Guide

ADA compliance in California: what it means for your website

The federal ADA lets a person sue a business over an accessibility barrier, but it pays them no damages. California law does. Under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, every ADA violation is also a state law violation, and each offense carries at least $4,000 in damages plus attorney fees. That is why California has long been one of the busiest states for website accessibility lawsuits. The technical standard is the same as everywhere else: WCAG 2.1 level AA.

How the Unruh Act adds money to the ADA

Title III of the ADA lets a person who meets a barrier sue for an order to fix it, and for attorney fees. It gives them no money of their own. California adds that money in two short rules. Civil Code section 51(f) says a violation of the ADA is also a violation of the Unruh Act. Section 52(a) then sets damages of at least $4,000 for each offense, plus attorney fees. When the claim rests on an ADA violation, the plaintiff does not have to prove the business meant to discriminate. The California Supreme Court confirmed that in 2009, in Munson v. Del Taco. What these claims tend to settle for is on our page about ADA lawsuit settlement amounts.

Which websites California courts have covered

• Businesses with a physical location. In Thurston v. Midvale Corp. (2019), a California Court of Appeal held that the ADA covers at least a website connected to a physical place open to the public. The plaintiff could not read a restaurant's menu or book a table with her screen reader. The court upheld the Unruh judgment and an order to bring the site up to WCAG 2.0 AA. Federal courts in California apply the same connection test, after the Ninth Circuit's 2019 decision in Robles v. Domino's Pizza.
• Businesses that only sell online. In Martinez v. Cot'n Wash (2022), another Court of Appeal held that the website of a business with no physical place open to the public is not covered by Title III. Without an ADA violation, an Unruh claim needs proof of intentional discrimination. Some federal courts in New York have read the ADA more broadly, so the answer depends on where a case is filed.
• Visitors who never meant to buy. In Thurston v. Omni Hotels (2021), a jury found that the plaintiff had no real intent to book a room. The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict for the hotel company: an Unruh plaintiff must have meant to use the business's services.

Whether these rulings fit your business is a question for your lawyer. The general picture, for every state, is in is my website ADA compliant.

Where California ADA lawsuits are filed

Many California website cases are filed in state court under the Unruh Act, and federal court records do not show them. UsableNet's 2025 year-end report counted 1,919 digital accessibility lawsuits, such as website and app cases, in New York and California state courts combined. The same report says California's filings dropped noticeably in 2025, while New York and Florida led.

Federal court is still busy. In the 12 months through August 2026, the Central District of California, which covers Los Angeles, had 924 ADA accommodations lawsuits. Only the Southern District of Florida had more. Court records do not separate building cases from website cases, so that count includes both, and it leaves out state courts. Our filing statistics show the full table.

Bills that did not pass in 2026

Two bills in the 2025-2026 session would have changed the rules. SB 84 would have given small businesses 120 days to fix barriers before a damages suit, but only for construction-related claims, so not for websites. AB 2190 was about websites. It would have shielded a business from statutory damages if, within 30 days of a demand letter, it could show one of two things: that its accessibility report listed the barrier and recorded the fix, or that it had worked to find and fix barriers and had good reason to believe its site met a state web standard. As of October 2026, neither had become law, so the rules above still apply.

What to do if your site serves California

The target is the same as in any state: WCAG 2.1 AA. Start with the free one-page check on your home page, a product or service page, and your contact or booking form. Then go through the ADA compliance checklist, which covers what a scanner cannot judge. Fix first what stops people from buying, booking or contacting you. How that work goes is in our guide to website accessibility remediation.

Keep a dated record of what you tested and what you fixed. A report from an audit gives you one. The automated audit costs $149 for 10 pages. The signed audit costs $490 for 10 pages, reviewed and signed by a certified accessibility specialist, and it is the version to give a lawyer. You can read a full sample report first.

Do not count on a widget. An overlay leaves the broken code underneath in place, and sites with widgets get sued as well. The details are in accessibility widgets and lawsuits.

Common questions

Is there a California law just for website accessibility?

Not for private businesses. Their websites are covered through the Unruh Act and the ADA, as above. State agencies have their own rule: since 2019, each must post a signed statement on its home page that its site meets WCAG 2.0 AA or a later version (Government Code section 11546.7). Cities, counties and other local governments fall under the federal 2024 Title II rule, which sets WCAG 2.1 AA.

How much is an Unruh claim worth?

The law sets a minimum of $4,000 for each offense, plus the plaintiff's attorney fees. How many offenses a case counts, and what it finally settles for, varies from case to case.

Does fixing the site end a California claim?

Fixing it matters, and it can end the part of a case that asks for an order to fix the site. A damages claim for a visit that already happened can remain. Ask your lawyer how that applies to your case.

My business is not in California. Can I be sued there?

It can happen. Whether a California court can hear a case against a business based in another state depends on how much business it does in California, and that is a question for a lawyer.

Does a CASp inspection cover my website?

No. A Certified Access Specialist (CASp) inspects buildings and grounds against construction accessibility standards. A CASp report says nothing about your website, which needs a WCAG check.