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Accessibility laws

The laws that make WCAG binding.

WCAG is a standard, not a statute, so nobody is sued for failing it on its own. The consequences come from the 38 laws below. Some name WCAG outright, some point at a European standard that contains it, and a few name no technical standard at all and leave a court to decide what an accessible website means. Each guide says who the law covers, which version of WCAG it lands on, and what failing it has cost people so far. Facts current as of August 2026.

EN 301 549, the standard several of these laws actually name

Several of the laws below point at this European standard rather than at WCAG directly. Its chapter 9 is WCAG 2.1 AA, so a website that meets WCAG has met that chapter. The other eight cover hardware, biometrics, real-time text, documentation and emergency services, and WCAG says nothing about any of them. So a supplier answering a European tender with a WCAG conformance claim has answered one chapter out of nine.

United States

Accessibility laws in United States: region, WCAG version cited, exposure, and status or deadline.
LawRegionWCAG citedExposureStatus / deadline
ADAUnited StatesWCAG 2.1 AA (Title II rule, de facto standard in Title III cases)Federal lawsuits, DOJ enforcement, settlement costsTitle II: Apr 26, 2027 / Apr 26, 2028
Section 508United States (federal)WCAG 2.0 AA (incorporated by the 2017 refresh)Lost federal contracts, complaints, civil actionsCompliance required since Jan 18, 2018
ACAAUnited States (aviation)WCAG 2.0 AA, named in 14 CFR 382.43DOT complaints, investigation, orders to fixDec 12, 2015 and Dec 12, 2016, both passed
Section 255United States (telecoms)WCAG 2.0 A and AA, through the Revised 255 GuidelinesFCC complaints only, with no private lawsuitNo date. Your next product release
Unruh ActCalifornia, USWCAG 2.1 AA (what courts and settlements expect)$4,000 minimum statutory damages per violation + feesIn force (piggybacks the ADA)
HHS Section 504United States (healthcare)WCAG 2.1 AA (2024 final rule)OCR enforcement, loss of federal funding, civil actionsMay 11, 2027 / May 10, 2028
New York HRLNew York, USWCAG 2.1 AA (what complaints and settlements cite)Damages + civil penalties to $125k ($250k willful, NYC)In force (its own cause of action)
Colorado HB21-1110Colorado, USWCAG 2.1 AA (written into state standards)$3,500 statutory damages per violation, per personEnforced since Jul 1, 2025

International

Accessibility laws in International: region, WCAG version cited, exposure, and status or deadline.
LawRegionWCAG citedExposureStatus / deadline
EAAEuropean UnionAnnex I, EN 301 549 (includes WCAG 2.1 AA)National fines, orders to fix, market restrictionsApplies since Jun 28, 2025
Web Accessibility DirectiveEuropean UnionEN 301 549 V3.2.1, which carries WCAG 2.1 AANational enforcement body, annual monitoring, published resultsFully in force since Jun 23, 2021
Manitoba AMAManitoba, CanadaWCAG 2.1 AA (Accessible Information and Communication Standard)Administrative penalties under the Act, enforced by the Manitoba Accessibility OfficePrivate sector since May 1, 2025
Argentina Ley 26.653ArgentinaWCAG 2.0, referenced by the lawAdministrative enforcement against covered public bodiesIn force since 2010
China PPD LawChinaNo WCAG version named in the law itselfAdministrative enforcement, with a voluntary web standard alongsideAmended 2008
Colombia guidelinesColombiaWCAG 2.1Public sector obligation, enforced administrativelyIn force since 2020
Hong Kong guidelinesHong KongWCAG 2.0Government policy, with the Disability Discrimination Ordinance underneathIn force since 1999
Taiwan 110.07TaiwanWCAG 2.1 derivativeGovernment policy, applied through procurement and auditIn force since 2021
Saudi SWASaudi ArabiaWCAG 2.1 AAPublic and private sector obligationDisability Rights Law since 2000, SWA alongside it
Qatar Law No. 2QatarWCAG 2.1 AAMandatory for government, voluntary for private businessIn force since 2004
UAE requirementsUnited Arab EmiratesWCAG 2.1 AAGovernment mandatory. The private-sector position is disputed between sourcesDubai policy from 2020
AODAOntario, CanadaWCAG 2.0 AA (excl. 1.2.4 & 1.2.5)Fines up to CA$100,000 per day (corporations)In force since Jan 1, 2021 (web)
UK Equality ActUnited KingdomWCAG A and AA, named in PSBAR regulation 9 as amended from time to timeDiscrimination claims, monitored fixes for public bodiesIn force (public sector phase-in 2019 to 2021)
Accessible Canada ActCanada (federal)CAN/ASC-EN 301 549 → WCAG 2.1 AAPenalties up to CA$250,000 per violationDec 5, 2027 / Dec 5, 2028
Norway (Universal Design)NorwayWCAG 2.0 AA private / 2.1 AA publicCoercive daily fines from the uutilsynet regulatorIn force since 2014 (all sites since 2021)
Israel IS 5568IsraelWCAG 2.0 AA (via IS 5568)Statutory damages to ₪50,000, no proof of harm neededIn force since Oct 2017
Australia DDAAustraliaWCAG 2.2 AA (AHRC 2025 guidance)AHRC complaints → Federal Court, damages and ordersIn force since 1992
Germany BFSGGermanyEN 301 549 → WCAG 2.1 AAFines up to €100,000, service prohibitionIn force since Jun 28, 2025
France RGAAFranceRGAA (WCAG-based) / EN 301 549€50,000 public non-conformity, daily penalties on the private sideRGAA in force, EAA since Jun 2025
Italy Stanca ActItalyWCAG 2.1 AA (AgID guidelines)AgID sanctions up to 5% of turnover (private)In force, private ≥€500M since 2022
Japan JIS X 8341-3JapanJIS X 8341-3:2016 = WCAG 2.0 AAMandatory accommodation duty, ministry guidancePrivate duty since Apr 1, 2024
Spain RD 1112/2018SpainUNE-EN 301549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AAPublic-sector monitoring, complaints, and EAA duties on businessPublic sector in force, EAA applies since Jun 28, 2025
NetherlandsNetherlandsEN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AAMandatory published status, supervision, and EAA dutiesPublic sector in force, EAA applies since Jun 28, 2025
IrelandIrelandEN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AAPublic sector duties, Ombudsman complaints, EAA penaltiesPublic sector in force, EAA applies since Jun 28, 2025
Brazil LBIBrazileMAG, aligned with WCAG, plus ABNT NBR 17225 for web contentPublic civil actions, consumer protection, finesIn force since 2016
India RPwDIndiaGIGW 3.0, which references WCAG 2.1Statutory duty, Chief Commissioner complaints, court ordersIn force, government sites held to GIGW
New ZealandNew ZealandWCAG 2.2 Level AAMandatory for government agencies, Human Rights Act for othersIn force for public service agencies
South KoreaSouth KoreaKWCAG 2.2, a national standard aligned with WCAGDiscrimination claims, damages, and mandatory certification pressureIn force, phased since 2009
Switzerland BehiGSwitzerlandeCH-0059, which references WCAG 2.1 AAFederal duty, cantonal variation, and EAA reach for exportersIn force, federal sites held to eCH-0059
DenmarkDenmarkEN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AAPublic sector monitoring, Digitaliseringsstyrelsen oversight, EAA dutiesPublic sector in force, EAA applies since Jun 28, 2025

The law guides

The part vendors skip

No law issues a compliance certificate, and no badge or overlay widget buys you protection. The tracker that follows these cases counted more than a thousand US businesses sued over their websites in 2025 with a widget already running on the page. That is over a hundred a month, month after month, and every one of them had paid for something sold to them as cover. What a complaint points at is the barrier, and the only answer to a complaint is evidence. What was tested, what failed, what was fixed, and proof of each. That is what our audits produce.

Know where you stand before someone else tells you.

Every law above measures against WCAG, and WCAG measures one page at a time. The standard has no such thing as a conforming website, only conforming pages, which is why an honest audit names the pages it covered. Ours covers up to 10, with an expert review of all 55 Level A and AA rules and a real blind screen-reader user on your key journeys. $499, 5 business days.

Order your audit

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These guides are orientation, not legal advice, and reading them creates no attorney-client relationship. For decisions about your specific situation, talk to your own lawyer.

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