Which framework fits your offering?
Public websites: WZG and state regulations
The Web Accessibility Act (Web-Zugänglichkeits-Gesetz, WZG) governs websites and mobile applications of the federal government as well as certain institutions close to it. Public bodies of the federal states are covered by their own state laws. For municipal, school or other public services, you should therefore check who runs them, who is responsible and which state regulation applies, instead of automatically adopting the federal WZG.
BaFG: certain consumer offerings since 28 June 2025
The Accessibility Act (Barrierefreiheitsgesetz, BaFG) implements the European Accessibility Act for certain products and services. These include, for example, online shops, banking services for consumers, e-books and certain digital passenger transport services. A website that is part of a covered service must be assessed accordingly. This does not create a blanket BaFG obligation for every Austrian website.
Micro-enterprises and other legal bases
Micro-enterprises that offer services are exempt from the BaFG. The decisive criteria are fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or annual balance sheet total of no more than two million euros. Different relief applies to products. A BaFG exemption does not automatically answer questions under disability equality law or about the requirements for public bodies.
Your practical checklist
Assign operator and service
Note whether the operator is the federal government, a state, a municipality or a private company, as well as the service offered and the users addressed. Check the relevant WZG, state law or specific BaFG use case, and document the basis for any exemption.
Capture the complete use
List page types, forms, appointment and booking journeys, authentication, payment and documents. External booking or payment components need their own assessment. Decide which pages and processes you actually sign off.
Add manual tests to technical findings
Check representative pages automatically and also test important tasks with a keyboard, zoom and assistive technologies. Pay attention to understandable error messages, recognisable labels and a visible, logical focus.
Fix content and functions
Fix errors in the CMS and source code. Check alt texts against the purpose of each image, documents for order and completeness, and videos for the alternatives they need. Language drafts must be checked for comprehensibility and factual accuracy.
Maintain the right information and contact options
Use the requirements of the relevant regulation for your statement or service information. Make sure that reports of barriers reach a responsible person and are handled in a traceable way.
Keep rechecking changes
Repeat tests after design, content and integration changes. Record the test date, known barriers, responsibilities and next measures. An unchanged scan score does not replace checking new journeys.
Publish the right information
Under the WZG, implementation includes an accurate statement and the appropriate feedback and complaint channels. For BaFG services, their own information obligations apply. The federal WZG complaints body at the FFG must be distinguished from market surveillance under the BaFG by the Sozialministeriumservice. So do not copy someone else’s statement along with responsibilities that do not apply to you.
Create and maintain a draft statementApply it to your area of work
The legal form alone does not tell you which requirements apply. Also check who runs the service, what exactly it offers and the people who use it.
From the first check to lasting improvement
The free check examines one publicly accessible page. Use the result as a starting point and add manual tests. A successful automated result proves neither full WCAG conformance nor compliance with all legal obligations.
- Check more pages and monitor changes
- Review image texts in the context of the page
- Develop understandable texts with expert review
A widget can offer personal reading aids. It does not replace fixes in the source code, sign-language content, testing with assistive technologies or an appropriate legal assessment.
Check your website for freeOfficial sources and status
Content reviewed on 8 November 2026. Scope, exemptions and the competent procedures must fit your specific offering. You will find updates and the original texts at the linked bodies. The official sources are in German.