Is Arvada's Website Ready for the ADA Title II Deadline?

Compliance deadlineApril 26, 2027about 7 months away
Population (2024 est.)121,873≥ 50,000 — first-wave tier
ClassificationMunicipal government (general purpose)Colorado
Required standardWCAG 2.1 Level AADOJ-adopted standard

Did you know the deadline already changed?

Here's something many local officials missed: the original compliance deadline has already moved once. On April 20, 2026, the Department of Justice issued an Interim Final Rule pushing each deadline back a full year — which means Arvada's date is now April 26, 2027. A one-time extension is a grace period, not a reprieve. There is no indication another one is coming.

Arvada's latest accessibility scan

Overall compliance risk: Moderate — page-level accessibility failures across the site

73/ 100
Page score

www.arvadaco.gov · 120 pages scanned · July 16, 2026

📖 Reading level: grade 10.2 average — above the grade-8 plain-language target for government content.

📄 PDFs found: 0, failing basic accessibility checks: 0

Top issues, in plain English

  • critical Composite controls are missing required child elements for assistive tech (WCAG 1.3.1 · 101 pages)
  • critical Accessibility attributes point at elements that don't exist (WCAG 4.1.2 · 24 pages)
  • critical ARIA attributes must conform to valid names (WCAG 4.1.2 · 13 pages)
  • critical Delayed refresh under 20 hours must not be used (WCAG 2.2.1 · 2 pages)
  • critical Buttons have no accessible name — assistive tech users can't tell what they do (WCAG 4.1.2 · 1 page)
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What WCAG 2.1 Level AA means for city government websites

Because Arvada serves 121,873 residents — above the DOJ's 50,000-person threshold — it falls in the first enforcement wave, with the earlier of the two federal deadlines.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the technical standard the DOJ adopted for ADA Title II. In plain terms, it's a checklist that makes sure residents who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, or captions can actually use your website: text on every image, labels on every form field, enough color contrast to read, and video captions.

For first-wave entities, the practical risk isn't only DOJ action — it's private lawsuits and demand letters that cite the federal standard the moment the deadline passes.

Arvada is a major population center, and its website is the front door for business licensing, utility sign-up, and code enforcement requests. Under ADA Title II, that front door has to work for every resident.

Don't find out about problems from a demand letter

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