WCAG 2.2 AA checklist — every Level A and AA criterion, with what plaintiffs actually cite

WCAG 2.2 AA is the standard US courts use as a proxy for ADA Title III compliance. Below are the Level A and AA success criteria, ordered by how frequently each shows up in 2024–2025 plaintiff complaints.

The five most-cited failures

• ·1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A) — missing alt text on images, icons, charts.
• ·1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) — using divs/spans where headings, lists, or labels belong.
• ·1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA) — body text below 4.5:1 contrast.
• ·2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A) — “click here” / “read more” without context.
• ·4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A) — custom widgets without ARIA roles or accessible names.

Level A — the floor

Failing any Level A criterion is the strongest signal in a plaintiff brief. These are non-negotiable; any automated tool can detect most of them.

Level AA — what courts treat as the standard

Level AA is what the DOJ Title II rule and most state laws name explicitly. Contrast, focus visibility, and consistent navigation live here.

WCAG 2.2 — what is new vs 2.1

WCAG 2.2 added 9 success criteria in 2023. The two most material at AA are 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) and 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum). If you upgraded a checker that still cites 2.1, you are missing them.

Run it once

A11yPing's free scan runs the full Level A + AA WCAG 2.2 set with axe-core and Pa11y. The result is a public, dated report URL you can share.