Are townships covered?
The Department of Justice's Title II web rule (28 CFR Part 35, Subpart H) requires state and local government web content and mobile apps to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. An interim final rule effective April 20, 2026 extended the compliance dates by one year.
Title II of the ADA covers all state and local governments, including towns, townships, and other political subdivisions. The deadline depends on population. A township with 50,000 or more people must comply by April 26, 2027. A township with a smaller population has until April 26, 2028. Most townships are smaller. Check with your township attorney or association.
What township sites do
Township sites are usually modest, but they carry important public information: meeting notices and minutes, zoning and planning documents, road and snow plowing information, fire and EMS contacts, tax and assessment details, cemetery records, and public notices required by state law. Many also take payments, for example for permits, rentals, or tax bills, through a vendor.
Typical problems on township websites
- Meeting minutes and zoning maps posted as photos or scans of paper
- A website built years ago on a template that does not adapt to phones
- Calendar widgets that cannot be used with a keyboard
- Public notice pages with no headings, just a list of links
- Contact pages that only display an email address as an image to avoid spam
- Embedded maps with no text description of the location or service area
Most of these have inexpensive fixes. Publishing text, using real headings, and providing a plain phone number and email solve a lot.
Where to start
Run the free scan on your home page. Then ask who edits the site and how documents are created. A short checklist and a template for minutes can prevent the biggest problems before you fix anything. If your site is old enough that it cannot be repaired, our municipal website development is built for township budgets and staff. For deadlines compared across government types, read our guides for municipalities and special districts.
General information, not legal advice. Automated testing cannot establish full ADA compliance or guarantee protection from lawsuits. It finds some kinds of barriers quickly. A person still has to test the rest. Ask a qualified attorney how the law applies to you.
Frequently asked questions
Do townships with a few hundred residents have to comply?
The rule applies to local governments of every size. Smaller populations get a later date, April 26, 2028 for those under 50,000.
Our township uses a free template website. Is that covered?
Content you publish is still your responsibility. Many free templates are not built to WCAG, so test yours.
Do we have to caption video of township meetings?
The rule has requirements for captions on synchronized media with terms and exceptions. Ask your attorney how it applies to recorded meetings.
Who can help us understand our exact deadline?
Your township attorney, state township association, or state municipal league can advise. This site gives general information only.