AODA website requirements for Ontario online stores (WCAG 2.0 AA)

Updated 2026-10-18

Ontario's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is one of the few laws that writes a web standard directly into regulation. If your store has staff in Ontario, here's what applies to you.

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.

Who must make their website accessible?

The website rule is in section 14 of the Integrated Accessibility Standards regulation (O. Reg. 191/11). It applies to:

Designated public sector organizations (regardless of size), and
Large organizations: businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees in Ontario.

For those organizations, public websites and web content published after January 1, 2012 must conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA, except success criteria 1.2.4 (live captions) and 1.2.5 (pre-recorded audio description). The deadline for full Level AA was January 1, 2021, so the requirement applies now.

Employee counts are based on employees in Ontario (full-time, part-time, seasonal and contract), not volunteers or staff elsewhere. Businesses with fewer than 50 Ontario employees don't have the section 14 website obligation, though accessible websites are still good practice and other AODA customer-service duties apply.

The compliance report (20+ employees)

Separately, businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees in Ontario must file an accessibility compliance report every three years. The current deadline is December 31, 2026. It's filed through Ontario's Accessibility Compliance Reporting portal and certified by someone with authority to bind the organization. Businesses with 1 to 19 employees don't file a report but must still follow the AODA rules that apply to them.

What WCAG 2.0 AA means for a store

Area	What to check
Images	Product and banner images have meaningful alt text; decorative images have empty alt.
Contrast	Text at least 4.5:1 against its background (3:1 for large text). Watch sale badges and grey prices.
Forms	Search, newsletter, quantity, variant and checkout fields have labels; errors are described in text.
Keyboard	Menus, variant pickers, cart drawers and pop-ups work with the keyboard, with a visible focus outline.
Structure	Page titles, headings in order, page language set, skip link.
Media	Pre-recorded video with speech has captions.

Checklist

Count your Ontario employees (highest count in the past 12 months).
If 50+: scan your store against WCAG 2.0 AA (newer WCAG 2.1/2.2 checks are a superset and also fine to fix).
Fix critical and serious issues; test with a keyboard.
If 20+: file your compliance report by December 31, 2026.
Offer accessible formats and a feedback method for customers.

Check your store in 2 minutes

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FAQ

Does the AODA website rule apply to my business?

It applies to designated public sector organizations and to businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees in Ontario.

What standard does the AODA require for websites?

WCAG 2.0 Level AA, excluding 1.2.4 live captions and 1.2.5 pre-recorded audio description. The deadline was January 1, 2021.

When is the next AODA compliance report due?

For businesses and non-profits with 20 or more Ontario employees, December 31, 2026 (every three years).

Do small Ontario businesses need to file?

Businesses with 1 to 19 employees do not file a compliance report but must still follow the AODA rules that apply to them.