ADA Title II · Web Accessibility Rule
The ADA now reaches your
registration page.
The Department of Justice's Title II rule requires state and local government web content — explicitly including software provided by vendors — to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Parks & recreation departments are squarely covered, and the clock is running.
Compliance deadlines
April 26, 2027
Jurisdictions with 50,000+ residents
Based on the 2020 Census population of your city/county — not your department size.
April 26, 2028
Jurisdictions under 50,000 residents
Most small-town and rural departments fall here.
April 26, 2028
Special district governments
Independent park districts get the later deadline regardless of population served.
Deadlines reflect the April 2026 DOJ Interim Final Rule, which extended the original dates by one year. A parks department's deadline follows its parent jurisdiction's total population — a 10-person department in a city of 80,000 has the 2027 deadline.
Vendor software is your responsibility
The rule covers web content and mobile apps a public entity provides itself or through a vendor or contractor. DOJ guidance is explicit that agencies cannot contract away the obligation — if your registration platform isn't conformant, that's your compliance gap, not just your vendor's.
DOJ's own first-steps guidance recommends reviewing vendor contracts and negotiating terms that include accessibility warranties and detailed product assessments.
Practically: when your department renews or procures recreation software between now and the deadline, WCAG 2.1 AA conformance belongs in the requirements list — next to PCI and data security.
Resident-facing surfaces the rule reaches
- Your program catalog and activity detail pages
- Online registration and checkout flows
- Facility & pavilion reservation booking
- Membership and punch-pass purchase pages
- PDFs residents need (schedules, permits, forms)
- Mobile apps offered to residents
A 10-minute self-assessment
Open your current registration site and check these eight things. They're not the whole WCAG 2.1 AA standard, but failing any of them is a sign your vendor has work to do.
Keyboard-only navigation
Every step of browse → register → pay works without a mouse.
Labels on every form field
Screen readers announce what each registration field asks for.
Sufficient color contrast
Text meets WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratios (4.5:1 for normal text).
Visible focus indicators
Residents can always see which element is selected.
Errors identified in text
Checkout problems are described in words, not just red outlines.
Images carry alt text
Program photos and icons are described or marked decorative.
Zoom & mobile reflow
Pages remain usable at 200% zoom and on small screens.
Accessible documents
Permits and schedules are readable by assistive technology, not flat scans.
How RootParks approaches accessibility
We target WCAG 2.1 AA across the resident-facing surfaces — catalog browsing, registration, checkout, and facility booking — and accessibility is part of release testing, including screen-reader passes. The platform is built on semantic HTML with labeled forms, keyboard-operable flows, and text-described errors rather than color-only signals.
We're honest about the standard: WCAG 2.1 AA is a bar you keep meeting, not a badge you buy once. We're preparing formal conformance documentation (VPAT / Accessibility Conformance Report) for procurement teams — ask us for the current version and we'll share where we stand, criterion by criterion, including what's still in progress.
If you're evaluating any vendor (including us), ask for that document. A vendor who can't produce one before April 2027 is asking you to carry their compliance risk.
Sources & disclaimer: DOJ ADA Title II web rule and the April 2026 Interim Final Rule extending compliance dates (ada.gov, "First Steps Toward Complying"). This page is an operator's summary, not legal advice — confirm your jurisdiction's obligations with your city or county attorney.
Replacing software before the deadline anyway?
If WCAG is forcing a re-evaluation, see what a modern catalog, registration, and rental platform looks like — and put our conformance documentation next to your incumbent's.