FREE TITLE II READINESS QUIZ · ONLINE FORMS

Could this happen with your online forms?

A resident can't apply for a permit, pay a bill, or submit a request because the form has unlabeled fields, a keyboard trap, or an inaccessible CAPTCHA. Forms are where the transaction actually happens, so a barrier here blocks the whole service. Five scenarios show where you stand.

April 26, 2027Large public entities (population 50,000 or more)
April 26, 2028Small entities and special district governments
WCAG 2.1 AAThe required standard for web content and mobile apps

A form you publish for residents is your responsibility even if a form-builder or vendor generates it. Your deadline follows your entity type and population.

Could this happen to us? Take the quiz Get the full checklist

QCould this happen to us? The 5-scenario quiz

Two minutes, no email required. Each scenario is real and each has an easy next step. "Not sure" counts as no, because if you're not sure, nobody owns it yet.

1. Does every form field have a real, programmatic label?

What if: A resident using a screen reader reaches a field that just says "edit text" and has no idea what to enter.

Why it matters: Programmatic labels are the most basic requirement for an accessible form; placeholder text alone disappears and is not a label.

2. Can someone complete each form using only a keyboard?

What if: A resident tabs into a date picker or custom dropdown and can't get out, so the application is impossible to submit.

Why it matters: Keyboard operability is a baseline of WCAG 2.1 AA, and custom form widgets are the most common place it fails.

3. Are errors announced clearly and tied to the field that needs fixing?

What if: A resident submits the form, something is wrong, but their screen reader never announces the error or which field caused it.

Why it matters: Accessible error handling is required by WCAG 2.1 AA and is often what decides whether someone can finish a form at all.

4. Do time limits, CAPTCHAs, and file uploads have accessible alternatives?

What if: A resident is timed out mid-application or blocked by an image-only CAPTCHA they can't solve.

Why it matters: Time limits and visual CAPTCHAs are frequent, total barriers; WCAG 2.1 AA requires accessible alternatives for each.

5. Do your form-builder and vendor platforms produce accessible output?

What if: Your form-builder looks fine in the editor but renders inaccessible markup to the resident filling it out.

Why it matters: The tool's marketing claims don't matter; only the rendered form does, and it is content under your control to verify.

What counts as a covered form?

Permit and license applications, bill-pay and payment flows, records and public-information requests, report-a-problem and complaint forms, registration and booking, job applications, and feedback and contact forms: anything a resident fills out to access a service.

The form-specific traps

Placeholder text used in place of labels; custom date pickers and dropdowns that trap the keyboard; errors shown only by color or never announced; image-only CAPTCHAs; tight time limits; and form-builders that render inaccessible markup.

What's the easy next step?

You don't need to fix every form this month. You need a list, an owner, and a start. The free checklist gives you all three: 5 plain-language items for whoever runs the office, 10 technical items for whoever builds the forms.

Get your Title II checklist Start with a simple readiness review

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Questions people ask

Why are forms singled out under the Title II web rule?

Forms are where residents actually apply for, pay for, and request services, so a barrier in a form blocks the transaction entirely. They are also among the most common places WCAG 2.1 AA failures occur.

Our forms come from a form-builder or third-party platform. Are we responsible?

Yes. A form you publish for residents is content under your control, regardless of the tool that generates it. Test the rendered output and require WCAG 2.1 AA from the vendor at renewal.

Is a downloadable PDF form good enough if we also take it by mail?

Not on its own. If you offer the form online it must be accessible, and an inaccessible PDF plus a mail option is not equal access. Provide an accessible online form or an accessible document.

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