refresh, the standard it points to is WCAG 2.0 Level AA. It reaches beyond the agencies themselves: if you sell software, websites, or digital documents to the federal government, your deliverables usually have to meet Section 508 too.

If you are a federal contractor or you are pursuing government work, treat Section 508 as a procurement requirement, not an afterthought. Details on the Section 508 compliance hub.

AODA, for organizations operating in Ontario

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires organizations that operate in Ontario to make their websites accessible to WCAG 2.0 Level AA (with narrow exceptions for live captions and pre-recorded audio description). Its web deadlines have already passed for most organizations, so if you do business in Ontario and have not addressed accessibility, you are behind rather than early. See the AODA compliance hub.

The European Accessibility Act and EN 301 549, for the EU market

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) applies to a broad set of products and services offered in the EU, including e-commerce, banking, and many digital services. Enforcement began on 28 June 2025. The technical benchmark is the EN 301 549 standard, which is built on WCAG. If you sell into the EU, the EAA can apply even if your company is based elsewhere. See the EAA compliance hub.

WCAG, the one standard they all point to

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the technical standard published by the W3C. WCAG is not a law itself, it is the yardstick the laws above use. Level AA is the level almost every regulation adopts, and version 2.1 is the common legal benchmark today, with 2.2 as the latest release. The guidelines are organized around four principles: content should be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Read more on the WCAG hub.

What they have in common (and why one fix covers most of them)

Here is the practical takeaway. Because ADA, Section 508, AODA, and the EAA all measure accessibility against WCAG (at Level AA), fixing your site to WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA moves you toward compliance with all of them at once. You do not need a separate remediation project per law. You need one accessible website, documented well.

Getting there is a mix of automated fixes and human review. Automated tools reliably catch the machine-detectable issues, things like missing alt text, color contrast, and form labels, which is a large share of common defects. The rest, such as whether alt text is meaningful or whether a custom component works with a screen reader, needs a person. The honest approach is to automate what is safe and put human experts on the rest, then keep a record. Work through the ADA compliance checklist to see what that looks like step by step.

How to check your website against all of them

You do not have to guess. Start with a free scan, then decide how much manual work you need:

1. Scan.Run a free accessibility scan against WCAG 2.2 to see your machine-detectable issues in seconds, no signup.
2. Fix the safe part. Resolve the issues automated testing can safely handle, such as contrast and missing labels.
3. Send the rest to experts. Book an expert manual audit for the issues that need human judgment, and get a conformance report you can show an auditor or attorney.
4. Document and monitor. Keep your scan results, fixes, and an accessibility statement, and re-check as your site changes.

Frequently asked questions

Is website accessibility actually the law?

Yes, in most of the situations above. The ADA, Section 508, AODA, and the EAA all create legal obligations for accessible digital content, and they are enforced through lawsuits, complaints, and procurement rules.

Does the ADA apply to my private business website?

If your business is open to the public, Title III very likely applies. There is no small-business exemption for accessibility, and small businesses do receive demand letters.

If I meet WCAG, am I compliant with all of them?

Meeting WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA satisfies the core technical requirement of each law, which is most of the battle. Some laws add documentation or reporting steps on top, so confirm the specifics for your region.

Do I need to comply if I only operate in one country?

The law that applies depends on where your users are and where you do business. If you only serve one region, focus on that region's rules, but remember the EAA can reach you if you sell into the EU.

What happens if I do not comply?

Consequences range from demand letters and lawsuits to lost government contracts and regulatory penalties, plus the cost of a rushed fix. Proactive compliance is almost always cheaper than a reactive one.

Where should I start?

Scan your site free to see where you stand, then use the results to plan remediation and, if needed, bring in an expert audit.