For cities and counties
Does ADA Title II cover your city or county chatbot?
Yes. Cities and counties are covered by the ADA Title II web rule, so a chatbot on your website must meet WCAG 2.1 AA by April 26, 2027 if you serve 50,000 or more people, or by April 26, 2028 if you serve fewer.
The self-serve scan runs automated checks on the page that hosts your chatbot, with no reviewer. Automated checks plus a named reviewer. Automated checks cannot find every issue.
Check the chatbot residents rely on
Residents use city and county chatbots for services that matter, and the people you serve include people with disabilities:
- 311 requests
- permits and inspections
- benefits and assistance
- court information
Which date applies to you
Cities and counties of 50,000 or more people: April 26, 2027. Under 50,000, and special district governments: April 26, 2028.
General information, not legal advice. Source: ADA.gov fact sheet on the web rule (opens in a new tab). More dates and videos on the deadline resources page.
Why a chatbot needs its own check
A page scanner checks the page. It does not open the chat window, ask a question, or judge whether the answer about a permit or a court date is right.
If the chat window cannot be used with a keyboard, or a screen reader does not announce the reply, some residents cannot ask at all.
How a reviewed check works
- 1
You tell us where your chatbot lives and who should get the report.
- 2
We run automated checks on the page that hosts your chatbot. A named reviewer tests inside the chat window by keyboard and screen reader, and checks answers against your official sources.
- 3
A person on your team approves each finding. You get a short, dated, private report you can keep on file.
What the reviewer tests by hand
Automated checks cover the page that hosts your chatbot. Inside the chat window, a named reviewer tests by hand:
- Keyboard only: opening the chat, typing, reading replies and closing it without a mouse
- Screen reader: whether new replies are announced and controls have names
- Timeouts: whether the chat warns before a session ends
- Other ways to ask: a text option when the chat offers voice input
- Answer accuracy: a set of questions checked against your official sources
What you get
- Accessibility issues on the page that hosts your chatbot, grouped by severity
- Findings from the reviewer's keyboard and screen reader pass inside the chat window
- Answer accuracy findings checked against your official sources
- Missing governance pieces: vendor VPAT, accessibility statement, policy, or a named owner
- Vendor-neutral fixes, and the reviewer's name and date on every finding
We do not change your chatbot, we do not need login access, and results stay private to your organization.
Where we are: we are in early conversations with colleges and have not yet run a check for a city or county. The self-serve scan is free today, and Aaron will talk through a reviewed check for you.
Talk through a reviewed check for your city or county.
Start with the free self-serve scan, then tell Aaron where your chatbot lives. He will tell you plainly what a reviewed check can and cannot show.
Common questions
General information, not legal advice.
Does ADA Title II apply to our chatbot?
If you are a state or local government entity, such as a public college, school district, city or county, very likely yes. The Title II web rule covers the web content and mobile apps you provide or make available, including through contracts with vendors. A chatbot on your website is part of that web content.
Source: ADA.gov fact sheet on the web rule (opens in a new tab)
Which deadline applies to my college, school district, or city?
It depends on population. Entities serving 50,000 or more people: April 26, 2027. Entities under 50,000 and special district governments: April 26, 2028. A city school district uses the city's population, a county school district uses the county's, and an independent school district uses its Census SAIPE estimate. Most public colleges: April 26, 2027; some community college districts organized as special districts: April 26, 2028. Check with your counsel.
Source: ADA.gov fact sheet and the April 2026 extension (opens in a new tab)
Is WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 required?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the technical standard in the Title II rule. WCAG 2.2 is a voluntary best practice unless a contract requires it. Meeting 2.2 is a good goal, but 2.1 AA is the legal baseline.
Source: ADA.gov fact sheet on the web rule (opens in a new tab)
Can our accessibility scanner test a chatbot?
Partly. An automated scanner checks the page that hosts the chatbot, and only what has loaded when it runs. Many chat windows open only after a click, and no tool can judge whether an answer is right. The W3C notes that tools cannot check everything and human judgment is required.
Source: W3C: Selecting web accessibility evaluation tools (opens in a new tab)
Is a vendor VPAT enough?
A VPAT is the vendor's own description of how its product conforms. It is useful input, but it is not a test of the chatbot as configured on your site. The rule covers content you provide through vendors too, so test the chatbot where your users meet it and keep a dated record.
Source: ADA.gov fact sheet on the web rule (opens in a new tab)
What does a human reviewer do?
In a reviewed check, a named reviewer uses the chat window by keyboard only and with a screen reader, and checks a set of answers against your official sources. Each finding is written up, and a person on your team approves it before it goes in the dated record. The self-serve scan is automated only, covers the hosting page only, and has no reviewer.
Source: How the review works