This article is general information, not legal advice. Check with your city attorney or county counsel about how these rules apply to your agency.
The Department of Justice's ADA Title II web rule sets an accessibility standard for state and local government websites and apps, and that includes the meeting video you stream and post. The compliance dates moved in April 2026, so here is what the new dates mean for live captions.
What the rule says
In April 2024, DOJ issued a rule under Title II of the ADA. It requires state and local government web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, a widely used technical standard for accessibility.
For meetings, two WCAG 2.1 success criteria stand out:
- SC 1.2.4 Captions (Live), Level AA: captions are provided for all live audio content in synchronized media. A live-streamed council meeting is the clearest example.
- SC 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded), Level A: captions are provided for prerecorded video, such as meeting recordings you post after the fact.
The new dates
In April 2026, DOJ extended the compliance dates by one year:
- April 26, 2027 for public entities with a population of 50,000 or more
- April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts
Two things did not change. The extension doesn't change the standard; it is still WCAG 2.1 Level AA. And the ADA's general obligations still apply today, regardless of the web rule dates.
The rule also has exceptions, for example for certain archived content. Whether an exception applies to a specific recording or page is a legal question. Check with your city attorney or county counsel on how the rule and its exceptions apply to your agency.
What the dates mean in practice
A deadline that moved a year out can feel like permission to wait. A better way to read it: you have time to do this carefully instead of in a rush. Meeting video touches several groups, including the clerk's office, IT, communications and whoever runs the chamber AV, so the work takes coordination.
It is also worth remembering that the dates are about the web rule. The ADA's broader obligations, including effective communication, are already in effect. A resident who needs captions to follow a meeting needs them now, not in 2027.
Where live captions fit
For live-streamed meetings, SC 1.2.4 is the criterion that calls for captions. Here is how SentraCaptions approaches it:
- It works with your current stream. You add SentraCaptions as one more destination on the encoder you already use, such as Pearl, OBS or vMix, over RTMP or SRT. No new hardware.
- Captions are fast. They appear about one second after speech, and the sentence in progress updates live.
- Captions go where people watch. Captions in one language can be sent to your YouTube Live stream. A full-screen chamber display shows captions in the room, and residents can scan a QR code to read along on their phone.
- Local names come out right more often. A glossary of council members, streets, neighborhoods and programs helps captions spell them correctly.
- Clear labeling. Every screen labels the captions as automatic and says they may contain errors.
For posted recordings, SC 1.2.2 is the relevant criterion. After each meeting, SentraCaptions provides transcripts in every language as TXT or SRT (subtitle) files. An SRT file can be added to a posted video as captions. Review the file before posting, especially for names and numbers.
Automatic captions support accessibility, but they are not the answer to every request. If a deaf or hard-of-hearing resident asks for CART as an accommodation, your agency should consider that request under the ADA's effective communication rules, which give primary consideration to the person's choice.
A plan for the extra year
- Confirm your date with counsel. Is your agency at 50,000 or more, or a smaller entity or special district? Ask counsel to confirm.
- Inventory your meeting video. Which bodies are streamed? Where? Which recordings are posted, and where do they live?
- Start with live meetings. Your main council or board meeting is usually the most watched. Get captions working there first.
- Extend to other bodies. Planning commissions and committees are often streamed too. Several rooms can run at once, each with its own screen and link.
- Set a process for recordings. Decide who attaches the SRT file to posted video and who reviews it.
- Write down your accommodation process. Know how a resident requests CART or another accommodation and who decides.
- Ask counsel about older content. Find out which archived recordings may fall under an exception.
Budget and timing
Budget cycles often decide when a project can start. SentraCaptions does not publish prices; pricing is extremely competitive and quoted based on your hours of meetings and number of languages. You can buy minutes as you need them or prepay. There are no per-viewer fees and no hardware to buy, and time while captions are paused, such as during closed session, isn't used.