If you’re trying to meet ADA website compliance 2026, this checklist gives you every requirement you must follow to reduce legal risk and meet modern accessibility standards. ADA lawsuits continue to rise, and WCAG 2.2 is now the standard referenced in legal cases, which is why understanding both frameworks is essential. For a deeper comparison between these two standards, see our guide on ADA vs WCAG 2.2 (2026 Update).

This checklist is updated for 2026 and aligned with all accessibility updates business owners must now meet.

What ADA Website Compliance Means in 2026

ADA compliance means your website must be usable by individuals with disabilities — visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive. In 2026, compliance is validated through WCAG 2.2, which is the standard auditors and attorneys use to measure whether a website provides equal access.

ADA Compliance Checklist 2026

If you need the full breakdown of the WCAG updates for 2026, review our full WCAG 2.2 Accessibility Checklist 2026.

ADA Compliance Checklist 2026 (Practical Version)

Below is the simplified ADA checklist your business must pass in 2026.

1. Text & Media Accessibility

• All images have descriptive alt text
• Videos include captions
• Audio includes transcripts
• No auto-playing media that cannot be paused or stopped
• Text meets minimum contrast thresholds
• Users can resize text without layout breakage

2. Navigation & Site Structure

• Full keyboard navigation
• Consistent navigation menus
• Skip-to-content available
• Logical heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Visible, unobstructed focus indicators

3. Forms & Input Fields

• Every input field has a programmatic label
• Error messages are descriptive
• Required fields clearly identified
• NO memory-based challenges (WCAG 2.2 requirement)
• No CAPTCHA that blocks accessibility

4. Buttons & Interactive Elements

• Buttons/links meet the 24×24 px minimum size rule (new WCAG 2.2 requirement)
• No drag-only UI
• Clear hover and focus states
• ARIA attributes correctly used

5. Content Structure & Readability

• Clear, consistent headings
• Adequate spacing
• Bulleted lists for scanning
• No flashing content
• Layouts compatible with assistive tech

6. PDFs & Downloadables

• Tagged PDF structure
• Searchable text
• Logical reading order

7. Mobile Accessibility

• Fully responsive
• No blocked UI elements
• Touch targets meet WCAG sizing
• Orientation not locked

8. Technical Requirements

• Proper semantic HTML
• Correct ARIA usage
• No keyboard traps
• No inaccessible popups
• Pages load without timeouts or broken scripts

ADA Risk Checklist (What Lawyers Look For)

These issues cause 92% of ADA lawsuits:

• Missing alt text
• Poor contrast
• Broken keyboard navigation
• Unlabeled form fields
• Inaccessible popups
• Small tap targets
• Missing captions or transcripts
• Sliders that cannot be operated
• Auto-playing media
• Errors in mobile accessibility

If you want to understand the cost of fixing these issues, see our detailed guide on ADA Compliance Costs 2026.

Accessibility Testing Tools for 2026

You should verify your ADA checklist using both automated and manual testing tools. For a full testing process, we created a dedicated guide:
👉 Website Accessibility Testing Guide 2026

Tools include:

• WAVE
• Axe DevTools
• Lighthouse
• NVDA
• Mobile tap-target test
• Contrast checkers

When You Need Professional ADA Remediation

You should consider upgrading to a managed ADA remediation plan if your site:

• Generates leads or revenue
• Has eCommerce features
• Uses 20+ plugins
• Has ever been hacked
• Contains forms, bookings, or gated content
• Uses custom code
• Has PDFs or downloadable content

For design standards, review:
👉 ADA-Compliant Website Design Principles 2026

For legal context, see:
👉 ADA Lawsuits Explained (2026)

Conclusion + CTA

Meeting ADA website compliance in 2026 is no longer optional — it protects you from lawsuits, improves user experience, and strengthens SEO performance.

If you need a complete ADA audit, remediation plan, or WCAG 2.2 upgrade, book your free assessment today:

📞 949-444-2001
📧 Team@theclaymedia.com
👉 https://theclaymedia.com/contact/
📍 Orange County, CA