PDF Accessibility

PDF documents on North Carolina websites must be accessible so that a person with a disability can use document.

Internal documents for state employees, should also be accessible.

Strategy for Remediating Existing PDF Documents

Have a lot of PDFs? This will help.

Reality Check

Consider not publishing content in PDF format, and instead put it on an HTML web page.

  • Web pages are easier to read and use.
  • HTML is easier to edit, publish, and keep accessible.
  • Search engines rank HTML pages higher than PDFs.
  • Making a PDF accessible is expensive.
  • Every PDF update must be retested for accessibility.

How to Create Accessible PDFs

  1. Start from an accessible source document.
    • Format text using "styles" (headings, lists, tables, etc.) in Word, Google Docs, or other apps.
    • Use text instead of images of text.
    • Add alt text to meaningful images.
    • Make text contrast high.
  2. When you export or save as PDF, choose the option to "create tagged PDF".
  3. Remediate the document.

If you update the PDF in the future, repeat steps 1-3.

Resources for PDF Accessibility

Frequently Asked Questions

Tab/Accordion Items

Recently, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was updated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Catch Up Quick:

  • For state governments, all documents published after April 24, 2026 must be accessible (compliant with WCAG 2.1 Levels A & AA).
  • Documents published before April 24, 2026 must be accessible (compliant with WCAG 2.1 Levels A & AA) if they are used to "apply for, access, or participate in" state government services, programs, or activities.

More about the deadline

It depends on the number of pages and the complexity. 

By The Numbers

  • Complexity increases when a PDF has multi-column layouts, charts, graphs, nested tables, irregular tables, forms, or when it's created from a scan.
  • Automation can help, but full remediation is a manual task: visual inspection, screen reader testing, tag checks.

Document remediation services can provide a price quote and estimated turnaround time.

Tags define the structure of a PDF document so assistive technology users can navigate and understand it.

The Bottom Line

If a PDF is not tagged, it is an obvious sign of inaccessibility and carries a high risk of complaints.

When the document was converted to PDF, tags may not have been generated.

Go Deeper

  • To create a PDF from a Microsoft Word document, enable the option called "Document structure tags for accessibility".
  • When a PDF is created by scanning a document, tags are not generated.

No. But a properly tagged PDF is much more accessible than one without tags.

Go Deeper

No. Tagging a PDF does not change its visual presentation. 

  • Tags describe the document’s structure for assistive technology.
  • Tags reflect the visual presentation and reading order; they don't change it.
Off