AX/4E titleiichecklist.com
The free ADA Title II web accessibility checklist

FREE TITLE II READINESS QUIZ · PDFs & DOCUMENTS

Could this happen with your posted documents?

A resident can't read the application, public notice, or report you posted because it's an untagged or scanned PDF. Documents are where most Title II programs have the largest backlog. The web rule covers any PDF people currently use to access a 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 documents

The document exception is narrow: a PDF posted before your deadline loses its exception the moment it is used for a current service. 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. Do you know which posted PDFs people currently use to access services?

What if: Nobody has a list, so you can't tell which of thousands of posted PDFs are current-use and which are truly archived.

Why it matters: The document exception only helps if you can show which files are current-use; without an inventory, you can't prioritize or defend your choices.

2. Are your scanned documents real text, or just images of pages?

What if: A resident opens a key form and their screen reader finds nothing, because the PDF is a photo of a page with no real text.

Why it matters: Image-only PDFs are completely invisible to assistive technology, and they are the single most common document barrier in government.

3. Do your most-used PDFs have proper headings, reading order, and tagged tables?

What if: A budget table reads as a jumble of numbers because the PDF has no tags, so the data is meaningless to a screen reader.

Why it matters: Tags, reading order, and table structure are what make a document conform to WCAG 2.1 AA, not just having selectable text.

4. Have you fixed the source templates so new documents are born accessible?

What if: You remediate the backlog, but next month a hundred new inaccessible PDFs are posted from the same broken templates.

Why it matters: Fixing templates and training authors stops the backlog from refilling, which is the only way document compliance stays done.

5. Could a key document be published as an accessible web page instead of a PDF?

What if: You spend weeks remediating a PDF that would have been faster, cheaper, and more accessible as a simple web page.

Why it matters: Accessible HTML is usually easier to get right than a tagged PDF and works better on phones, so it is the better default for most content.

What counts as a covered document?

Applications and forms, public notices and agendas, budgets and reports, permits and licenses, flyers and newsletters, maps and schedules: any PDF, Word, or other document people currently use to apply for, access, or participate in a service.

The document-specific traps

Scanned image-only PDFs; "selectable text" that has no tags or reading order; complex tables and forms with no structure; relying on OCR alone; and broken source templates that keep generating new inaccessible files.

What's the easy next step?

You don't need to fix every document 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 runs the website and documents.

Get your Title II checklist Start with a simple readiness review

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Questions people ask

Does the document exception mean our old PDFs are safe?

Only narrowly. Conventional electronic documents posted before the compliance date can be excepted, but a document loses the exception the moment it is currently used to apply for, access, or participate in a service. Current-use documents must conform.

Is running OCR enough to make a scanned PDF accessible?

No. OCR adds a text layer but does not create headings, reading order, alt text, or tagged tables. A document needs proper structure, and often it is faster to publish accessible HTML instead.

What standard do documents have to meet?

The same WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard as the rest of your web content. For PDFs that means tagged structure, correct reading order, alt text, and accessible tables and forms.

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