Local government sites communicate almost everything through PDFs — permits, budgets, meeting packets, public notices, applications — spread across departments, pages, and years of updates. Level Five reviews and remediates public-facing PDFs for WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility readiness.
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It's the technical standard used to measure whether digital content is accessible to people with disabilities.
","raw":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It's the technical standard used to measure whether digital content is accessible to people with disabilities.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"}],"text":"WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It's the technical standard used to measure whether digital content is accessible to people with disabilities."},"callout_box_cta_link":{"url":"https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/","type":null,"uid":null},"callout_box_cta_text":"Learn more about WCAG 2.1","callout_box_label":{"html":"Find the PDFs
Organize by Type & Effort
Assess Remediation Needs
Provide a Quote
Remediate the PDFs
The DOJ's ADA Title II rule requires state and local government websites and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That includes public-facing digital content, which may include PDFs used to share forms, reports, notices, policies, applications, meeting materials, and other public information.
[Feature Image: deadline table/timeline graphic] Caption suggestion: Compliance deadlines by population size
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
If public-facing PDFs aren't reviewed and remediated before the applicable deadline, the issue tends to compound rather than go away. Inaccessible documents can make it harder for people with disabilities to access public information, complete forms, understand notices, or take part in the services those documents support.
Title II of the ADA already requires state and local governments to make their digital content accessible — that obligation doesn't start on the deadline, it's already in effect. The deadline simply marks the point when WCAG 2.1 AA becomes the specific, measurable standard used to judge whether that obligation is being met.
In practice, entities that fall behind tend to run into the same few things: complaints or inquiries from the DOJ, occasional lawsuits from residents, and — most commonly — needing to remediate everything anyway, just later, under more time pressure, and sometimes as part of a formal agreement with its own reporting requirements attached.
None of that is meant to alarm you. It's simply why we recommend starting the review now rather than waiting — addressing this on your own timeline is almost always more manageable than addressing it on someone else's.
Complete the form below and we'll review your website, identify public-facing PDFs that may need remediation, and provide a quote for next steps.
","text":"The deadline is coming The DOJ's ADA Title II rule requires state and local government websites and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That includes public-facing digital content, which may include PDFs used to share forms, reports, notices, policies, applications, meeting materials, and other public information. [Feature Image: deadline table/timeline graphic] Caption suggestion: Compliance deadlines by population size April 26, 2027 — State and local government entities with a population of 50,000 or more April 26, 2028 — State and local government entities with a population under 50,000 April 26, 2028 — Special district governments This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Waiting can create more work later If public-facing PDFs aren't reviewed and remediated before the applicable deadline, the issue tends to compound rather than go away. Inaccessible documents can make it harder for people with disabilities to access public information, complete forms, understand notices, or take part in the services those documents support. Title II of the ADA already requires state and local governments to make their digital content accessible — that obligation doesn't start on the deadline, it's already in effect. The deadline simply marks the point when WCAG 2.1 AA becomes the specific, measurable standard used to judge whether that obligation is being met. In practice, entities that fall behind tend to run into the same few things: complaints or inquiries from the DOJ, occasional lawsuits from residents, and — most commonly — needing to remediate everything anyway, just later, under more time pressure, and sometimes as part of a formal agreement with its own reporting requirements attached. None of that is meant to alarm you. It's simply why we recommend starting the review now rather than waiting — addressing this on your own timeline is almost always more manageable than addressing it on someone else's. Let's find out what you're working with Complete the form below and we'll review your website, identify public-facing PDFs that may need remediation, and provide a quote for next steps."},"body_callout_text":{"html":"These dates come directly from the Department of Justice's fact sheet on the ADA Title II web and mobile app accessibility rule, published alongside the final rule in 2024.
","raw":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"These dates come directly from the Department of Justice's fact sheet on the ADA Title II web and mobile app accessibility rule, published alongside the final rule in 2024.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"}],"text":"These dates come directly from the Department of Justice's fact sheet on the ADA Title II web and mobile app accessibility rule, published alongside the final rule in 2024."},"body_callout_link":{"url":"https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/","type":null,"uid":null},"body_callout_link_text":"Read the DOJ's ADA Title II Fact Sheet Link","body_callout_label":{"html":"