DOJ Extends ADA Title II Web Accessibility Compliance Deadlines

What Changed

On April 20, 2026, the Department of Justice published an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register pushing back the compliance deadlines for state and local governments under Title II of the ADA to make their websites and mobile apps accessible. Public entities serving 50,000 or more residents now have until April 26, 2027, a year later than the original April 24, 2026 deadline. Public entities serving fewer than 50,000 residents, along with special district governments (the category most park districts fall under), now have until April 26, 2028, a year past the original April 26, 2027 date. The rule took effect immediately on publication, though DOJ is accepting public comment on it through June 22, 2026.

The Standard Itself Did Not Move

The extension changes timing, not substance. Covered entities must still conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content and mobile apps, the same standard DOJ set in its original 2024 rule. Nothing in the Interim Final Rule lowers that bar or narrows which content it applies to. And because the rule is interim rather than final, it comes with a caveat worth noting: it is in force now, but DOJ's open comment period means the deadlines could still be revised again before they are locked in for good.

What It Means for Covered Entities

The extra year, or two years for smaller entities and special districts, is runway, not relief. It gives park districts, municipalities, and other public entities more time to plan and execute WCAG 2.1 AA remediation instead of racing an imminent deadline, but it does not reduce the underlying obligation, and complaint or litigation risk under Title II remains in the meantime. An organization that treats the new date as a reason to wait is carrying the same exposure it had before the rule extended anything, just with more time to close the gap. The entities the extension actually benefits are the ones that use the additional runway to run a real WCAG 2.1 AA audit now and remediate what it finds, rather than setting a reminder for early 2027 and revisiting the question then.