Yes, the ADA covers your website.
428 of 546 local sites we scanned had a barrier the Justice Department lists.
What the law says
Your website counts
In March 2022 the US Justice Department said the ADA’s rules for businesses open to the public apply to everything they offer, including what they offer online.
There is no checklist in the law
The Department has no rule with detailed technical standards for business websites. It points to existing standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), as helpful guidance.
Lawsuits are common
Plaintiffs filed 3,117 website accessibility lawsuits in federal court in 2025, up 27% from 2,452 in 2024. Most were in New York (1,021), Florida (961) and Illinois (585). State court cases are not in that count.
Sources: Justice Department guidance, March 18, 2022; Seyfarth Shaw lawsuit count, March 25, 2026.
The barriers it names, on 546 local sites
The Justice Department’s guidance gives these as common examples. Here is how often we found each one on restaurant, dental, law, shop and other small-business sites.
371 of 546 Poor color contrast
Light grey text on white, or white text on a pale photo.
96 of 546 Missing descriptions on images
Photos and logos with no text a screen reader can read out.
39 of 546 Parts you can’t reach with a keyboard
Menus, panels or links that only work with a mouse.
49 of 546 Color alone shows meaning
Links in a paragraph that differ from the text only by color.
37 of 546 Forms that can’t be filled in
Contact and booking fields with no label a screen reader can read.
Videos without captions
Our scan doesn’t check this. If your videos have speech, add captions.
Scanned in October 2026 in a real browser. Every site in the sample had at least one problem (that is how they were picked), so these numbers describe sites with problems, not the whole web.
What to do first
Run the free scan
30 seconds, no signup. It lists the problems on your home page in plain English, worst first.
Fix the top few in your website builder
Most fixes are a setting or a text box: a description on a photo, a name on an icon link, a darker text color.
Say what you’re doing
An honest accessibility statement tells visitors how to reach you if something doesn’t work. Don’t claim full compliance you haven’t checked.
Want to look yourself? The 15-minute checklist. Where to click: WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Webflow. Faint text? Check your colors. Need a statement? Write one free. Thinking of a widget? Read this first. Got a demand letter? What it means.
Or let us fix it
A person fixes the 10 most important issues in your site itself, then re-scans to show the change.
We fix your top 10
$149one-time
Easiest first step
Done for you. We fix the 10 most important issues from your scan, then re-scan to show the change.
- Fixes made by a person, not a widget
- Works with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify & more
- Before-and-after report
- Anything we can’t change on your platform comes with step-by-step instructions
Check your site first
Not legal advice. Automated scans catch a portion of accessibility issues and are not a legal compliance certification. For a legal question, ask a lawyer.
Run my free scan