Long Beach Website Accessibility Rules

Civil Rights and Equity California 3 Minutes Read · published February 08, 2026 Flag of California

Long Beach, California requires its public websites and digital services to meet recognized accessibility standards and provide accommodations for users with disabilities. This guide summarizes the city’s published accessibility policy, who enforces it, how to report barriers, and practical steps for compliance and appeals. It focuses on official Long Beach resources and relevant municipal code references to help departments, contractors, and residents understand obligations and remedies.

Penalties & Enforcement

Long Beach implements web accessibility through its administrative policies and civil-rights procedures rather than a standalone accessibility ordinance specifying fines. Specific monetary penalties for noncompliant city websites are not specified on the cited page and enforcement typically follows complaint investigation and remediation orders from the city’s civil-rights or ADA compliance office. Long Beach Accessibility statement[1] The municipal code provides general civil rights and nondiscrimination frameworks but does not list explicit web-accessibility fines on the linked code page. Long Beach Municipal Code[2]

  • Enforcer: Civil Rights & Equity or ADA Coordinator (city-level complaints and investigations).
  • Inspection/complaint pathway: file an accessibility complaint with the city’s ADA or Civil Rights office; see official contact page in Resources.
  • Appeals/review: administrative review through the city’s civil-rights complaint process; specific appeal time limits are not specified on the cited page.[1]
  • Fines/escalation: not specified on the cited pages; the city prioritizes remediation and reasonable accommodation.
  • Non-monetary sanctions: remediation orders, mandatory corrective plans, public reports, and referral to legal or court action if unresolved.
Contact the city’s ADA or Civil Rights office promptly when you discover an accessibility barrier.

Applications & Forms

The city does not publish a dedicated online fine-payment form or a specific web-accessibility variance form on its accessibility statement page; submission is handled via the Civil Rights/ADA complaint intake procedures listed on the official site.[1]

  • No dedicated web-accessibility penalty form published on the cited city page; intake is via complaint/contact forms or email to the ADA/Civil Rights office.

Common Violations

  • Missing alt text for images—often remediated by updating content management templates.
  • Poor keyboard navigation and focus management—requires developer changes.
  • Uncaptioned video or inaccessible multimedia—requires captions or transcripts.

Action Steps for Departments and Contractors

  • Audit current websites for WCAG 2.1 AA conformance and create a prioritized remediation plan.
  • Include accessibility requirements and acceptance criteria in RFPs and contracts for web development.
  • Designate a contact for receiving accessibility complaints and responding within the city’s published timeframes.
Document remediation efforts and dates to show good-faith compliance efforts.

FAQ

Do Long Beach city websites have to follow WCAG standards?
Long Beach references recognized accessibility standards and requires reasonable accommodations; the city’s accessibility statement outlines policy but does not list a specific ordinance mandating WCAG in the municipal code.[1][2]
How do I report an inaccessible page on a city site?
Report barriers by contacting the city’s ADA or Civil Rights office via the accessibility/contact page for intake and resolution steps.[1]
Are there fines for noncompliant city web pages?
Monetary fines for web accessibility are not specified on the cited city accessibility or municipal code pages; enforcement focuses on remediation and administrative actions.[1][2]

How-To

  1. Identify the issue and capture URLs, screenshots, and the assistive technology used.
  2. Submit a complaint or accessibility request through the city’s accessibility/contact page and attach evidence.
  3. Follow the city’s response instructions and provide additional information if requested; escalate to the ADA Coordinator if unresolved.

Key Takeaways

  • Long Beach emphasizes remediation and administrative resolution over published fines for web accessibility.
  • Use the city’s official accessibility/contact channels to report barriers and request accommodations.
  • Departments should embed accessibility into procurement, development, and content workflows.

Help and Support / Resources


  1. [1] City of Long Beach accessibility statement and contact page
  2. [2] Long Beach Municipal Code (Municode)