Cities & villages
ADA Title II for small towns: your April 2028 website deadline
· 2 min read
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The short version for a busy clerk
The Department of Justice finalized a rule in 2024 that requires local government websites to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, a specific accessibility standard. After a one-year extension announced in April 2026, towns and villages under 50,000 residents must comply by April 26, 2028. Entities serving 50,000 or more must comply by April 26, 2027. The DOJ has said it anticipates enforcing at these new dates, and existing ADA obligations continue to apply in the meantime.
What counts as "your website" under the rule
More than you might think: the village site itself, agendas and minutes you post, meeting notices, online forms, the PDFs in your document center, and multimedia like recorded meetings. If a resident needs it to participate in town life, the rule expects them to be able to use it with a screen reader, a keyboard, or low vision.
Why this usually is not a job for the current site
Most small-town websites were built years ago from templates that never considered accessibility. Retrofitting contrast, headings, keyboard focus, and form labels into an old template usually costs more than replacing it, and the result is fragile: the next content update can quietly break conformance again. The honest path is a platform where accessibility is built into how every page renders, so staff cannot accidentally publish their way out of compliance.
The procurement question
Here is the part administrators appreciate: this does not have to be a capital project. Mainfolk's Civic plan is public pricing at about $990 to $1,188 a year, under every state's competitive-bid threshold and the federal micro-purchase limit, which typically means a board consent agenda item rather than a formal RFP. Migration is done for you, and you approve the finished site before paying.
How to evaluate any vendor, including us
Ask for proof, not promises. Any vendor claiming WCAG 2.1 AA should be able to show a current automated scan of their own site and of sites they have shipped, with zero violations. Ours are public: the methodology and latest audit live in our accessibility statement, and the full picture of how we build conformance in is on our ADA compliance page. When you are ready to see your own site rebuilt, start at municipal websites.
Free download: grab our town and village website checklist: the short, plain-English list of what your site needs to serve residents and satisfy the rule. No cost, no obligation.
Common questions
When must small towns comply with the ADA web rule?
By April 26, 2028 for public entities under 50,000 residents. Entities serving 50,000 or more must comply by April 26, 2027.
Do posted PDFs and meeting minutes have to be accessible?
Yes. The rule covers web content broadly, including documents, forms, and multimedia, with limited exceptions such as certain archived content.
Does switching website providers require an RFP?
Usually not at this price point. Mainfolk's Civic plan runs about \$990 to \$1,188 a year, under typical competitive-bid thresholds, so most boards approve it as a routine agenda item. Your procurement rules govern.