Accessibility requirements for Kentucky government procurement
Kentucky does not stop at requiring its own websites to be accessible — its rules reach the technology it buys, which puts a vendor's conformance report inside the requirement.
What binds a Kentucky purchase
ADA Title II — WCAG 2.1 Level AA
Applies to the web content and mobile apps of every state and local government entity in Kentucky, whoever built the software. Compliance dates:
- 26 April 2027 — entities serving 50,000 or more
- 26 April 2028 — entities serving under 50,000, and special district governments
Software bought today will still be in service on those dates, which is what makes this a procurement question rather than an IT one.
Section 508 — where federal funds are involved
Governs federal procurement and reaches a great deal of Kentucky spending through federal funding, including most public universities. It incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA, and adds chapter requirements that WCAG does not cover — functional performance, software, and support documentation.
If your solicitation cites Section 508, a WCAG-edition conformance report does not answer it. The editions explained.
Kentucky Accessible Information Technology Act (KRS 61.980–61.988)
Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 61.980 to 61.988
Enacted in 2000. Covered entities — school districts, universities and other institutions supported with state funds — must provide access to information technology equivalent to the access provided to people without disabilities, at the level required by Section 508. A person injured by a violation may seek injunctive relief in circuit court, which is unusual among state IT accessibility laws.
Read Kentucky’s own pageWhat Kentucky names, and what the ADA now requires
Kentucky’s own standard
Section 508
ADA Title II, from 26 April 2027
WCAG 2.1 Level AA
The state standard is the lower bar
A vendor can satisfy what Kentucky names and still not satisfy what ADA Title II will require of you. If your solicitation cites only the Kentucky rule, the conformance report you get back is scoped to the Kentucky rule — and the federal gap becomes yours to close after award. Cite both.
Beyond the website
Kentucky regulates the technology it buys
What the rule requires of a purchase
Contracts for new technology must include a technology access clause meeting the standards of Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and Section 508.
Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 61.980 to 61.988
Why this changes the review
A requirement that binds only your own website is satisfied by fixing your own website. A requirement that binds the purchase is satisfied by the vendor, and the only evidence you will hold is the conformance report they hand over — so whether that report is accurate stops being a technical question and becomes a contractual one.
How the review worksWhat this means when a vendor sends you a report
- Name the standard in the solicitation. The edition a vendor sends back is chosen to match what you asked for. Ask for nothing specific and you will get the edition that flatters the product.
- Ask during evaluation, not after award. Before the contract your leverage is the award itself; after it, your leverage is a change order.
- Keep the record. What you required, what the vendor disclosed, what you challenged and when. If conformance is ever questioned, that record is the useful artifact — not the software.
Section508.gov — State-level Accessibility Law and Policy does not list Kentucky. The entry above was researched from Kentucky’s own statute, regulation or policy page in August 2026 and links to it directly. General guidance for procurement planning, not legal advice — verify against the statute or policy that applies to your entity, and check the current status of any pending legislation named above.