Alaska Digital Accessibility Law

WCAG 2.1 AA + Section 508 Federal ADA Title II baseline

Alaska has no state-specific digital/ICT accessibility law and is not listed on the federal Section508.gov state roster; the binding requirement comes from the federal ADA Title II web rule (28 CFR Part 35, WCAG 2.1 AA, with compliance due Apr 26, 2027 / Apr 26, 2028). The State of Alaska (Department of Administration / Office of Information Technology) does adopt WCAG 2.1 Level AA as an internal accessibility policy practice for its websites, and the State ADA Coordinator and Alaska State Commission for Human Rights handle disability matters generally. There is no dedicated private right of action or fixed statutory damages for inaccessible technology; enforcement is complaint-, agency-, and court-driven, with the general Alaska Human Rights Law (AS 18.80) allowing court-awarded compensatory and punitive damages but no per-violation statutory penalty.

What the law requires

  • Responsible agency No dedicated digital-accessibility law or statewide rule. The State of Alaska Department of Administration / Office of Information Technology (OIT) maintains the executive-branch web accessibility practice (WCAG 2.1 AA), and the State ADA Coordinator (within the Department of Labor and Workforce Development) plus the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights handle disability-discrimination matters generally. (alaska.gov/accessibility.html)
  • Adopted standard WCAG 2.1 Level AA, adopted as the State of Alaska's web accessibility practice/policy (per the State accessibility statement). Aligns conceptually with Section 508 / WCAG 2.1 AA. The binding standard for state and local government is the federal ADA Title II rule (28 CFR Part 35), which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA.
  • Who it covers State of Alaska executive-branch websites/digital content under the OIT/Department of Administration policy practice. There is no state statute extending a digital-accessibility mandate to local governments, public higher education, or vendors/contractors beyond the federal ADA Title II baseline, which itself covers all state and local public entities (including the University of Alaska system and municipalities).
  • Private right of action Unclear/indirect for digital accessibility specifically. Alaska has no digital-accessibility statute and thus no statute-specific private right of action for inaccessible ICT. Generally, a person aggrieved by disability discrimination in a place of public accommodation may file with the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights or bring a civil action in court under AS 18.80.270 (Alaska Human Rights Law). Federally, individuals enforce ADA Title II accessibility through DOJ complaints and private suits. Enforcement is therefore complaint/agency/court-driven, not via a dedicated digital-accessibility statute.
  • Statutory damages / penalties None - no statutory per-violation or fixed digital-accessibility penalty exists in Alaska law. Under the general Alaska Human Rights Law, a court action under AS 18.80.270 may award compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief (case-by-case, not fixed amounts); the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights itself may not award noneconomic or punitive damages (AS 18.80.130) and is limited to make-whole relief. Federal ADA Title II provides injunctive relief and, in DOJ-brought actions, may include compensatory damages and civil penalties, but no fixed digital-accessibility statutory-damage amount applies in Alaska.
  • Exemptions No state-specific exemptions exist (no state digital-accessibility law). The applicable exceptions are the federal ADA Title II defenses: undue financial and administrative burden and fundamental alteration of the program/service, plus the rule's limited exceptions (e.g., archived web content, certain pre-existing/third-party content, individualized password-protected documents) under 28 CFR Part 35.
  • Governing authority No Alaska statute or administrative-code provision specific to digital/ICT accessibility. Alaska is NOT listed on the federal Section508.gov state law-and-policy roster. Disability discrimination in public accommodations is governed generally by the Alaska Human Rights Law, AS 18.80.230 (unlawful practices in public accommodations) with the private civil action and remedies in AS 18.80.270 and administrative remedies via the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights (AS 18.80.130). The State's published web accessibility statement adopts WCAG 2.1 AA as an administrative/policy practice rather than as binding law. The federal ADA Title II web rule (28 CFR Part 35) supplies the binding digital-accessibility baseline for state and local government.
  • Compliance deadline Federal Title II dates only: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance by Apr 26, 2027 for public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more, and by Apr 26, 2028 for smaller public entities and special district governments. Alaska has no separate state-law deadline.

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Official sources:
section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/state/
alaska.gov/accessibility.html
dot.alaska.gov/accessibility.shtml
dec.alaska.gov/accessibility
humanrights.alaska.gov/
humanrights.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/HRC-Statutes-2019.pdf
ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/

Not legal advice. Informational summary compiled from the official sources cited above, last verified 2026-06-08. Requirements change; confirm against the primary source before relying on it. Federal ADA Title II applies regardless of state law (WCAG 2.1 Level AA; compliance April 26, 2027 for entities of 50,000+ population, April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts). See all states.