Website accessibility fines in Italy: who is really at risk and how much
The European Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025 and many companies are being offered plugins “to avoid fines”. But most SME websites are not in scope, and those that are risk far less than what you read.
Plenty of fear, no fines (for now)
The European Accessibility Act has applied across Europe since 28 June 2025, and since then many companies have been offered plugins and widgets “to avoid fines”. The figures going around range from 40,000 euro to 5% of turnover.
The real picture is simpler. Most Italian SME websites are not in scope. An SME that is in scope risks fines from 5,000 to 40,000 euro: 5% of turnover only concerns companies with more than 500 million euro in revenue. And as of November 2026, no fines have been recorded against any company in Italy.
That does not make accessibility pointless: a site that also works for people with low vision, who use only a keyboard or a screen reader, is simply a better site. But it helps to know who is really obliged and what is at stake.
What the law says
For private companies there are two sets of rules, with different obligations and fines.
The Stanca Law (Law 4/2004), amended in 2020, covers public administrations and, among private companies, those offering services to the public through websites or apps with average turnover above 500 million euro over the last three years. AgID counts the group as a whole: a smaller subsidiary is covered if the group exceeds the threshold (Agenda Digitale). These companies must publish an accessibility statement every year, by 23 September (AgID).
The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882), transposed in Italy by Legislative Decree 82/2022, has applied since 28 June 2025 to specific products and services, not to every website (text of the decree). For services:
- e-commerce aimed at consumers;
- consumer banking services;
- passenger transport by air, bus, rail and waterway, including websites, apps and e-tickets;
- electronic communications and access to audiovisual media services;
- e-books and dedicated software.
Content published before 28 June 2025 and no longer updated, such as archives and old documents, is excluded.
Who is really obliged
| Type of site | In scope? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Brochure site of a company or practice, even with a contact form | Usually not | It is not one of the services listed in the decree |
| Consumer e-commerce run by a company that is not a microenterprise | Yes | European Accessibility Act |
| Consumer e-commerce run by a microenterprise | No | Microenterprises providing services are exempt |
| Sales to other businesses only (B2B) | Usually not | The EAA concerns services to consumers |
| Banks, passenger transport, telecoms | Yes | European Accessibility Act |
| Company or group with average turnover above 500 million and online services to the public | Yes | Stanca Law |
| Company receiving public funding for services delivered online | To be checked | Stanca Law, art. 3 |
Accessibility vendors acknowledge it too: in its FAQ, iubenda answers that brochure sites are “in general” not in scope (iubenda).
The last row deserves attention. The Stanca Law also covers those who receive public grants or incentives for services delivered through websites and apps (text of the law). We found no AgID guidance on how it is applied: anyone who received funding for a portal or an app would do well to have it checked.
Fines on paper and in practice
| Who | Fine | Source |
|---|---|---|
| EAA services that do not meet the requirements | 5,000 to 40,000 euro, depending on how non-compliant the service is and how many users are affected | Legislative Decree 82/2022, art. 24 |
| Companies that do not make the fixes AgID requires or do not cooperate with checks | 2,500 to 30,000 euro | Legislative Decree 82/2022, art. 24 |
| Companies above 500 million that ignore AgID's formal warning | Up to 5% of turnover | Stanca Law, art. 9 |
| Public administrations | No fines: managers are held accountable | Stanca Law, art. 9 |
In every case the fine is not the first step. AgID's supervision rules of May 2026 provide for a report, a “reasonable and proportionate” deadline to fix the problem and only then, if nothing changes, a formal warning and a fine. AgID says it prefers collaborative resolution (AgID). If a company does not comply, the decree also allows AgID to order the service taken offline or the app removed from the stores.
What about fines actually imposed? As of May 2026 there were no public proceedings or fines under Decree 82/2022, and the 5% fine had never been applied (Agenda Digitale). The rules require decisions to be published: as of November 2026 we found none.
What to do in practice
If your site is in scope, or you want to make it accessible anyway, this is the right order:
- 01
Check whether you are obliged
Type of service, sales to consumers or to businesses, company size, any public funding.
- 02
Run a real review
Automated tools for the most obvious issues, then a manual test with keyboard and screen reader on the pages that matter: catalogue, cart, checkout, customer area.
- 03
Fix the site's code
Contrast, alternative text, form labels, keyboard navigation, heading order. Often the fix goes into the theme, once and for all.
- 04
Publish the accessibility information
With a way to report problems, and reply within 30 days.
- 05
Keep the site accessible over time
Every new page, banner or plugin can undo the work.
First check whether it applies to you, then do it properly
Accessibility is not solved by fear, nor by a button. For most SMEs the first step is to find out whether the obligation really exists; for those selling online to consumers it is to work on the site, not on top of it.
At Cloudfactory we check whether your site is in scope, review it with automated tools and manual tests, fix the code and prepare the information to publish. Send us your site's address: we will tell you whether you are obliged and what needs doing.
How we wrote this article
At Cloudfactory we also use artificial intelligence in our editorial work: it helps us find and cross-check sources, compare data, set up the structure and polish the language. The system we use is configured by us, with instructions, examples and procedures built around the way we write. Our team checked every source, corrected the text and approved the published version. The assessments and choices are Cloudfactory's, and we are accountable for them.
Frequently asked questions
Is my website legally required to be accessible?
It depends on the service and on size. Consumer e-commerce, banks, transport and telecoms that are not microenterprises are in scope, as are companies above 500 million in turnover. A brochure site usually is not.
What does an SME with an inaccessible online shop risk?
5,000 to 40,000 euro, but only after a report, a deadline to fix and an ignored formal warning. 5% of turnover only concerns companies above 500 million.
Has anyone been fined in Italy yet?
As of November 2026 we found no published fines against companies, either under the European Accessibility Act or under the Stanca Law.
Are microenterprises exempt?
Yes, for services: fewer than 10 people and turnover or balance sheet up to 2 million euro. Those that make or sell the products listed in the decree still have lighter obligations.
Is installing an accessibility widget enough?
No. Widgets do not fix the site's code and do not guarantee compliance, as European disability organisations have made clear.
Sources
- Legislative Decree 82/2022, transposing the European Accessibility Act (text)
- Law 4/2004 (Stanca Law), consolidated text
- Directive (EU) 2019/882, art. 4
- AgID, guidelines for private entities (6 May 2022)
- AgID, guidelines on the accessibility of services (11 March 2026)
- AgID, supervision rules (29 May 2026)
- Agenda Digitale, AgID circular on private companies' obligations (17 January 2023)
- Agenda Digitale, state of checks and fines (21 May 2026)
- iubenda, AgID guidelines FAQ (23 April 2026)
- EDF and IAAP, statement on overlays (17 May 2023)
- FTC, final order against accessiBe (22 April 2025)
- ACM, review of online shops (24 March 2026)
- Handicap.fr, Lille decision (May 2026)
- Village de la Justice, Lille and Caen decisions (12 June 2026)
- Associazione Luca Coscioni, summary of lawsuits (25 May 2026)