For Washington port districts · Updated October 2026
Website Accessibility for Washington Ports: What's Involved and What It Will Cost
What the rule asks of a port, what year one could cost, and where to start.
Port of [Your Port]
Accessibility report
Sample · a real small port's size; the findings are examples, not an actual scan
18
public pages
~7
templates to audit
117
documents in use
Examples of scan findings
- Low-contrast text in the footer and on buttons
- Images with no description
- Links that only say "read more"
- A contact form field with no label
- Meeting agendas posted only as PDFs
Year one, a site this size
$6,700 to $16,700
A starting plan (example)
- Name the owner
- Turn new agendas and minutes into web pages; the 117 still in use set the document cost
- Small site: get a rebuild quote next to repair
Free, no obligation
Get a Free Report on Your Port's Website.
Tell me which port. Within one business day I'll send back a short report built for your port: its measurements, a free accessibility scan, and a starting plan, along with the materials from my October 22 talk.
Each report is built on request, so please allow one business day.
No matter the size
April 26, 2028
ADA Title II · WCAG 2.1 AA
Every Washington Port Has the Same Deadline.
Washington ports are special purpose districts, so the Justice Department's web rule under ADA Title II gives the largest port and the smallest the same date. The standard is WCAG 2.1, Level AA. It covers your website, the documents on it, and the outside systems you send people to, like a payment page or a moorage booking.
28 CFR 35.200, as amended by the interim final rule, 91 FR 20902 (April 20, 2026) · RCW 36.96.010.
This research is free to use. Success is every port meeting the requirement on deadline and under budget. I'm not a lawyer, so check the details with yours.
WCAG 2.1 AA in plain words
Accessibility is Organized Around Four Principles: POUR.
Accessibility means people can use your site however they use the web: with a screen reader, a keyboard instead of a mouse, magnification, or without sound.
Perceivable
People can take in the content through a sense they can use, not only sight.
Operable
Every interaction works without a mouse, with enough time to finish.
Understandable
Content and behavior are predictable, and errors are easy to recover from.
Robust
Built so assistive technology, present and future, can read it.
Before you buy anything
Accessibility is Five Stages, Not One Purchase.
1
Scan and Fix
Where most tools start.
2
Test With Real People
Screen readers, keyboard only.
3
Fix the Documents
The ones still in use. Archive the rest properly.
4
Build the System and Train
Templates, plus training for whoever posts.
5
Maintain
Regular scans, small fixes.
Keep in mind
You can outsource the software, not the responsibility. Payment pages, booking systems and online forms count, even when someone else runs them.
28 CFR 35.200(a).
A widget alone doesn't make a site compliant. In April 2025 the Federal Trade Commission fined one of these companies $1 million and barred it from claiming, without evidence, that its product makes a website compliant.
Federal Trade Commission final order, April 22, 2025.
A clean scan is a start, not a grade. Scanners catch part of the problem. People using screen readers and keyboards catch the rest.
Before you ask for a quote
What Drives the Cost?
Unique Templates
They set the size of the audit, the biggest line. When vendors scoped port sites of 44, 183 and 801 pages, two estimated about 22 to 26 templates on each; a third counted 14 to 17.
Documents
The driver you control. Even small port websites carry very different document loads, from 10 PDFs to over 4,000. Count yours, or ask for your free report.
Forms and Outside Systems
Payments, forms and bookings. Ask your vendor.
Upkeep
Every year after.
Not on the list: page count. An automated scan is essential, but it's the lowest-cost step for many ports.
What it will cost
The Official Number, and What Vendors' Pricing Says.
1 · The Justice Department
$17,600
for a typical special district over ten years, in today's dollars. About $2,100 a year.
DOJ final rule, 89 FR 31320 (April 24, 2024), Tables 13–15.
2 · The SBA's Office of Advocacy
“Advocacy believes that the DOJ has underestimated the compliance costs and burden hours.”
SBA Office of Advocacy, comment letter to DOJ, October 17, 2023.
3 · What vendors estimated
$1,500 to $17,000
for an independent audit of one site, from a few key pages to a full site.
Vendors' pricing, September and October 2026. Planning estimates, not quotes. I don't represent or endorse any vendor.
Year-One Estimates for Every Port Website, Built From Vendor Pricing
I counted the public pages, templates and documents on Washington's 68 port websites in September and October 2026 and priced year one for each. Each estimate adds four things: scan and fix (my estimate of developer time), an independent audit (scaled from three vendors' estimates for three real port sites; for the smallest sites, published prices for a sampled audit), the documents still in use (at state-contract rates), and a year of upkeep (my estimate). Not included: captions for meeting videos, outside systems, hosting and tax. Each bar below is one port. Names aren't shown; your port's own numbers come with its free report.
| Size of website | Lowest to highest | Median | Ports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 pages | $4,900 to $24,500 | $6,000 to $13,700 | 10 |
| 11 to 25 pages | $5,700 to $41,900 | $6,500 to $15,900 | 16 |
| 26 to 50 pages | $9,300 to $85,100 | $14,200 to $32,700 | 23 |
| Over 50 pages | $17,900 to $155,900 | $26,500 to $66,400 | 19 |
| All ports | $4,900 to $155,900 | about $13,000 to $31,000 | 68 |
Planning estimates, not quotes, and not a ranking or a comment on any port's site: website work plus documents still in use. All 68 port websites priced: about $1 million to $2.6 million together. Each size group shows its lowest and highest estimate; the red bar is its median, where half the ports cost less and half more. For one small port the documents couldn't be counted (its documents page was unavailable), and one small port's site couldn't be re-measured (the site seems to be down), so its October 6 measurement is used. Small-site counts matched hand checks closely; large sites are rougher.
My advice
Three Levers That Bring the Cost Down.
1
Check Templates, Not Pages
An audit tests each page layout once, and every page built on it benefits. Fewer templates means a smaller audit and less to keep up. Ask how many templates your site really needs.
Audits count templates, not pages
Bars drawn to one scale: 801 pages is the longest.
Port A
44 pages
22–26 templates
14–17 templates
Port B
183 pages
22–26 templates
14–17 templates
Port C
801 pages
22–26 templates
14–17 templates
Grey: pages a scanner sees. Red: templates to audit, two vendors' estimate. Outlined: a third vendor's count, 14–17.
Vendors' estimates, October 2026.
2
Turn New PDFs Into Web Pages
The middle port posts about 39 new documents a year, mostly agendas, minutes, notices and press releases. Published as accessible web pages, they skip the fixing a PDF needs. Fix the old ones still in use, and train whoever posts.
Archived documents can stay as they are only if they're old, unchanged, kept only for reference, and in a clearly labeled archive area. Even then, if someone needs one, you still owe them effective communication, so ask your counsel.
28 CFR 35.201(a).
The website is small. The paperwork isn't.
One port
10 PDFs
10 pages
Another
1,926 PDFs
21 pages
A third
4,034 PDFs
55 pages
25,025 PDFs across 48 small and medium port websites.
PDF files linked from each site, counted September 28, 2026.
For standard documents at standard turnaround, most state-contract rates I checked (DES 02024) run about $2.50 to $6 a page. Public agencies buy from it after signing the state's contract usage agreement, so check your port's eligibility with DES.
Washington DES contract 02024, Exhibit B.
3
Repair or Rebuild, Depending on Size
Small sites, up to 25 pages, are the clearest case for rebuilding. Medium sites are a toss-up that turns on templates and the quote. Large sites are even at best in year one; a rebuild pays off later, with fewer templates to test and keep up. Documents cost the same either way.
Repair fits a recent site on a platform you're keeping, when a scan comes back mostly clean. I build websites, so I'm not neutral here. Get both quotes.
Year one, by size of website
Small · up to 25 pages
Up to 10 pages: $4.9K–$24.5K
11 to 25 pages: $5.7K–$41.9K
Rebuilding most often makes sense.
Medium · 26 to 50 pages
$9.3K–$85.1K
A toss-up. Get both quotes.
Large · over 50 pages
$17.9K–$155.9K
Rebuilding rarely wins in year one. It can pay off later, in lower upkeep.
The same year-one ranges as the chart above, all 68 port websites. Planning estimates, not quotes.
Whoever you hire
Five Questions for Any Vendor.
- Who does the testing, and with what?
A scan is the start. Ask whether people test with screen readers and keyboards, and which tools they use. - What's not included?
Check whether documents, outside systems and the retest are in, and get the list. - Can I see a sample report?
A useful report names each problem, where it is and how to fix it. A sample shows you whether your team could act on it. - Who fixes what you find?
Some vendors test and report; some fix too. If they don't, the fixing falls to your staff or your web partner. - Will you answer my email in a week?
It sounds like a joke. It isn't: follow-through was a big factor in how I judged the vendors I talked to this fall.
Get the answers in writing.
Where to start
Your 18-Month Work List.
Now to January 2027
Name an owner. Count pages and documents. Run a free scan. Stop posting new PDFs.
Staff time
February to June 2027
Choose help with the five questions. Fix templates and forms.
Small port: about $3,000 to $7,000
Mid-size port: about $4,000 to $10,500
July to December 2027
Fix the documents still in use, newest first. Test with real people.
Small port: about $2,000 to $5,000
Mid-size port: about $8,000 to $19,000
January to April 2028
Retest. Post an accessibility statement and a way to report a barrier. Keep a dated test record. Plan for ongoing training.
Upkeep begins · April 26, 2028
The ranges shown are medians for small ports (up to 25 pages) and mid-size ports (26 to 50 pages): planning estimates, not quotes. Put a range in your 2027 budget. The Justice Department said in 2024 that it doesn't run a grant program for ADA compliance, and I found no dedicated state fund.
89 FR 31376 (2024).
Start with the owner. If everyone's in charge, no one is. Then ask your vendors for their VPAT, and write WCAG 2.1 AA into each contract when it renews.
Learn more
Resources.
Slides from the October 22 WPPA talk: download the PDF (1.2 MB)
Free Scanners You Can Run Yourself
Free tiers as of October 2026, listed for reference only.
The Rule and the Numbers
Legal and cost facts last checked October 2026. If you spot an error, email [email protected] and I'll correct it.
One option, if it fits
The Accessibility Foundation Rebuild.
$2,500
For port sites up to about 25 pages, not counting news posts or meeting records. Larger sites, or extras like payments and booking, get a custom quote.
- Your site rebuilt on up to 8 checked templates, with two forms
- An accessibility statement and a report-a-barrier link
- A meeting-records template, so agendas and minutes go up as web pages
- Training for whoever posts
- Automated scanning, and fixing what it finds, through build and launch, at no extra cost
- Testing with real people (the independent audit)
- Fixing documents
- Outside systems
- Hosting and ongoing monitoring
Rather talk it through?
Send us a note below.
Ask about your port, the Foundation Rebuild, or anything in this research. Or book a free consultation.