Check and fix PDFs
for ADA Title II.
The Department of Justice's rule under Title II of the ADA asks state and local governments, public schools and public colleges to make their web content accessible, PDFs included. SelectPdf PDF Editor checks a PDF against the WCAG 2.1 criteria the rule uses, and gives you the tools to fix what fails.
Who ADA Title II applies to.
Title II applies to state and local governments and the services they run: benefits and social services offices, public schools, community colleges and public universities, police departments, courts, elections offices, public hospitals and clinics, parks and recreation programs, public libraries and public transit agencies.
The rule covers the web content and mobile apps they provide, including content that someone else provides or makes available for them under an arrangement, such as a contractor.
The compliance dates.
| Population | Compliance date |
|---|---|
| 50,000 or more | April 26, 2027 |
| Under 50,000, and special district governments | April 26, 2028 |
The rule was published in April 2024. In April 2026 the Department of Justice moved both dates back by a year. The current dates are on ADA.gov.
What Title II asks of a PDF.
The rule's standard is WCAG 2.1 Level AA. A PDF posted on a website or offered through an app is web content, so it is held to the same criteria:
- Tags that say what each part is (heading, paragraph, list, table, figure), in a logical reading order 1.3.1, 1.3.2
- Alternate text for each picture, or the picture marked as decoration 1.1.1
- A title and a language for the document, and the language of any part in another language 2.4.2, 3.1.1, 3.1.2
- Headings that describe what follows them 2.4.6
- Tables whose header cells are tagged as headers 1.3.1
- Form fields with a name and a description 3.3.2, 4.1.2
- Enough contrast between text and its background 1.4.3
- Links whose purpose is clear, and a tab order that follows the structure 2.4.3, 2.4.4
There are exceptions:
- documents posted before the compliance date, unless people still use them to apply for, take part in or reach a service, such as an application form that is still in use;
- archived content, kept only for reference, research or records, in an area set aside for archives, and not changed since it was archived.
A document that is still in use, and every new one, is held to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Check and fix PDF accessibility in the editor.
See what fails, and where.
Click Accessibility Check on the Accessibility & Standards tab. The checker runs the 32 rules of a full accessibility check and the PDF/UA requirements of the Matterhorn Protocol. Each rule passes, fails or needs a manual check, and a click on a failure shows where it is on the page.
Show Report saves the results as a web page, with a table of the WCAG criteria the check covered, each with its level, A or AA, and its result.
Fix tags, alternate text and reading order.
Autotag Document tags a PDF that has no tags: headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, figures, links and form fields, with decoration marked as artifacts that screen readers skip. Set Alternate Text goes through the figures one by one, to describe each one or mark it as decorative. Fix on a failed rule sets the language or the title, or opens the tool that fixes it.
The Tags panel corrects the tag tree. The Reading Order tool shows the order of each page as numbered regions, which you can reorder or tag by drawing. The Table Editor marks header cells and their scope.
Verify PDF/UA-1 and PDF/UA-2.
Verify Compliance checks the document against PDF/UA-1 or PDF/UA-2, the ISO standards for accessible PDF. It lists each requirement that fails, fixes what it can in one step and saves a report. It checks PDF/A and PDF/X too.
Many files, and a person's review.
Many files at once.
Colleges and agencies often have thousands of PDFs to review. A batch action with Make accessible tags each file that has no tags and sets its language and title, verifies it against PDF/UA-1 or PDF/UA-2, and saves the accessibility report and the PDF/UA report beside each file. Keep them as a record of what was found. Guide: Batch processing →
What a person still checks.
A checker can see that a picture has alternate text, but not whether the text describes it well, and the same goes for a reading order that makes sense and colors with enough contrast. The check marks these rules for a manual check, and the report says which criteria they cover.
Free to check, Pro to fix.
Checking, verifying and saving the reports are free. Changing the document needs Pro: autotagging, alternate text, the Fix buttons, the tags, the reading order and batch actions. See pricing →
On Windows and Mac.
The fixes, PDF/UA verification and batch actions are in the editor for Windows and Mac. The iPhone and iPad app runs the accessibility check. Download →
SelectPdf PDF Editor helps you check and fix PDFs against the WCAG 2.1 criteria the rule uses. It does not certify a document, and it does not replace your organization's own review or legal advice.
The same tools, other rules.
Section 508
US federal agencies, and the documents their contractors deliver: WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA.
European Accessibility Act
Services to consumers in the EU: EN 301 549, which uses WCAG 2.1 or, in its 2026 version, WCAG 2.2 Level AA.