Including home buying and selling, commercial, international, NAR member information, and technology. Use the data to improve your business through knowledge of the latest trends and statistics.
Stay current on industry issues with daily news from NAR. Network with other professionals, attend a seminar, and keep up with industry trends through events hosted by NAR.
Including home buying and selling, commercial, international, NAR member information, and technology. Use the data to improve your business through knowledge of the latest trends and statistics.
Stay current on industry issues with daily news from NAR. Network with other professionals, attend a seminar, and keep up with industry trends through events hosted by NAR.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990, makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities. The law has five sections or "titles" which apply to employment, public services, public accommodations, services operated by private entities, and telecommunications. Title I affects real estate offices and Association offices if they have the threshold number of employees. Title III affects Association offices, real estate offices, and commercial facilities.
Title I of the ADA applies to employment and protects qualified persons with a disability who can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. Thus, if a real estate sales office has 15 or more employees, Title I applies.
Title III of the ADA prohibits entities that own, lease, lease to or operate a place of public accommodation from discriminating against the disabled. Businesses covered include hotels, restaurants, convention centers, sales establishments including real estate offices, offices of professionals such as attorneys and CPAs, etc. If a real estate broker or salesperson has a home office in which business is conducted with customers, that portion of the home must also be in compliance with the ADA. The ADA requires equal access and services to disabled individuals in the most integrated setting possible. In essence, that means that architectural and communication barriers are to be removed in existing facilities where such removal is readily achievable and can be carried out without much difficulty or expense. Examples of steps to take in order to remove barriers include installing ramps, rearranging tables and chairs, repositioning telephones, adding raised markers on elevator control buttons, widening doors, or installing offset hinges to widen doors.
The U.S. Department of Justice is the most authoritative source of Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA) laws and compliance. You can also find information about filing a complaint, disability resources and much more.
REALTOR® Magazine, REALTOR® AE Magazine and NAR provide you with additional material, such as fair housing resources, an ADA Compliance Kit and compliance tips for your brokerage.
Website accessibility is an important part of the ADA. Text to speech, transcripts for videos, website functionality using both a keyboard and a mouse are important elements of accessibility. Making your website accessible is good business for all your customers.
The ADA has been law for over 30 years. Find out its impact on the workplace and society and how the fight still continues. The EEOC says that COVID impairments may be considered disabilities.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), attorneys may collect fees related to pursuing claims of non-compliance of the law, but plaintiffs are not permitted to collect damages. These suits often target easily-correctible infractions such as signage, soap dispenser heights, and transition lifts on ramps. Owners of these properties often have a reasonable belief that they are in compliance with the law based on state and local inspections. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), these lawsuits, commonly referred to as “drive-by lawsuits," have been on the rise in recent years.
I am a real estate professional. What does this mean for my business?
The ADA’s lack of a notice requirement leaves commercial property owners, who may in good faith believe that their businesses and buildings are in compliance with the law, vulnerable to lawsuits. Once a suit is filed, there is no opportunity to cure the infraction, so property owners spend time and money on attorneys and paying fees which could instead have gone towards fixing the issue. The ADA does not allow victims to collect damages, so a portion of the money goes to paying attorneys’ fees.
NAR Policy on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Lawsuit Reform
NAR supports requiring prior notification of, with an opportunity to correct, alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act before a lawsuit on that alleged violation can be filed, while reaffirming support for the Americans with Disabilities Act and programs that encourage compliance with ADA laws.
Legislative/Regulatory Status/Outlook
Bills have been introduced in Congress for several years which would add a “notice-and-cure” requirement to the ADA, to require that businesses being sued for violations to the ADA receive notice of the violation and an opportunity to fix it before a suit can be filed.
NAR is a part of a coalition of industry groups focused on advocating for a solution to the issue of drive-by ADA lawsuits, and will continue to work toward that goal in the current Congress.
NAR Library & Archives has already done the research for you. References (formerly Field Guides) offer links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of perspectives. EBSCO articles (E) are available only to NAR members and require the member's nar.realtor login.
If you believe that you or someone else was discriminated against based on a disability, you can file an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complaint against a state government or local government, such as a public hospital, public school, other state or local government program; a private business that serves the public, such as a restaurant, doctor’s office, shop, or hotel.
To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.
Are emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals considered service animals under the ADA?
No. These terms are used to describe animals that provide comfort just by being with a person. Because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. However, some State or local governments have laws that allow people to take emotional support animals into public places. You may check with your State and local government agencies to find out about these laws.
The process that the Department of Justice uses to certify that State laws, local building codes, or similar ordinances meet or exceed the ADA Standards for Accessible Design for new construction and alterations, go to Certification of State and Local Building Codes.
“ADA website accessibility remains a hotly-litigated issue nationwide with a 14% increase in lawsuits targeting websites in 2021. Add to that a barrage of demand letters specifically targeting the real estate industry, and it's a risk for associations, MLSs and their members.”
“NAR continues to recommend that real estate professionals work with their website vendors to do accessibility audits of their business websites to identify any accessibility deficiencies. Existing technical standards provide helpful guidance concerning how to ensure accessibility of website features. These include the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Section 508 Standards, which the federal government uses for its own websites. In the meantime, NAR will continue to advocate that the DOJ issues a regulation that provides clear standards that take into consideration the challenges for businesses that develop and maintain accessible websites.”
How does this impact the real estate sales office? As previously indicated, if a practitioner uses his or her home or a portion thereof as an office, the private residence or portion thereof used for business must be accessible to people with disabilities. The Office on the ADA has issued some technical guidance for the real estate industry as follows. For example, a two-story building with bathrooms on both the ground floor and the second floor will be used for a real estate office.
The benefits of web accessibility extend far beyond compliance. An accessible website creates a more positive experience for all users, fostering trust, loyalty, and engagement. In a digital world where users have countless options, prioritizing accessibility can set your business apart by showing that you care about providing access to information and services.
All functionality within your website, including links, buttons, and forms, should be configured so that ADA compliance is essential for real estate websites because it ensures accessibility for users with disabilities, aligning your business with legal standards and ethical practices, including features like alternative text for images, keyboard operability, and readable fonts with high contrast makes your website more inclusive and usable for all visitors, non-compliance with ADA requirements can lead to lawsuits, fines, and reputational damage.
In 2025, the importance for websites, SaaS, and mobile apps to meet current ADA, state and legal requirements in the US and abroad is more pronounced than ever. Yet, surprisingly, the vast majority of websites are not up to the mark. The fact remains: unless a website is expressly designed and built with web accessibility and ADA compliance in mind, it simply won't meet current accessibility standards. Ignoring these ADA requirements puts your website at risk of lawsuits, brand tarnish, and missed opportunities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act does not have a "grandfather clause" that would exempt existing pre-ADA buildings or facilities from compliance with ADA requirements. All existing public accommodations, regardless of age, must meet the minimum standards of the ADA if “Readily Achievable” to do so. However, the ADA does have a provision known as the "safe harbor". The ADA Standards for Accessible Design have only been updated once in the 30+ years that the Act was signed into law. The current 2010 ADAS took effect on March 15, 2012. Safe Harbor applies to buildings or facilities that were constructed or altered before March 15, 2012 and complied with the 1991 ADAS. Under this provision, these buildings or facilities are not required to comply with the more restrictive 2010 standards until alterations are made.
As Title III mandates, commercial facilities and places of public accommodation must provide equal access for individuals with disabilities. This creates a duty on commercial real estate owners, builders, developers, and tenants to make reasonable modifications to policies or programs that limit the access of disabled individuals and to ensure newly constructed facilities comply with ADA design standards. Thus, the ADA’s impact on the real estate industry exceeds compliance in the employment context and extends to the operation and construction of buildings open to the public.
To be fully inclusive and to prioritize employee and resident well-being, cities can — and should — focus on how to be more accommodating beyond the legal requirements of the ADA, always considering disabilities that may not be as visible, too, said Arianna Bloom, LMC diversity, equity, and inclusion coordinator.
“When we talk about building welcoming environments and inclusion, a lot of the time disability is left out of the conversation,” Bloom said.
Ensuring that commercial properties are ADA compliant is not just about avoiding penalties; it’s about creating inclusive spaces where every individual can have equal access to services and opportunities. As a real estate attorney, my advice to property owners is always to be proactive. Regularly assess your property, consult with professionals, and make the necessary modifications. Inclusivity and accessibility are not only the law, but they also make good business sense.
Surprisingly, Title II of the ADA does not require a state or local government to make each building and facility accessible. Instead, it applies the concept of program access. This means people with disabilities must not be excluded and must be able to participate meaningfully in government programs, services, and activities.
The ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on how to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to support the mission of the ADA to “assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.”
We advocate for better policies that promote accessibility and ensure equality and opportunity for people who are blind or visually impaired, creating a culture of inclusion at work, at school, and in our communities.
As a national cross-disability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the over 60 million Americans with disabilities by promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation.
AAIDD promotes progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our Mission: Promoting and protecting the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
The ADA is a comprehensive civil rights law for persons with disabilities. Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all programs, services, and activities provided or made available by public entities (state and local governments and special purpose districts). This includes housing when the housing is provided or made available by a public entity regardless of whether the entity receives federal financial assistance.
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is an organization that serves the deaf and hard hearing people in the US. They believe that every deaf/hard hearing individuals should have the opportunity to learn sign language, advocate for their issues, and to represent these individuals on a national level.
NCD is an independent federal agency charged with advising the President, Congress, and other federal agencies regarding policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with disabilities. NCD is comprised of a team of Presidential and Congressional appointees, an Executive Director appointed by the Chair, and a full-time professional staff.
Books, eBooks, Videos, Research Reports & More
As a member benefit, the following resources and more are available for loan through the NAR Library. Items will be mailed directly to you or made available for pickup at the REALTOR® Building in Chicago.
The inclusion of links on this page does not imply endorsement by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR makes no representations about whether the content of any external sites which may be linked in this page complies with state or federal laws or regulations or with applicable NAR policies. These links are provided for your convenience only and you rely on them at your own risk.
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