ADA Demand Letter Response Template

How to use this template

This is a response letter you send within seven to fourteen days of receiving an ADA website demand letter. It is not a settlement offer. It is a structured reply that accomplishes four things.

1. It acknowledges receipt without admitting liability.
2. It references your existing accessibility work (or commits to publishing a statement).
3. It asks for the specific information the plaintiff's letter usually omits.
4. It documents your willingness to address substantiated issues, not to entertain a dollar figure.

Fill in every bracketed field. Do not leave brackets in the final letter. Do not change the specificity-request paragraph. It is the most useful part of the document and it works specifically because it is structured.

Send two copies. One by certified mail with return receipt. One by email to the attorney listed on the demand letter. Keep copies of both, including the certified mail tracking receipt.

If the demand exceeds twenty-five thousand dollars or cites federal court filing within fewer than thirty days, retain counsel who has defended ADA Title III claims before using this template.

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The letter

[Your business letterhead if you have one. If not, your business name and address in the top right of the page.]

[Date]

Via Certified Mail and Email

[Plaintiff attorney name] [Law firm name] [Law firm street address] [Law firm city, state, zip]

Re: Your demand letter dated [date of plaintiff's letter] regarding [your website URL]

Dear Counsel,

This letter is in response to your correspondence of [date] concerning alleged Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act claims against [your business legal name] and its website, [your website URL].

We acknowledge receipt of your letter. We take the accessibility of our website seriously and have been engaged in conformance work with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines since [date or the phrase "prior to receipt of your letter"]. Our current accessibility statement is available at [your accessibility statement URL or the phrase "is being prepared for publication"].

Before we can meaningfully evaluate the allegations in your letter, we require the following information, which was not included:

1. The specific date or dates on which your client attempted to access [your website URL].

2. The specific assistive technology your client used during the attempt, including product name and version.

3. The specific pages or features your client attempted to access, and the specific task your client was trying to complete.

4. The specific WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria alleged to have been violated, with reference to the exact page or feature on which each violation occurred.

5. Documentation of any attempt by your client to contact [your business name] through the accessibility feedback channel on our website prior to the issuance of your letter.

We ask for these specifics for two reasons. First, we are already conducting a conformance audit and are committing resources to remediation. Specific findings allow us to prioritize accurately. Second, a demand letter that does not identify specific conduct, specific barriers, and a specific attempt by a specific individual is insufficient on its face to establish standing under the ADA.

We are willing to address substantiated accessibility issues through an accessibility conformance plan. We are not willing to entertain a settlement figure in the absence of the specifics requested above.

Please direct any further correspondence to [your contact name] at [your contact email] and [your contact phone].

Sincerely,

[Your signature]

[Your printed name] [Your title] [Your business legal name]

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What to do after you send it

Calendar fourteen days. Most volume demand letters go quiet after a specificity request. A percentage come back with requested details. A smaller percentage proceed to filing anyway.

Keep remediating. Nothing in this response stops you from improving the site. The more remediation you complete between your response and any follow-up, the stronger your position becomes if the matter escalates.

Document everything. Date, time, and content of the response. The certified mail tracking number. Any subsequent correspondence. All of this becomes evidence if the case proceeds.

Do not install an overlay widget. The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against accessibility overlay vendors for making unsubstantiated compliance claims. Courts have rejected overlay installation as a defense. Plaintiff's firms cite overlay presence as evidence of bad faith.

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Common follow-up scenarios

The plaintiff's firm sends requested specifics. Review them. If they are substantive and match real WCAG failures on your site, retain counsel. If they are vague or do not describe actual use, send a second letter noting the continued lack of specifics and your ongoing remediation work.

The plaintiff's firm files in federal court. You need counsel. The response letter is part of your initial defense record. Your remediation log and any published accessibility statement become critical.

The plaintiff's firm goes quiet. Do not assume it is resolved. Keep all correspondence. If more than sixty days pass without response, calendar a quarterly review of your accessibility program to continue building the good-faith record.

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This template provides a starting structure, not legal advice. Every ADA claim has specific facts that change the right wording. For a specific letter affecting your specific business, consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction who has handled ADA Title III matters.

Prepared by Startvest LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business based in Hampstead, NC. Updated [updatedAt]. Additional guidance at adacompliancedocs.com.