Ohio has a binding statewide digital accessibility policy, Ohio Administrative Policy IT-09 'Digital Accessibility,' issued by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), which establishes minimum accessibility requirements for state-controlled websites and applications and requires state agency websites, mobile apps, and procured third-party/COTS software to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, aligned with the federal ADA Title II rule at 28 CFR Part 35; agencies must use the InnovateOhio Platform and post an accessibility statement. Enforcement of IT-09 is administrative; Ohio creates no digital-accessibility-specific private right of action and no per-violation statutory damages. The general civil-rights statute, ORC 4112.16, provides a private cause of action for 'accessibility law' violations but its text is expressly limited to physical places of public accommodation, and its cure mechanism (improvements completed within up to 60 days, extendable) eliminates damages and attorney's fees. The applicable compliance deadline for Ohio state web content and mobile apps is April 26, 2027, reflecting the DOJ Interim Final Rule that extended the original April 24, 2026 date by one year (with April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts). The verbatim IT-09 policy text, including its exact exemptions and effective date, could not be retrieved from the primary das.ohio.

What the law requires

• Responsible agency Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), via the InnovateOhio Platform (IOP). DAS owns the statewide digital accessibility policy and hosts state agency sites on the InnovateOhio Platform; accessibility issues are reported to accessibility@das.ohio.gov. (Corroborated by the official ohio.gov accessibility page.) (das.ohio.gov/technology-and-strategy/policies/it-09) (opens in new tab)
• Adopted standard WCAG 2.1 Level A and Level AA. The official ohio.gov accessibility page states state government web content and mobile applications must comply with WCAG 2.1 AA, consistent with ADA Title II and the Final Rule at 28 CFR Part 35. Section 508 is not adopted by name. (Corroborated by the official ohio.gov accessibility page.)
• Who it covers Per the official ohio.gov accessibility page: state-controlled websites and applications operated by Ohio state agencies, boards, and commissions under the Governor's authority, covering public-facing websites and mobile applications, and extending to third-party vendors and Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software; agencies must follow InnovateOhio Platform (IOP) design standards and post an accessibility statement with feedback options and ADA Coordinators Directory contact info.
• Private right of action No digital-accessibility-specific private right of action exists under Ohio law. IT-09 is an administrative DAS policy with no statutory cause of action. GENERAL disability/civil-rights law: Ohio Revised Code 4112.16 creates a private right of action for violations of an 'accessibility law,' but the statute text is expressly oriented to PHYSICAL places (it lists 'places of public accommodation, public conveyance and modes of transportation, streets, highways, sidewalks, walkways, buildings, medical facilities, and other public places') and does not address digital/ICT or websites; ORC 4112.01's 'place of public accommodation' definition is likewise physical only. ORC 4112.16 also imposes a pre-suit notice and cure process. Federal ADA Title II remains independently enforceable via DOJ complaint and private suit. (Private-right-of-action analysis corroborated directly from the codes.ohio.gov statute text of ORC 4112.16 and 4112.01.)
• Statutory damages / penalties No per-violation statutory damages for digital/government ICT accessibility under Ohio law. Under the GENERAL civil-rights statute ORC 4112.16, if the responsible party completes the agreed improvements within the cure period (up to 60 days, extendable up to an additional 60 days for reasonable cause), 'the alleged aggrieved party shall not receive any damages or attorney's fees for any action arising out of the same or similar facts'; the statute references reasonable attorney's fees and other available remedies but specifies no fixed per-violation penalty amount. (Corroborated directly from the codes.ohio.gov text of ORC 4112.16.)
• Governing authority Ohio Administrative Policy IT-09, 'Digital Accessibility,' issued by the Department of Administrative Services, which 'establishes minimum accessibility requirements for information and services provided on state-controlled websites and applications.' This is a binding statewide IT policy (a binding DAS/State CIO policy), not a standalone accessibility statute. Federal baseline: ADA Title II and the DOJ web/mobile rule at 28 CFR Part 35. The IT-09 effective date of January 10, 2025 appears only in secondary sources and could not be confirmed verbatim from the primary policy document (das.ohio.
• Compliance deadline Per the official ohio.gov accessibility page, state government web content and mobile applications must comply with WCAG 2.1 AA by April 26, 2027, aligned with the federal ADA Title II rule. This reflects the DOJ Interim Final Rule (published April 20, 2026, 28 CFR Part 35) that extended the prior April 24, 2026 deadline by one year to April 26, 2027 for public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more, and extended the deadline for smaller public entities and special district governments to April 26, 2028. (Deadline corroborated by the ohio.gov accessibility page and the Federal Register / ada.gov Interim Final Rule.)

Official sources:
ohio.gov/help-center/accessibility (opens in new tab)
das.ohio.gov/technology-and-strategy/policies/it-09 (opens in new tab)
codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4112.16 (opens in new tab)
codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4112.01 (opens in new tab)
federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/20/2026-07663/extension-of-compliance-dates-for-nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web (opens in new tab)
ada.gov/assets/pdfs/2026-ifr.pdf (opens in new tab)
ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-35/subpart-H (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.