ADA website accessibility for online stores: a plain-English guide for small sellers

Updated 2026-10-18

If you sell online in the United States, you've probably seen headlines about website accessibility lawsuits. This guide explains what the ADA says about websites, what the numbers actually show, and the practical steps small stores take to reduce barriers for customers with disabilities.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and deadlines change; check the official sources linked below or ask a lawyer about your situation.

Does the ADA cover websites?

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination by "public accommodations", which includes businesses open to the public such as retailers. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has said that the ADA applies to the web content of businesses open to the public; its 2022 guidance, Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA, says businesses must make sure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities. Courts have reached different conclusions about purely online businesses, but stores of all sizes are regularly sued.

Is there an official technical standard for private businesses?

Not in a Title III regulation. The DOJ's 2024 rule adopting WCAG 2.1 Level AA applies to state and local governments (Title II), not private stores. (In April 2026 the DOJ extended that rule's compliance dates to April 2027 and April 2028.) In practice, WCAG 2.1 AA (or the newer WCAG 2.2 AA) is the benchmark plaintiffs, settlements and accessibility professionals use, so it's the sensible target for a store.

What the lawsuit numbers show

UsableNet counted 5,114 ADA digital accessibility lawsuits in 2025 (3,195 in federal court and 1,919 in New York and California state courts).
About 70% targeted e-commerce.
About 45% of federal filings were against companies that had already been sued before, so fixing issues after a first complaint matters.
64% of the companies sued had less than $25 million in annual revenue, so small and mid-size stores are not off the radar.

These are one research firm's counts; other trackers report different totals, but every source shows e-commerce as the most-targeted sector.

What gets cited most often

Complaints commonly describe barriers like product images without alt text, unlabeled buttons and form fields, low-contrast text, pop-ups that can't be closed by keyboard, and checkout steps a screen reader can't complete. Most of these are detectable and quick to fix.

First steps for a small store

Scan your key pages (home, a collection, a product, cart) with an automated tool to find common WCAG failures.
Fix the critical and serious issues first: missing names on buttons/links, missing form labels, missing alt text, contrast.
Test by keyboard: Tab through the menu, variant picker, Add to cart and checkout.
Review apps: chat widgets, pop-ups, reviews and sliders frequently add barriers; update or replace problem apps.
Publish an accessibility statement with an email address customers can use to report problems, and respond to reports.
Re-test regularly: new products, apps and theme updates introduce new issues.

A word on overlays and "instant compliance"

Widgets that promise to make a site compliant automatically are controversial among accessibility professionals and have not stopped lawsuits. In April 2025 the FTC finalized an order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million and barring it from claiming its automated tool can make any website WCAG-compliant. Fixing the underlying theme and content is the reliable route.

Check your store in 2 minutes

Run our free in-browser check on any page of your store, or get the full $39 report: every automated issue on 5 key pages, with step-by-step fixes for Shopify and WooCommerce.

Free check See the full report

FAQ

Does the ADA apply to online stores?

The DOJ says the ADA applies to the web content of businesses open to the public. Courts differ on online-only businesses, but online stores are frequently sued.

What standard should my store meet?

There is no Title III technical regulation for private businesses; WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA is the widely used benchmark.

How many website accessibility lawsuits were filed in 2025?

UsableNet counted 5,114 ADA digital accessibility lawsuits in 2025, about 70% against e-commerce.

Will an accessibility overlay protect my store?

No tool can guarantee that. The FTC fined accessiBe $1 million in 2025 over claims its widget made sites compliant. Fix the underlying issues instead.