Website accessibility laws by state
The federal ADA applies everywhere. Some states add their own law on top, and seven set a minimum amount a business owes per violation.
Everywhere: the ADA
ADA Title III gives a private plaintiff no money damages, but a business that loses or settles pays the plaintiff's attorney's fees. That's what drives most website lawsuits.
States with a minimum per violation
The least a court awards per violation once a claim succeeds, before attorney's fees.
| State | Minimum | What it means for a website | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $5,000 | Colorado lets a disabled customer sue for $5,000 per violation per plaintiff (or actual damages plus up to $50,000 noneconomic damages), plus attorney's fees and a compliance order. This is among the steepest per-violation exposures in this group, and no website-specific ruling was found. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| California | $4,000 | California lets a disabled visitor sue directly for at least $4,000 per offense (Unruh) or $1,000 (Disabled Persons Act, pick one), plus attorney's fees; it is the highest-exposure state, though online-only businesses have a strong defense after Martinez v. Cot'n Wash. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Hawaii | $1,000 | Hawaii lets a person injured by disability discrimination at a business sue for at least $1,000 (or triple damages) plus attorney's fees, and the State can add $500–$10,000 per day; a complaint to the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and a right-to-sue notice are generally required first (ch. 368, per HCRC materials, not independently verified). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Massachusetts | $300 | Massachusetts bars disability discrimination in public accommodations with at least $300 per act to the aggrieved person, plus compensatory and punitive damages and attorney's fees under c. 93 § 103; no Massachusetts court has been confirmed applying it to a website. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Texas | $300 | Texas presumes at least $300 in damages for a disabled person denied full use of a "public facility" (including retail and commercial businesses open to the public), but website claims require 60 days' written notice and a chance to fix the problem before suit. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Oregon | $200 | A public accommodation may not make 'any distinction, discrimination or restriction' because a customer has a disability (ORS 659A.142(4)). A customer can sue in circuit court without going to BOLI first (ORS 659A.870), generally within 1 year (ORS 659A.875). The court may award at least $200 or compensatory damages, whichever is greater, plus punitive damages; it may award costs and attorney fees to the prevailing party, and any fee agreement needs court approval (ORS 659A.885(1), (3)(d)). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| New York | $100–$500 | New York disability claims can go straight to court under the Human Rights Law for compensatory damages and fees, and the Civil Rights Law adds a $100–$500 per-violation penalty to the plaintiff; the state agency can also impose fines up to $50,000 ($100,000 if willful). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
Every other state
No fixed minimum. Some allow actual damages, penalties or fees; some only allow a complaint to a state agency.
| State | Minimum | What it means for a website | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | — | Alabama has no general state public-accommodation law. Its 'white cane'-type statute says individuals with disabilities are entitled to full and equal accommodations (§ 21-7-3), mainly in a service-animal context, and no express civil damages remedy was found. A website owner's real exposure in Alabama is the federal ADA. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Alaska | — | Alaska lets a disabled person or a class sue directly in superior court for an injunction and money relief, with no fixed per-violation award; willful violations are also a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500. 'Public accommodation' is defined as a 'place'; no website ruling was found. Attorney's fees under Alaska Civil Rule 82 were not checked. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Arizona | — | An Arizona customer can sue for an order to fix the problem, and § 41-1492.09(B) arguably adds non-punitive money damages in any civil action under the AzDA. The Attorney General can also seek civil penalties of $5,000–$10,000, and there is no fixed per-violation award. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Arkansas | — | Arkansas lets a person with a sensory, mental or physical disability sue for compensatory and punitive damages and fees, but only for intentional discrimination in public accommodations. There is no fixed per-violation award and no administrative step first. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Connecticut | — | In Connecticut a customer must first file with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and get a release; they can then sue for damages, punitive damages and attorney's fees. There is no fixed per-violation award, and a violation is also a class D misdemeanor. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Delaware | — | In Delaware a customer cannot go straight to court; they file with the state Division of Human and Civil Rights, and a Commission panel can award actual damages, fees and state civil penalties of $5,000–$25,000 per practice. 'Place of public accommodation' (§ 4502) covers any establishment that offers goods or services to or solicits the general public, with no physical-location qualifier, but no website ruling was found. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| District of Columbia | — | In D.C. a disabled customer can sue directly within 2 years for compensatory damages and attorney's fees, and civil penalties of $10,000–$50,000 can be added. There is no fixed per-violation award. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Florida | — | Florida allows a court suit for compensatory damages, punitive damages up to $100,000 and attorney's fees only after a complaint to the state commission. Its definition of public accommodation is narrow (lodging, food service, gas stations, entertainment venues and establishments inside them), so many retailers and online-only businesses may fall outside it. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Georgia | — | Georgia only has a narrow disability-access law (originally blind, deaf and physically disabled persons; 'physically or mentally impaired' persons from July 1, 2026) enforced mainly as a misdemeanor up to $2,000; no statutory damages or fee-shifting, so website exposure is essentially federal ADA. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Idaho | — | Idaho bars disability discrimination by public accommodations, including failure to provide auxiliary aids (§ 67-5909(6)(d)); a person must first file with the Idaho Human Rights Commission and may sue within 90 days of administrative dismissal (§ 67-5908(2)) for actual damages and up to $1,000 punitive per willful violation. The Act itself contains no fee-shifting provision (general Idaho fee statutes not reviewed). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Illinois | — | Illinois covers disability discrimination in a broad list of public accommodations, but a plaintiff must file a charge with the state Department first; remedies are actual damages, attorney's fees and civil penalties up to $16,000–$70,000 per violation, with no fixed minimum. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Indiana | — | Indiana's claim runs through the Indiana Civil Rights Commission; a court case is possible only after a probable-cause finding and if both complainant and respondent agree in writing to move it to court (§§ 22-9-1-16, -17), with relief limited to restoring losses — no statutory damages or penalties. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Iowa | — | Iowa bars disability discrimination in public accommodations; a person must file with the state civil rights agency, wait 60 days, obtain a release, and sue within 90 days (§ 216.16) for actual damages and attorney fees — no statutory minimum or civil penalty. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Kansas | — | Kansas bars disability discrimination by public accommodations, but enforcement is through the Kansas Human Rights Commission with court involvement only as judicial review/enforcement of its orders (K.S.A. 44-1011); money exposure is capped at $2,000 for pain and humiliation. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Kentucky | — | Kentucky lets a person denied equal enjoyment of a business because of disability sue directly in circuit court for actual damages, an injunction and mandatory attorney's fees (KRS 344.450); no statutory minimum or civil penalty. (Interaction with a prior Commission filing, KRS 344.270, not reviewed.) Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Louisiana | — | Louisiana lets a person denied equal enjoyment of a public accommodation because of disability sue in district court for actual damages and attorney's fees (51:2264); a separate disability-rights law (46:1953/1956) adds a $100–$500 misdemeanor. Note: the 'Civil Rights Act for Persons with Disabilities' (46:2251 et seq.) covers education, real estate and state-funded programs, not private businesses generally. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Maine | — | Maine expressly requires auxiliary aids and reasonable modifications in public accommodations (§ 4592(1)); an aggrieved person may sue (§ 4621), but attorney's fees (§ 4614) and civil penal damages up to $20,000+ are available only if the person first filed with the Maine Human Rights Commission (§ 4622). Website complaints have been filed with the MHRC per press reports, but no court ruling was found. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Maryland | — | Disability discrimination by a place of public accommodation is enforced through the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, not a statewide private lawsuit (§ 20-1013's direct civil action covers employment only). The statutory definition (§ 20-301) lists lodging, food, entertainment and retail establishments, with no mention of online-only businesses. Money is small and capped, and a promptly fixed accessibility-only violation yields no award (§ 20-1016(c)). Fees: § 20-1015 applies to employment civil actions; § 20-1202(d) allows fees in the three-county actions. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Michigan | — | A person can sue directly in circuit court, with no administrative exhaustion, for injunctive relief and actual damages; 'damages' expressly includes reasonable attorneys' fees (MCL 37.1606(3)). 'Place of public accommodation' is a business of any kind whose goods or services are offered to the public (MCL 37.1301), with no statutory minimum damages. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Minnesota | — | A person can sue directly in district court without first going to the Department of Human Rights (§ 363A.33 subd. 1). Remedies include up to treble actual damages, mental-anguish damages, up to $25,000 punitive damages, a mandatory civil penalty to the state, and discretionary fees (§ 363A.33 subd. 7). There are no fixed statutory damages. § 363A.331 requires a 60-day notice before suing over architectural barriers; it does not appear to cover websites. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Mississippi | — | Mississippi has no general public-accommodation civil-rights statute. Its only disability-access law is a narrow white-cane statute guaranteeing 'blind, visually handicapped, deaf and other physically disabled persons' equal access to public conveyances and places of public accommodation (§ 43-6-5). The only stated sanction is a misdemeanor fine up to $100 (§ 43-6-11). No civil damages remedy appears in the text, and a website claim would effectively rest on the federal ADA. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Missouri | — | Exhaustion is required. A complaint must be filed with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights within 180 days, which is a jurisdictional condition (§ 213.075.1). After 180 days the complainant can request a right-to-sue letter, then sue within 90 days (and within 2 years) for actual and punitive damages, which are capped, plus fees (§ 213.111). The definition of 'places of public accommodation' is broad ('all places or businesses offering... to the general public'), but no court is known to have applied it to a website. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Montana | — | The chapter is the exclusive remedy, and the administrative procedure is mandatory (§ 49-2-512(1)). A district court suit is available only after the Department of Labor and Industry dismisses the complaint, filed within 90 days of the dismissal notice (§ 49-2-512(3)). Relief is corrective and compensatory, generally with no punitive damages, plus discretionary attorney fees. There are no statutory damages. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Nebraska | — | The public accommodations act is enforced by the Equal Opportunity Commission (or county attorneys) through complaint, conciliation and cease-and-desist orders, with no damages remedy in its text. Complaints must be filed within 10 days of the act (§ 20-141(6)). Fees are available only on district-court appeal (§ 20-142(2)). The § 20-133 definition lists physical establishments and has not been applied to websites. § 20-148 may allow a separate civil suit, but that was not confirmed. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Nevada | — | This is the clearest website coverage in this group. Nevada's statute expressly covers online-only businesses, and anyone denied equal enjoyment because of disability can sue directly for actual damages, an injunction and fees, with fees available to the prevailing party, which could include the defendant (NRS 651.090). Suits must be filed within 1 year, tolled while a Nevada Equal Rights Commission complaint is pending (NRS 651.120). There are no statutory minimum damages. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| New Hampshire | — | Exhaustion is partial. A complaint must first be filed with the Commission for Human Rights within 180 days (RSA 354-A:21, III). After 180 days (or sooner with written assent), and within 3 years, the complainant may sue in superior court for damages and injunctive relief (RSA 354-A:21-a). The commission can fine up to $10,000 to $50,000. Fees are expressly provided only in petitions to enforce commission orders (RSA 354-A:22, II). The definition of 'place of public accommodation' includes any 'establishment which caters or offers its services or facilities or goods to the general public' (RSA 354-A:2, XIV). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| New Jersey | — | New Jersey lets a disabled person sue straight in Superior Court with a jury for full tort damages and attorney's fees, and the state can add civil penalties of $10,000–$50,000; there is no fixed per-violation minimum. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| New Mexico | — | Covers 'physical or mental disability' in any public accommodation (§ 28-1-7(F)). A customer must first file with the NM Human Rights Bureau; court comes only by trial de novo after a commission order or a waiver/order of nondetermination (§§ 28-1-10, 28-1-13), where the court may award actual damages and reasonable attorney fees. No fixed per-violation amount. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| New York City | — | In New York City a disabled user can sue for uncapped compensatory and punitive damages plus attorney's fees, and the city commission can separately fine up to $125,000 ($250,000 if willful); there is no fixed per-violation minimum. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| North Carolina | — | A disabled person can sue in superior court (bench trial) over denial of full and equal enjoyment of a public accommodation, but only for an injunction or declaration, plus discretionary attorney fees to the substantially prevailing party (§ 168A-11(d)). No damages. The court has no jurisdiction if the plaintiff has brought federal ADA/Rehabilitation Act proceedings on the same facts (§ 168A-11(c)). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| North Dakota | — | Bars disability discrimination by public accommodations and expressly requires removal of 'architectural or communication' barriers where readily achievable (§ 14-02.4-14(2)). A customer can sue directly in district court within 180 days, with no need to go to the department first (§ 14-02.4-19(1)). Relief is an injunction or equitable relief, and the court may award the prevailing party reasonable attorney fees (§ 14-02.4-20). No fixed per-violation amount. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Ohio | — | Public accommodations may not deny anyone full enjoyment because of disability (R.C. 4112.02(G)). Anyone who violates the chapter can be sued directly for damages and an injunction (R.C. 4112.99(A)); the 2021 rule requiring an administrative charge first applies only to employment claims (R.C. 4112.99(B)). The statute names no fixed amount and no fee-shifting. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Oklahoma | — | Bars disability discrimination in places of public accommodation (25 O.S. § 1402). Complaints go to the Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement within 180 days (per its complaint form). Title 25's sections on private suits and remedies cover only employment (§ 1350) and housing, and the 2022 Senate compilation showed no statutory basis for a private public-accommodation suit or damages. The URL is the Oklahoma Senate's compilation (current to 2022); OSCN was not reachable. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Pennsylvania | — | Pennsylvania bans disability discrimination by public accommodations, but a plaintiff must go through the state Human Relations Commission for up to a year before suing; courts can award damages and attorney's fees (§ 12(c.2)), with no fixed minimum and no civil penalty for public-accommodation cases (§ 9 penalties apply to housing). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Rhode Island | — | Bars disability discrimination by any 'person or entity doing business in the state', including services that are not equal or not as effective (§§ 42-87-2, 42-87-3). Disabled people can sue in superior court for compensatory and punitive damages (§ 42-87-4(a)). Where the claim also falls under the Human Rights Commission's public-accommodation jurisdiction (§ 11-24), the plaintiff must first file with the Commission and wait 60 days or for a final order (§ 42-87-4(b)). § 42-87-4 does not mention attorney fees. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| South Carolina | — | South Carolina's main public-accommodation act (§ 45-9-10) does not list disability. The separate Bill of Rights for Handicapped Persons bars discrimination in public accommodations 'without reasonable justification' (§ 43-33-530) and lets a person sue in common pleas for an injunction or up to $5,000 actual damages, plus attorney fees and costs (§ 43-33-540). 'Handicapped' is defined narrowly: a medically verified, substantial, lifelong impairment, excluding mental illness (§ 43-33-560). The white-cane law (§ 43-33-20) also guarantees equal access. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| South Dakota | — | Public accommodations may not deny access to services because of disability (SDCL 20-13-23). A customer must first file a charge with the Division of Human Rights. Only after a notice to answer issues can either side elect, within 20 days, to go to court instead (SDCL 20-13-35.1), where compensatory damages and an injunction are available. Attorney fees are only for housing matters, and punitive damages are not available for this section. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Tennessee | — | Tennessee's public-accommodation law does not cover disability at all, so there is no state-law website-accessibility claim here; only the federal ADA applies (plus a narrow guide-dog misdemeanor). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Partially verified |
| Utah | — | Utah's civil-rights act excludes disability and expressly disclaims website accessibility; the separate disability-rights statute has only a class C misdemeanor and no private damages claim, so practical exposure is the federal ADA. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Vermont | — | Vermont lets a disabled customer sue a business directly, without going to the Human Rights Commission first, for compensatory and punitive damages plus attorney's fees; the Commission can also seek up to $10,000 per violation. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Virginia | — | Virginia bans disability discrimination by any business offering goods or services to the public; a customer can win compensatory and punitive damages plus fees after an agency filing, and the Attorney General can seek civil penalties up to $50,000 (first) / $100,000 (subsequent). Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Washington | — | Washington lets a disabled customer sue directly in court (no agency exhaustion) for actual damages, attorney's fees and an injunction; there is no fixed per-violation award. Commentary reads WLAD's 'place of public accommodation' to reach services offered to the public wherever provided, but no website-specific appellate holding was confirmed. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| West Virginia | — | West Virginia bans disability discrimination by any business open to the public and lets a customer sue for damages and attorney's fees, but there is no fixed per-violation amount and no case applying it to websites. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Wisconsin | — | Wisconsin lets a customer sue directly within one year for damages, punitive damages and attorney's fees, and willful violations carry forfeitures of $100–$1,000 (up to $10,000 for repeat violators); 'public place of accommodation' is read broadly but no court has applied it to a website. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
| Wyoming | — | Wyoming guarantees disabled people equal access to public accommodations, but the only penalty is a misdemeanor fine of up to $750 and there is no state damages lawsuit; practical exposure is the federal ADA. Details | Statute (opens in a new tab)Verified |
Researched against statute text on October 7, 2026. Entries marked partially verified were read from a secondary copy of the statute because the official site couldn’t be reached. This is a summary, not legal advice.