Website accessibility law in 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. On top of that, the federal ADA applies in Wisconsin as everywhere: a business that loses or settles a website accessibility suit pays the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees.

The law

Statute: Wis. Stat. § 106.52 (public place of accommodation or amusement; disability at § 106.52(3)(a)1.) (opens in a new tab)
Minimum per violation: None set
Can a person sue for money?: Yes
Attorney's fees under state law: Yes
Other money remedies: damages including punitive damages, § 106.52(4)(e)1.
forfeiture $100–$1,000 for a willful first violation; $1,000–$10,000 per violation for a repeat violator within 5 years, § 106.52(4)(d)
Civil penalty: forfeiture $100–$1,000 (willful first violation) and $1,000–$10,000 per violation (within 5 years of a prior adjudication), Wis. Stat. § 106.52(4)(d)
Websites: We found no court decision applying Wisconsin law to a website.

Verified against the official statute text, Oct 7, 2026. A summary, not legal advice.

The federal baseline

ADA Title III gives a private plaintiff no money damages, but a business that loses or settles pays the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees (42 U.S.C. § 12205 (opens in a new tab)). That fee-shifting is what makes a website claim expensive, in Wisconsin and everywhere else.

Lawsuits in Wisconsin

Our lawsuit tracker has indexed 76 federal court records from Wisconsin. It’s a sample, not a complete count: it covers dockets that say what they’re about.

Jack's Surf & Sport LLC (opens in a new tab), filed 2026-10
Blinds To Go US Inc (opens in a new tab), filed 2026-10
C3 Worldwide LLC (opens in a new tab), filed 2026-10
Mayo Retail Internet Services LLC (opens in a new tab), filed 2026-08
The Ruscio Institute LLC (opens in a new tab), filed 2026-06

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Questions

Can a business in Wisconsin be sued over an inaccessible website?

Yes. The federal ADA applies in every state, and a plaintiff can sue in federal court for an order to fix the site plus attorney's fees. Under Wisconsin law a person can sue the business directly. We found no court decision applying Wisconsin law to a website.

What is the minimum a Wisconsin court awards for a website accessibility violation?

Wisconsin law sets no fixed minimum per violation. 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.

Do I pay the plaintiff's lawyer if I lose or settle in Wisconsin?

Under the federal ADA, yes: a business that loses or settles usually pays the plaintiff's attorney's fees (42 U.S.C. § 12205). Wisconsin law also provides for attorney's fees.

Which accessibility standard should a Wisconsin business website meet?

The ADA doesn't name a technical standard for businesses. The Justice Department's 2022 guidance points to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and its 2024 rule for state and local governments adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA.