Is Your Website ADA Compliant? (Why Every Contractor Should Care)

There’s a growing legal trend that most contractors don’t know about, and it could cost you thousands of dollars: ADA website accessibility lawsuits.

In 2024 alone, over 4,000 ADA-related website lawsuits were filed in the United States, according to accessibility research firm UsableNet. That number has been climbing year after year. And while big corporations make the headlines, small businesses — including contractors — are increasingly being targeted.

Let’s talk about what this means for your business, what website accessibility actually involves, and what you can do to protect yourself.

What Is Website Accessibility?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was originally written to ensure physical spaces are accessible to people with disabilities — think wheelchair ramps, Braille signage, and accessible parking. But courts have increasingly ruled that websites are also “places of public accommodation” and must be accessible too.

Website accessibility means that people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities can use your website effectively. This includes:

• People who use screen readers (software that reads web pages aloud) because they’re blind or have low vision
• People who navigate with a keyboard instead of a mouse due to motor disabilities
• People who are deaf or hard of hearing and need captions for video content
• People with cognitive disabilities who need clear, simple navigation

You might think: “I’m a plumbing company. How many of my customers have disabilities?” The answer might surprise you. According to the CDC, 26% of adults in the United States — about 61 million people — have some type of disability. Among adults aged 65 and older (a demographic that frequently hires contractors), the percentage is even higher.

The Legal Risk Is Real

ADA website lawsuits follow a predictable pattern. A person with a disability (or more commonly, a law firm representing them) identifies websites that fail basic accessibility standards. They send a demand letter or file a lawsuit claiming the website violates the ADA.

The typical settlement for a small business runs $5,000 to $25,000. That’s the settlement — if it goes to actual litigation, costs can exceed $50,000. And here’s the kicker: even if you fix your website after receiving the demand letter, you may still owe damages for the period it was inaccessible.

Small businesses are targeted because they’re more likely to have inaccessible websites and more likely to settle quickly rather than fight. It’s volume litigation — the same firms file hundreds of cases per year.

Is it fair? That’s debatable. But it’s the legal reality in 2026, and ignoring it won’t protect you.

Common Accessibility Failures on Contractor Websites

Most contractor websites fail basic accessibility standards without their owners having any idea. Here are the most common problems:

Missing Alt Text on Images

Every image on your website should have descriptive “alt text” — a brief description of what the image shows. When a screen reader encounters an image without alt text, it either skips it entirely or reads the filename (usually something like “IMG_4732.jpg”), which is useless.

For a contractor site, this means your portfolio photos, team pictures, and service images should all have descriptions like “Kitchen sink drain repair completed in Tampa, FL” or “Our plumbing team standing in front of service van.”

Poor Color Contrast

Text needs sufficient contrast against its background to be readable. Light gray text on a white background might look sleek to a designer, but it’s illegible for people with low vision. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) specify minimum contrast ratios: 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Many contractor websites use low-contrast combinations in their navigation, footer text, or form labels.

No Keyboard Navigation

Some people can’t use a mouse. They navigate websites entirely using their keyboard — Tab to move between elements, Enter to select. If your website’s menu, contact form, or phone number can’t be reached and activated using only a keyboard, it’s inaccessible.

This is especially common with custom-built navigation menus and modal popups that trap keyboard focus.

Missing Form Labels

Contact forms are critical on contractor websites — they’re how customers reach you. But many forms use placeholder text instead of proper labels. When a screen reader encounters a form field with only placeholder text, it may not announce what information belongs in that field.

Every form field needs a proper HTML label element that tells assistive technology what information to enter.

Auto-Playing Video or Audio

If your website has a video that plays automatically (especially with sound), it creates problems for screen reader users. The audio from the video interferes with the screen reader’s output, making the page unusable.

How Accessibility Improves SEO and User Experience

Here’s the silver lining: most accessibility improvements also make your website better for everyone and improve your Google ranking.

Alt text on images helps Google understand what your images show, which improves your visibility in Google Image Search and overall SEO.

Good color contrast makes your site easier to read for all users, including people viewing their phone in bright sunlight.

Keyboard navigation ensures your site works properly for everyone, including people using assistive devices, people with a broken mouse, or power users who prefer keyboard shortcuts.

Proper heading structure (H1, H2, H3 tags used in the correct order) helps both screen readers and Google understand the organization of your content.

Clear, simple navigation reduces bounce rates for all users and helps Google crawl your site more effectively.

In other words, making your website accessible isn’t just about legal compliance — it’s about building a better website, period.

Basic Steps Any Contractor Can Take Today

You don’t need to become an accessibility expert overnight. Start with these high-impact improvements:

1. Add Alt Text to Every Image

Go through your website and add descriptive alt text to every image. Be specific and useful: “before and after of bathroom remodel in Phoenix, AZ” is better than just “bathroom.”

2. Check Your Color Contrast

Use a free tool like the WebAIM Contrast Checker (webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker) to test your text and background color combinations. Fix any that don’t meet the minimum 4.5:1 ratio.

3. Test Keyboard Navigation

Try navigating your entire website using only your keyboard. Press Tab to move through the page. Can you reach every link, button, and form field? Can you submit your contact form? If you get stuck anywhere, that’s an accessibility barrier.

4. Add Proper Form Labels

Make sure every field in your contact form has a visible label (not just placeholder text). “Your Name,” “Phone Number,” “Message” — simple and clear.

5. Run an Automated Scan

Tools like WAVE (wave.webaim.org) and Google Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools) can scan your website and identify accessibility issues. They won’t catch everything, but they’ll flag the obvious problems.

6. Include an Accessibility Statement

Add a simple page to your website stating your commitment to accessibility and providing contact information for anyone who experiences difficulty using your site. This shows good faith and can help in the event of a legal complaint.

The Bigger Picture

Web accessibility is moving in one direction — toward stricter standards and stronger enforcement. The European Union’s European Accessibility Act takes effect in June 2025, and similar legislation is being considered worldwide. In the US, the Department of Justice has repeatedly affirmed that websites must be ADA compliant.

For contractors, the practical advice is straightforward: build your website to be accessible from the start. It costs almost nothing extra to do it right during development, versus a potential five-figure legal bill to fix it after someone files a complaint.

Every customer deserves to be able to find you, learn about your services, and contact you — regardless of their abilities. Making that possible isn’t just good legal strategy. It’s good business.