Got an ADA website demand letter? What to do first

The short version

• Read it, note any deadline, and don’t ignore it.
• Call a lawyer before you reply, pay, or sign anything.
• Save dated copies or screenshots of the pages it names, as they are today.
• Get an honest test of those pages by a person, plus a written fix plan.
• Don’t treat an overlay widget as your answer. This isn’t legal advice.

This page isn’t legal advice, and it can’t be. Every letter, state and business is different. We’re a web studio, not a law firm. What follows is the practical side: what to gather and what to avoid while your lawyer handles the legal side.

What should I do in the first week?

1. Read the whole letter. Note who sent it, what pages or problems it names, what it asks for, and any deadline.
2. Don’t ignore it, and don’t reply, pay or sign anything yet.
3. Call a lawyer. Ideally one who has handled ADA website claims before. Your business insurance agent may also want to know. Ask whether your policy covers it.
4. Save the evidence. Take dated screenshots or saved copies of each page named, and of your home, contact and checkout or booking pages. Write down which theme, page builder and plugins the site uses. Your lawyer may need to show what the site looked like on a given date.
5. Don’t delete or hide pages without asking your lawyer first.
6. Collect your history. Any accessibility work, test reports, an accessibility statement, or emails with your web developer about accessibility.

Is there a real problem on the site?

Whatever the letter’s merits, find out the truth about your site. That helps your lawyer, and it helps your customers.

1. Test the pages named with a keyboard and a screen reader, not only a scanner. Our guide to testing with a keyboard and a screen reader shows how to do a first pass yourself.
2. Run a free automated checker as well. DOJ’s web guidance says automated tools must be used carefully, and that a clean report “does not necessarily mean everything is accessible.”
3. Check the barriers DOJ lists as common: poor contrast, color used alone, missing alt text, uncaptioned video, inaccessible forms, and controls that need a mouse.
4. Write down what you find, page by page, with the WCAG level each problem fails. Our guide to WCAG levels explains how to read them.
5. Get a written fix plan with an order and rough timing. Share it with your lawyer before you share it with anyone else.

What should I not do?

• Don’t buy an overlay widget as your answer. In January 2025 the FTC announced an order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million over claims its AI tool could make any website compliant. Our answer on whether overlays make a site compliant has more.
• Don’t rely on someone who promises “guaranteed compliance” or “lawsuit protection.” Nobody can honestly promise either.
• Don’t argue with the sender by email or on social media.
• Don’t publish a statement claiming full compliance you can’t back up.
• Don’t panic-rebuild. A rushed rebuild can bring new problems. Fix what’s broken in a planned order.

Can the government get involved?

The ADA can be enforced in more than one way. DOJ’s introduction to the ADA explains that members of the public can file a complaint with the Justice Department, and that the law lets courts award attorneys’ fees to the winning party in an ADA lawsuit. How any of that applies to your letter is a question for your lawyer.

If you’re a state or local government, or you run services for one, the Title II web rule also applies, with deadlines of April 26, 2027 and April 26, 2028. See the Title II web rule and its dates.

Why does this matter beyond the letter?

A demand letter means someone says they couldn’t use part of your site. Fixing the barriers helps every customer who uses a keyboard, a screen reader, zoom or captions. Most of the work, like labeled forms, readable contrast and working keyboard access, makes the site better for everyone.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• Fixing only the pages named. The same theme problem is usually on every page.
• Forgetting third-party tools, like booking, payment and chat widgets. They’re part of your pages.
• No way to report problems. A short accessibility statement with a phone number and email gives customers a route that isn’t a lawyer.
• Fixing once, then breaking it again with the next plugin update or new page.
• A second letter about the same site from a different sender. Tell your lawyer straight away.

What if I can’t afford to fix everything at once?

Start where barriers stop people from contacting or buying from you: the contact form, booking, checkout and phone number. Then fix sitewide issues like contrast and focus outlines, which often take one style change. Keep a dated log of what you fixed and when. Ask your lawyer how to present that progress.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

Legal costs are for your lawyer to explain. On the web side, a first test of the named pages takes a few hours. Fixes range from quick content edits to template work, depending on how the site was built. Every site is different, so we test before we estimate.

How does E-3 handle this?

One of the handful of accessibility requests in E-3’s support records since 2019 involved a lawsuit. We don’t give legal advice. We fix accessibility problems in the site itself rather than adding an overlay. If your lawyer needs a test and a fix plan for your site, send a message. That work falls under website care. We can’t promise legal compliance.

Related questions

• Does my small business website need to be ADA accessible?
• How do I test my site with a keyboard and a screen reader?
• How do I write an accessibility statement?
• Do accessibility widgets and overlays make my site compliant?
• Back to the complete website accessibility guide

Sources

1. Guidance on web accessibility and the ADA (U.S. Department of Justice, March 18, 2022)
2. Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ada.gov)
3. FTC order requires online marketer to pay $1 million for deceptive claims that its AI product could make websites compliant (FTC, January 2025)
4. Developing an accessibility statement (W3C WAI)