The District of Columbia has a binding state-level ICT accessibility standard: OCTO's 'District Government Web Style and Standards' requires DC government websites to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA (Priority 2), and the separate DC.gov web portal accessibility policy adopts federal Section 508 standards. OCTO maintains the standard; the DC Office of Human Rights and Commission on Human Rights handle disability-discrimination complaints under the GENERAL DC Human Rights Act (not an ICT-specific statute). The DC Human Rights Act provides a private cause of action (D.C. Code 2-1403.16) for disability discrimination, including in public accommodations (D.C. Code 2-1402.31), allowing damages and other appropriate relief; it sets no digital-accessibility-specific statutory damages. In administrative proceedings the Commission may impose tiered civil penalties (caps of $10,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 by prior-violation history) under D.C. Code 2-1403.13(a), but these are general anti-discrimination penalties, not per-violation digital-accessibility damages. DC is not listed on the section508.gov state clearinghouse. Federal ADA Title II independently covers DC as a public entity.

What the law requires

• Responsible agency Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) sets and maintains the binding DC government web accessibility standard. The DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) and the DC Commission on Human Rights administer and adjudicate disability-discrimination complaints under the general DC Human Rights Act. (octo.dc.gov/page/district-government-web-style-and-standards) (opens in new tab)
• Adopted standard OCTO 'District Government Web Style and Standards' requires, verbatim: 'All sites must meet Priority 2 (level AA) accessibility conformance as outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0' (i.e. WCAG 2.0 Level AA), with AAA recommended where possible. The separate DC.gov web portal accessibility policy adopts the federal Section 508 / Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998); that policy does not name a WCAG version or level.
• Who it covers Corroborated: the binding OCTO standard applies to DC government ('all sites' in the DC government web standards). The DC Human Rights Act reaches places of public accommodation (D.C. Code 2-1402.31) and other covered areas and prohibits disability discrimination, but the cited DC sources do not define an ICT-specific scope (e.g. a specific list of covered vendors/contractors or higher-ed institutions) tied to digital accessibility. Application of the DCHRA to website/digital accessibility specifically is by analogy to its public-accommodation coverage; no DC statute or DC court decision tying the DCHRA to digital accessibility was located.
• Private right of action Yes, but under general civil-rights law, not an ICT-specific statute. D.C. Code 2-1403.16 states verbatim: 'Any person claiming to be aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice ... may file a private cause of action in a court of competent jurisdiction for damages and such other remedies as may be appropriate ...' and the court 'may grant any relief it deems appropriate, including ... an action against the District of Columbia.' This is the DC Human Rights Act's general private right of action covering disability discrimination; it is not a digital-accessibility-specific cause of action.
• Statutory damages / penalties No digital-accessibility-specific statutory damages exist. Under the general DC Human Rights Act, a private plaintiff under D.C. Code 2-1403.16 may recover 'damages and such other remedies as may be appropriate' (compensatory relief and other appropriate relief), not a fixed per-violation amount. Separately, in ADMINISTRATIVE proceedings the DC Commission on Human Rights may order, under D.C. Code 2-1403.13(a), compensatory damages, attorneys' fees and costs, plus tiered civil penalties deposited to the General Fund: 'not to exceed $10,000' for a first adjudged unlawful discriminatory practice, 'not to exceed $25,000' for one prior violation within 5 years, and 'not to exceed $50,000' for two or more within 7 years (with a separate $1,000 / $2,500 / $5,000 schedule for credit discrimination). These are general anti-discrimination administrative penalties, NOT digital-accessibility statutory damages, and are caps assessed by the Commission rather than mandatory per-violation amounts.
• Governing authority Binding ICT standard: OCTO 'District Government Web Style and Standards' policy, which mandates WCAG 2.0 Level AA (Priority 2) for DC government websites. General civil-rights enforcement (not ICT-specific): DC Human Rights Act of 1977, codified at D.C. Code 2-1401.01 et seq., which prohibits disability discrimination in places of public accommodation (D.C. Code 2-1402.31) and provides a private cause of action (D.C. Code 2-1403.16). Federal ADA Title II (28 CFR Part 35, 2024 DOJ web rule) applies to DC as a public entity as an independent federal baseline.

Official sources:
octo.dc.gov/page/district-government-web-style-and-standards (opens in new tab)
dc.gov/page/dcgov-accessibility-policy (opens in new tab)
code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/2-1403.16 (opens in new tab)
code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/2-1403.13 (opens in new tab)
code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/2-1402.31 (opens in new tab)
section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/state/ (opens in new tab)

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.