Accessibility · Draft, not a standard
WCAG 3 Working Draft readiness
W3C Accessibility Guidelines 3.0 · W3C Working Draft, 10 September 2026 · for readiness planning only
WCAG 3 is the W3C's draft successor to WCAG 2. No law requires it and no one can conform to it yet, but its direction is clear enough to plan for. Lavawall® lets you measure readiness against the current draft while you keep WCAG 2.2 Level AA as your real target.
Read the WCAG 3 guideSee WCAG 2.2
Last updated 14 October 2026
What is the status of WCAG 3?
- Latest draft: W3C Working Draft, 10 September 2026. It contains only requirements that have reached "developing" status, and the W3C says the final set "will be different from what is in this draft".
- Timeline: not expected to be a completed W3C standard for a few more years. The working group projects a Candidate Recommendation snapshot in the fourth quarter of 2027, a projection it says does not necessarily represent consensus.
- WCAG 2: not deprecated by WCAG 3, and not to be deprecated for several years after WCAG 3 is final.
- The law: Ontario's AODA names WCAG 2.0 Level AA; the US ADA Title II rule and EN 301 549 V3.2.1 name WCAG 2.1 Level AA. None names WCAG 3.
How does the framework measure readiness?
It follows the structure of the September 2026 draft, where conformance is a single level and reporting tiers show progress beyond it.
| Level | What it covers in the draft |
|---|---|
| Core requirements | Every core requirement, tagged by the harm a failure causes: physical harm, risk, barrier, or friction. Meeting all of them is what the draft calls conformance (tier 3). |
| Bronze | Core requirements plus a number of supplemental requirements and assertions about content (tier 4). |
| Silver | Bronze plus a greater number of supplemental requirements and assertions about content (tier 5). |
| Gold | Silver plus assertions about the organization, such as staff training and a public accessibility statement (tier 6). |
The draft has not set how many supplemental requirements and assertions each of the higher tiers needs, and the W3C is also asking for comment on a scoring approach that would award Bronze, Silver, and Gold differently. The framework is updated when a new draft is published.
How Lavawall® helps you get ready
- Readiness in the domain scan. The Lavawall domain scan adds a WCAG 3 readiness section, marked as a draft, beside its WCAG 2.2 and WCAG 2.0 results. It covers the draft requirements that can be tested automatically.
- A framework that stays a draft. The WCAG 3 framework is labelled as a Working Draft, is left out of Lavawall's count of compliance frameworks, and tracks readiness rather than compliance.
- Practices that count now. The draft's assertions, such as plain language review, usability testing, training, and an accessibility statement, are good practice today, and you can keep their evidence in the same place as your WCAG 2.2 and AODA work.
WCAG 3 results in Lavawall are informative. They are not a conformance claim, a certification, or evidence of legal compliance, and Lavawall never reports that a site conforms to WCAG 3.
Related
Primary sources: W3C, W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0, Working Draft, 10 September 2026, the WCAG 3 Introduction (updated 25 September 2026), and the working group's projected schedule. Last verified 14 October 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is WCAG 3 a standard?
No. WCAG 3 (W3C Accessibility Guidelines 3.0) is a W3C Working Draft; the latest is dated 10 September 2026. The W3C says it is not expected to be a completed standard for a few more years, and that WCAG 2 will not be deprecated for several years after that.
What does the Lavawall WCAG 3 framework do?
It lets you measure readiness against the current Working Draft: which draft requirements your website and practices already meet, and which would be gaps if the draft stayed as it is. It is labelled as a draft, it is left out of Lavawall's count of compliance frameworks, and it is updated when the W3C publishes a new draft.
Can we use the WCAG 3 framework as evidence of compliance?
No. No law or contract we know of requires WCAG 3, and no one can claim conformance to a Working Draft. Use WCAG 2.2 Level AA, or the version a law names, such as WCAG 2.0 Level AA for the Ontario AODA, as your compliance evidence.
Which tiers does the WCAG 3 framework use?
It follows the September 2026 draft: core requirements, which the draft treats as conformance, then the Bronze, Silver, and Gold reporting tiers above it, which add supplemental requirements and assertions. The draft has not set how many of each the higher tiers need, so those tiers show direction, not a score.
Should we start working on WCAG 3 now?
Start with WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which is the W3C's own advice. Then use the WCAG 3 readiness view to spot the practices the draft adds, such as plain language review, usability testing with people with disabilities, and a public accessibility statement, which are worth doing anyway.