# The ADA Title II web accessibility deadline for tourism websites. > The DOJ rule requires city and county websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, now by April 2027 or April 2028. What it means for a tourism site and your vendor. [Guides](https://hiveway.org/guides) · For destinations The DOJ rule requires city and county websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, now by April 2027 or April 2028. What it means for a tourism site and your vendor. Guide · Updated October 2026 · 10 sources · About 4 minutes ## In plain English A U.S. Department of Justice rule requires state and local governments to make their websites and apps meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. In April 2026 the DOJ gave everyone one more year: governments of 50,000 people or more must comply by April 26, 2027, and smaller ones and special districts by April 26, 2028. If your tourism office is part of a city or county, its website is covered, and so is content a vendor provides for you. The extension is being challenged in court, so don't plan on more time. ## What the rule says - **The rule:** the DOJ's ADA Title II rule on web content and mobile apps, published in April 2024. It lives in 28 CFR part 35, subpart H. - **Who it covers:** state and local governments, including cities, counties and special districts. - **The standard:** WCAG 2.1, Level AA, from the W3C. It covers things like text alternatives for images, captions for video, enough color contrast, and a site that works with a keyboard. - **What it covers:** web content and mobile apps a government provides or makes available, directly or through a contract or other arrangement. ## The deadlines, as of October 2026 The 2024 rule first set April 24, 2026 for large governments and April 26, 2027 for small ones. On April 20, 2026, the DOJ published an interim final rule adding one year to each: - **50,000 people or more:** April 26, 2027. - **Fewer than 50,000 people:** April 26, 2028. - **Special district governments:** April 26, 2028. Population means your government's total population, from the 2020 Census where it has one. The requirements themselves didn't change. Only the dates moved. **Watch for changes either way.** Public comments on the extension closed June 22, 2026. The DOJ says it plans more rulemaking on the rule's requirements during the extra year, and may propose changes. Meanwhile, in May 2026 a disability rights group sued in federal court in Maryland to undo the extension, and as of this update we found no ruling. The DOJ also says governments already have an ongoing duty under Title II to make their online services accessible, whatever the dates. ## Does it cover a tourism website? - **If your tourism office is a city or county department:** yes. Its website is the government's web content. - **If a vendor builds or hosts it for you:** yes. The rule covers content a government provides through an arrangement with someone else, and the DOJ says content a vendor provides for you doesn't get the third-party exception. - **If a separate nonprofit runs tourism under a contract with the city:** ask your city attorney. The rule reaches content provided through contracts and other arrangements, so it may apply. - **Content the public posts on its own** (not on your behalf) is an exception. Content your staff or vendor post is not. There are a few other exceptions, such as properly archived content and some documents posted before the deadline. They're narrow. The DOJ's small entity guide explains each one. ## What to ask your vendor - Does the site meet WCAG 2.1 AA today? Which pages don't? - Can you give us an Accessibility Conformance Report (a filled-in VPAT) for the platform? - Will you put WCAG 2.1 AA in our contract, with a date? - Are the event and listing forms accessible, for staff and for the public? - Do new pages, listings and events come out accessible by default (alt text, headings, contrast)? - Are videos captioned? Are PDFs accessible, or replaced with web pages? - Is accessibility checking included, or an extra fee? - Who fixes problems, how fast, and at whose cost? ## A simple plan for the next six months - Find your deadline: check your population and whether you're a special district. - List every site and app your office runs, including microsites and booking tools. - Ask each vendor the questions above, in writing. - Fix the pages visitors use most first: home, events, things to do, where to stay. - Replace old PDFs visitors still need with web pages. - Put an accessibility statement and a way to report problems on your site. This guide is plain-English help, not legal advice. Your city attorney has the final word. From Hiveway, the people who wrote this guide ## How Hiveway handles this Hiveway for Destinations is built to WCAG 2.1 AA, the standard the rule requires, and we'll put that in writing along with an insurance certificate, a W-9 and your city's contract terms. Listings, events and pages all come from the same accessible templates, so what your staff and partners add stays accessible. It's $999 a month, everything included. Hiveway is in its founding season: the two of us are building it now with our first chamber, and taking applications from founding chambers and destinations. If that sounds like you, [apply here](https://hiveway.org/apply). ## Questions, answered plainly. ### When is the ADA Title II web accessibility deadline? After the DOJ's April 2026 extension: April 26, 2027 for state and local governments of 50,000 people or more, and April 26, 2028 for smaller governments and special districts. The DOJ may propose changes during the extension, and a lawsuit is challenging it, so check for updates. ### What standard does the rule require? WCAG 2.1, Level AA. The April 2026 extension changed only the dates, not the standard. ### Does the rule apply to our city's tourism website? If your tourism office is part of a city or county, yes. The rule also covers content a vendor provides for you. If a separate nonprofit runs tourism under a city contract, ask your city attorney. ### Is our vendor responsible, or are we? The rule applies to the government, including content provided through a vendor. In practice, put WCAG 2.1 AA in your contract so the vendor is on the hook to meet it. ### Are events and listings submitted by the public covered? Content the public posts on its own, not on the government's behalf, is an exception. Content your staff or vendor publish is covered. If staff approve and publish submissions, ask your attorney how that applies. ### What is a VPAT? A template vendors fill in to report how their product meets accessibility standards. Once filled in with test results, it's called an Accessibility Conformance Report. Ask your vendor for one. ## Sources, checked October 2026 1. [ADA.gov: fact sheet on the web and mobile app rule](https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/) · Compliance dates updated for the 2026 extension 2. [ADA.gov: first steps toward complying with the Title II web rule](https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-rule-first-steps/) 3. [ADA.gov: small entity compliance guide](https://www.ada.gov/resources/small-entity-compliance-guide/) 4. [Federal Register: final rule, 89 FR 31320](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-04-24/html/2024-07758.htm) · April 24, 2024 5. [U.S. Department of Justice: interim final rule extending compliance dates](https://www.ada.gov/assets/pdfs/2026-ifr.pdf) · 91 FR 20902, April 20, 2026 6. [eCFR: 28 CFR part 35, subpart H](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-35/subpart-H) 7. [Complaint challenging the extension, filed in federal court in Maryland](https://browngold.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/NFB-v.-DOJ_5-21-2026.pdf) · May 21, 2026 8. [League of Minnesota Cities: DOJ extends web accessibility compliance deadlines for local governments](https://www.lmc.org/news-publications/news/all/doj-extends-web-accessibility-compliance-deadlines-for-local-governments/) · April 2026 9. [W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/) 10. [ITI: the VPAT and Accessibility Conformance Reports](https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat) Related: [How much does a DMO website cost?](https://hiveway.org/guides/how-much-does-a-dmo-website-cost) · [How to run a public events calendar without spam](https://hiveway.org/guides/run-a-public-events-calendar-without-spam) · [How to get your town into AI trip planning](https://hiveway.org/guides/get-your-town-into-ai-trip-planning) · [All guides](https://hiveway.org/guides) ## Get your whole town found. Tell us about your town, your partners and what your visitor site needs to do. One of us reads every application and writes back by email. [Apply as a Destination](https://hiveway.org/apply?type=destination) · [More Guides](https://hiveway.org/guides) Source: https://hiveway.org/guides/ada-title-ii-web-accessibility-deadline-for-tourism-websites