Accessibility standard
Unruh Civil Rights Act
California's accessibility and anti-discrimination law, with statutory damages per violation.
Applies to: California businessesWhat it is
The Unruh Act guarantees equal access to all business establishments in California.
California courts treat ADA violations as automatic Unruh violations.
Unlike federal ADA, Unruh provides statutory damages of at least $4,000 per violation, per visit.
Who must comply
- Any business operating in California
- Out-of-state businesses serving California customers
Key requirements
- WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA conformance
- No barriers to equal access for people with disabilities
- Reasonable accommodations on request
Risks of non-compliance
Statutory damages stack quickly. California is the single most active jurisdiction in the country for accessibility lawsuits.
This is educational and not legal advice. Talk to your attorney about your specific exposure.
How Scale helps
Scale is California based. We treat Unruh exposure as a default risk and design every site to remove it.