Iowa has a state-specific Website Accessibility Standard issued by the Office of the Chief Information Officer and enforced by the Department of Administrative Services, which adopts WCAG 2.0 Levels A and AA for State of Iowa agencies, boards, commissions, and their website contractors (with Section 508 governing where federal funding agreements require it). Compliance is determined administratively under Iowa Administrative Code 11-25.9(8A), with waivers available under 11-25.6(8A); there is no digital-accessibility-specific private right of action and no statutory or per-violation damages. General disability-discrimination claims fall under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (Iowa Code Chapter 216), which provides actual damages, costs, and attorney fees but no fixed per-violation penalties. Local governments and Regents universities are not expressly named in the state standard and are primarily covered by the federal ADA Title II baseline (WCAG 2.1 AA, compliance by Apr 26 2027/2028).

What the law requires

• Responsible agency Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) / Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO); DAS Director or designee determines agency compliance (ocio.iowa.gov/website-accessibility-standard) (opens in new tab)
• Adopted standard WCAG 2.0 Levels A and AA (as adopted in the official State of Iowa Website Accessibility Standard). Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act supersedes/replaces this standard for any agency with a federal funding agreement requiring Section 508 compliance. Note: the federal ADA Title II rule (28 CFR Part 35) independently sets WCAG 2.1 AA as the baseline for state/local government, including in Iowa.
• Who it covers All State of Iowa agencies, boards, and commissions, and contractors developing or maintaining State of Iowa websites. The official standard does not expressly extend to local government (cities/counties) or the Board of Regents universities; those entities are instead covered by the federal ADA Title II baseline. State website RFPs must reference the standard and awarded contracts must include written acknowledgment of compliance.
• Private right of action No - the Website Accessibility Standard is an internal IT operational standard enforced administratively (DAS Director/OCIO determine compliance under Iowa Administrative Code 11-25.9(8A)); it creates no private right of action for digital accessibility. Disability-discrimination claims (including public accommodations) may be pursued under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (Iowa Code Chapter 216) via complaint to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, but that is a general civil-rights mechanism, not a digital-accessibility-specific cause of action with per-violation damages.
• Statutory damages / penalties None - the Website Accessibility Standard is enforcement/complaint-driven and specifies no statutory or per-violation penalties. Under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (Iowa Code Chapter 216), remedies are actual damages, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees (no fixed per-violation statutory damages amount).
• Exemptions Waiver of any requirement of the standard may be requested in writing from the State CIO or DAS Director under Iowa Administrative Code 11-25.6(8A). A grandfather provision exempts content that existed prior to the standard's effective date from being modified. Federal ADA Title II undue-burden and fundamental-alteration defenses apply to the underlying federal obligation.
• Governing authority Iowa Website Accessibility Standard, issued under the authority of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (Iowa Code Chapter 8B), with enforcement/compliance under Iowa Administrative Code 11-25.9(8A) and waivers under Iowa Administrative Code 11-25.6(8A). General disability-discrimination remedies are governed separately by the Iowa Civil Rights Act, Iowa Code Chapter 216.
• Compliance deadline The state standard took effect 180 days after the beginning of statewide availability of training (no fixed calendar date in the published standard). Federal ADA Title II dates also apply: Apr 26 2027 (populations 50,000+) and Apr 26 2028 (populations under 50,000 and special district governments).

Official sources:
ocio.iowa.gov/website-accessibility-standard (opens in new tab)
dom.iowa.gov/website-accessibility-standard (opens in new tab)
ocio.iowa.gov/rules (opens in new tab)
legis.iowa.gov/law/iowaCode (opens in new tab)
legis.iowa.gov/DOCS/ACO/IC/LINC/Chapter.216.pdf (opens in new tab)
icrc.iowa.gov/your-rights/iowa-civil-rights-act (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.