Which WCAG version is required by law?
It depends on the law. ADA Title II requires WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508 requires 2.0, and GOV.UK guidance for UK public sector bodies names 2.2 AA. Building to WCAG 2.2 Level AA meets every WCAG version the table names, because each later version keeps the earlier criteria, with one caveat about 4.1.1 Parsing.
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This page is general information, not legal advice. For the law that applies to your organization, read the source linked in each row and ask a lawyer. For the full picture by country, start at our web accessibility laws overview, or use the tool that shows which laws apply to you.
Every law and the WCAG version it names
Each row below comes from the law, rule or regulator page linked in the last column. Where the linked source is guidance, a bill page or a news item rather than the legal text itself, the Source column says so. Where a law names no WCAG version, the table says so rather than guessing.
| Law or rule | Jurisdiction | WCAG version and level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADA Title II web rule (28 CFR Part 35, subpart H) | United States, state and local governments | WCAG 2.1, Level AA | ADA.gov web rule fact sheet (DOJ guidance) |
| HHS Section 504 web rule (45 CFR Part 84) | United States, recipients of HHS funding such as hospitals | WCAG 2.1, Level AA | Federal Register, 11 May 2026 (91 FR 25496) |
| Section 508 (36 CFR Part 1194) | United States, federal agencies | WCAG 2.0, Levels A and AA | U.S. Access Board ICT standards |
| Air Carrier Access Act (14 CFR 382.43) | United States, carriers with aircraft over 60 seats | WCAG 2.0, Level AA | eCFR, 14 CFR 382.43 |
| ADA Title III (businesses open to the public) | United States, private businesses | No version named. No web regulation exists | DOJ web guidance, 18 March 2022 |
| New York State Technology Law 103-b (chapter 734 of 2023) | New York, state agency websites | "The most current version" of WCAG | NY Senate bill S3114A (bill page) |
| European Accessibility Act, through EN 301 549 v3.2.1 | European Union | WCAG 2.1, Level AA | AccessibleEU center, 7 September 2026 (European Commission news item, not the standard itself) |
| EN 301 549 v4.1.1 (published by ETSI on 2 September 2026) | European Union, expected to be cited late 2026 | Aligned to WCAG 2.2, and drops 4.1.1 Parsing | ETSI EN 301 549 v4.1.1 |
| Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/952) | United Kingdom, public sector bodies | WCAG 2.2, Level AA (named in GOV.UK guidance) | GOV.UK accessibility requirements (guidance, not the regulations) |
| Accessible Canada Regulations, Digital Technologies Phase 1 | Canada, public sector and private organizations with 100 or more employees | CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024 (read that standard for the WCAG edition it incorporates) | Government of Canada guidance (guidance) |
| Ontario AODA, O. Reg. 191/11 s. 14 | Ontario, Canada | WCAG 2.0, Level AA, excluding 1.2.4 and 1.2.5 | Ontario.ca website accessibility (guidance) |
| Government Web Accessibility Standard 1.2 | New Zealand, public service departments and others | WCAG 2.2, Level AA | digital.govt.nz standard 1.2 |
| Digital Inclusion Standard, criterion 4 | Australia, federal agencies | The "latest version of WCAG" | digital.gov.au criterion 4 |
| Japan: JIS X 8341-3:2016 (a standard, not a law) | Japan | Listed by W3C as a WCAG 2.0 derivative, with compliance voluntary. Separately, reasonable accommodation became mandatory for private businesses on 1 April 2024 | W3C policies page for Japan (JIS X 8341-3:2016) and Cabinet Office, Japan (2024 amendment) |
| Lei Brasileira de Inclusao (Law 13.146/2015), Article 63 | Brazil | No WCAG version named | Planalto, Law 13.146/2015 |
The table shows what each source says today. Laws are amended and EN 301 549 v4.1.1 is expected to be cited in the EU Official Journal in late 2026, so check the source before you rely on a row. Countries outside this table are listed on W3C's policies page, which W3C describes as not a comprehensive or definitive listing.
WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 compared
| Version | Date | Success criteria | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.0 | 11 December 2008 | 61 (25 at A, 13 at AA, 23 at AAA) | The base set |
| WCAG 2.1 | 5 June 2018 | 78 (30 at A, 20 at AA, 28 at AAA) | Adds 17 criteria, per W3C's What's New in WCAG 2.1 |
| WCAG 2.2 | 5 October 2023, updated 12 December 2024 | 86 (31 at A, 24 at AA, 31 at AAA) | Adds 9 criteria and removes 4.1.1 Parsing, per W3C's What's New in WCAG 2.2 |
W3C does not publish totals for 2.0 and 2.1 on its summary pages, so we counted the success criteria for those two versions and for 2.2 from each Recommendation linked in the table. The counts are consistent with the additions W3C lists: 61 plus 17 is 78, and 78 plus 9 minus 1 is 86.
The practical upgrade paths are short. Going from 2.1 AA to 2.2 AA means adding six criteria (2.4.11, 2.5.7, 2.5.8, 3.2.6, 3.3.7 and 3.3.8) and dropping 4.1.1, as what is new in WCAG 2.2 explains. Going from 2.0 AA to 2.2 AA means adding the 12 Level A and AA criteria that 2.1 introduced, plus those six, and dropping 4.1.1.
Why building to WCAG 2.2 AA meets the older versions
W3C publishes three versions you will see in law: WCAG 2.0 (11 December 2008), WCAG 2.1 (5 June 2018) and WCAG 2.2 (a W3C Recommendation of 5 October 2023, updated 12 December 2024). W3C states that content conforming to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, and that WCAG 2.2 can serve as an alternate means of conformance for policies that reference the earlier versions, per the WCAG 2.2 Recommendation. Later versions add success criteria and do not change existing ones, as W3C's WCAG FAQ puts it.
That is the practical reason to build to WCAG 2.2 AA: one target covers a law that names 2.0, a law that names 2.1 and a law that names 2.2. Our WCAG 2.2 checklist walks through the criteria, and the full list of WCAG 2.2 success criteria has all 86 of them.
The one caveat: 4.1.1 Parsing
WCAG 2.2 removed one criterion, 4.1.1 Parsing, because assistive technology no longer needs to parse HTML directly. WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 still list it. The WCAG 2.2 Recommendation says authors required by policy to meet 2.0 or 2.1 may need to continue to test and report 4.1.1. If a contract or an audit demands a 2.0 or 2.1 report, keep 4.1.1 in it. See what is new in WCAG 2.2 for the nine criteria 2.2 added and the one it removed.
Laws that name no version, or the newest one
- ADA Title III has no web regulation. DOJ guidance of 18 March 2022 says the ADA applies to the web offerings of public accommodations and calls WCAG "helpful guidance," and that guidance is non-binding, per ADA.gov. Because no regulation fixes a version, the practical target is the newest one you can meet, and WCAG 2.2 AA covers the earlier ones. Our ADA website guide covers the details, and what to do after a demand letter covers the practical side.
- The UK Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments and names no technical standard for private businesses, per section 29. The public sector rule is different: GOV.UK guidance names 2.2 AA for public sector bodies. See UK web accessibility law.
- "Most current" and "latest" wording in New York State law and the Australian Digital Inclusion Standard points at whichever version is current. W3C lists WCAG 2.2 as the current version, and its Working Group says it is not planning another version of WCAG 2. How a court or agency reads that wording is a question for a lawyer.
- Brazil's Article 63 requires accessible websites for companies headquartered or represented in Brazil and for government, with no WCAG version named.
WCAG 3.0 is a draft, and no law references it
WCAG 3.0 is a W3C Working Draft. The latest one we saw is dated 10 September 2026. W3C says WCAG 3 will not supersede WCAG 2 and that WCAG 2 will not be deprecated until several years after WCAG 3 is finished, per its WCAG 3 introduction. No law in the table references it, and W3C says its conformance model will be very different from WCAG 2. The sensible preparation is to meet WCAG 2.2 now.
What to do with this
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Find your row
Match your organization and location to a law in the table, or use the laws tool. Read the source, not a summary, including ours.
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Build to WCAG 2.2 AA
It covers the version in your row and the later versions you may meet next. Check color contrast, headings and link text with free tools, and fix alt text first, since WebAIM's February 2026 report found missing alt text on 53.1% of home pages.
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Test with people, not only scanners
Automated tools find part of WCAG and never confirm conformance. Our methodology page lists what we check and what no scanner can see, and why scanners miss issues explains the gap.
What we don't claim
No scan, audit or tool from GotAlt or anyone else makes a site meet a law. Conformance to a WCAG version is judged against the success criteria, usually with human testing, and legal questions belong with a lawyer. See our editorial policy for how we source and correct this page.
Questions about WCAG versions and the law
Which WCAG version does the ADA require?
It depends on the title. The ADA Title II web rule requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA for state and local governments, with compliance dates of 26 April 2027 and 26 April 2028 depending on size, per the DOJ fact sheet. Title III, which covers businesses open to the public, has no web regulation and names no version. See the ADA Title II deadline guide.
Is WCAG 2.2 required anywhere?
The UK public sector guidance on GOV.UK names WCAG 2.2 AA, and so does New Zealand's Government Web Accessibility Standard 1.2. EN 301 549 v4.1.1 is aligned to WCAG 2.2, but the EU still applies v3.2.1 (WCAG 2.1 AA) until the newer version is cited in the Official Journal, which is expected in late 2026. See EN 301 549 explained.
If I meet WCAG 2.2 AA, do I also meet 2.1 and 2.0?
W3C says content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to 2.0 and 2.1. The exception to watch is 4.1.1 Parsing, which 2.2 removed and which a policy referencing 2.0 or 2.1 may still expect you to test and report.
Should I wait for WCAG 3.0 before fixing my site?
No. WCAG 3.0 is a Working Draft, no law references it, and W3C says WCAG 3 will not supersede WCAG 2. Work to WCAG 2.2 now.
Which conformance level do laws ask for, A, AA or AAA?
Every row in the table that names a level asks for Level AA, and Section 508 names Levels A and AA, which is the same set of criteria as AA conformance. None of the rows requires Level AAA. Level AA at WCAG 2.2 has 55 success criteria at A and AA combined, counted from the WCAG 2.2 Recommendation.
Does a passing scan show which WCAG version my site meets?
No. A scan reports the failures a machine can detect, which is part of WCAG, not the whole standard. Conformance to any version needs human review as well, and we never describe a scan result as proof of conformance. Read what we check and what we cannot.
See what a scan finds on your site
Whatever version your law names, WCAG 2.2 AA is the target. Start with a free scan of your pages, or look at a real report before you decide.
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