North Carolina has a binding statewide policy, the NCDIT Digital Accessibility and Usability Standard (v1.1, Jan 2025), issued by the Department of Information Technology under the State CIO's IT-standards authority (N.C.G.S. Ch. 143B, Art. 15), adopting WCAG 2.1 Level AA for state agency websites and digital services and aligning with ADA Title II. There is no NC-specific digital-accessibility statute creating a private right of action or per-violation statutory damages; enforcement is complaint-driven (NCDIT 'Report a Digital Accessibility Issue' process) plus the federal ADA Title II / Section 504 baseline, with compliance deadlines of April 26, 2027 (50,000+) and April 26, 2028 (under 50,000). The general N.C. Persons with Disabilities Protection Act (G.S. 168A-11) allows a private suit but limits relief to declaratory/injunctive relief and attorney's fees, with no statutory damages, and its application to websites is unsettled.

What the law requires

• Responsible agency North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT), Digital Solutions Team, under the State Chief Information Officer (it.nc.gov/digital-accessibility) (opens in new tab)
• Adopted standard WCAG 2.1 Level AA (adopted by the NCDIT Digital Accessibility and Usability Standard and aligned with ADA Title II's 2024 rule); Section 508 alignment referenced for federal-financial-assistance contexts.
• Who it covers Applies to all North Carolina state agencies' public-facing websites and digital services (including those operated by contractors/third parties on the state's behalf); internal-facing sites encouraged to the greatest extent practicable. Excludes content posted by a third party not acting under contract/license with a public entity. UNC System public universities, community colleges, and local governments are not directly bound by the NCDIT standard (which reaches agencies under the State CIO's authority) but are independently covered by federal ADA Title II / Section 504. Vendors are reached contractually through state procurement.
• Private right of action Unclear / limited - No digital-accessibility-specific private right of action exists under NC law. The N.C. Persons with Disabilities Protection Act (G.S. 168A-11) provides a general private civil action for disability discrimination, but its application to website/ICT accessibility is unsettled and relief is narrow. Individuals may also sue public entities under federal ADA Title II / Section 504.
• Statutory damages / penalties None - enforcement/complaint-driven. There are no NC per-violation statutory damages. Under G.S. 168A-11, relief is limited to declaratory and injunctive relief (plus back pay in employment cases and, at the court's discretion, reasonable attorney's fees); no compensatory or statutory damages for this conduct. NCDIT provides an administrative 'Report a Digital Accessibility Issue' complaint process. Federal ADA Title II enforcement (DOJ/private suit) may add compensatory damages and attorney's fees.
• Exemptions Consistent with ADA Title II, the undue burden and fundamental alteration limitations apply. The NCDIT standard also exempts content posted by a third party where that party is not posting due to a contractual, licensing, or other arrangement with a public entity (mirroring Title II archived/third-party exceptions).
• Governing authority State of North Carolina Digital Accessibility and Usability Standard (NCDIT, Version 1.1, January 16, 2025), issued under the State CIO's IT standard-setting authority in N.C.G.S. Chapter 143B, Article 15 (Department of Information Technology; see G.S. 143B-1320 et seq.). General disability anti-discrimination is covered by the N.C. Persons with Disabilities Protection Act, N.C.G.S. Chapter 168A (civil action provision at G.S. 168A-11). Federal ADA Title II (28 CFR Part 35), Section 508, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act supply the operative digital-accessibility baseline.
• Compliance deadline Tracks federal ADA Title II dates: April 26, 2027 for public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more (DOJ extended NC's date by one year from April 24, 2026); April 26, 2028 for entities serving fewer than 50,000 and special district governments. The NCDIT standard itself sets no separate statutory deadline.

Official sources:
it.nc.gov/digital-accessibility (opens in new tab)
it.nc.gov/documents/digital-accessibility-usability-standard/open (opens in new tab)
nc.gov/accessibility (opens in new tab)
dpi.nc.gov/about-dpi/technology-services/digital-accessibility/digital-accessibility-related-law-policy (opens in new tab)
ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_143B/Article_15.html (opens in new tab)
ncleg.gov/Laws/GeneralStatuteSections/Chapter168A (opens in new tab)
codes.findlaw.com/nc/chapter-168a-persons-with-disabilities-protection-act/nc-gen-st-sect-168a-11.html (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.