How to File an ADA Complaint: DOJ, EEOC, and Deadlines

To file an ADA complaint, you send it to the federal agency that enforces the part of the Americans with Disabilities Act you believe was violated: the EEOC for employment discrimination, the Department of Justice for state and local government services or private businesses open to the public, and the Federal Transit Administration for public transit. Filing is free, can be done online, by mail, or in person, and in nearly every case must happen within 180 days of the incident.

Which Agency Gets Your Complaint

The ADA is split into sections, and each section has its own enforcer. Sending your complaint to the wrong office won’t automatically kill it — agencies do forward misdirected filings — but it costs time you may not have.

Employment discrimination under Title I goes to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This covers denied reasonable accommodations, firing, refusal to hire, and other unfair treatment by private employers with 15 or more employees and by state and local governments.¹
State and local government programs, services, and activities under Title II go to the DOJ. Examples include courthouses without ramps, city websites that screen readers can’t parse, and public meetings with no sign language interpreter.²
Private businesses open to the public under Title III — restaurants, hotels, retail stores, movie theaters, doctors’ offices — also go to the DOJ.³
Public transit violations — broken wheelchair lifts, inaccessible rail stations, transit agencies out of compliance — go to the Federal Transit Administration.⁴

One point worth knowing at the start: for employment complaints, filing with the EEOC is a legal prerequisite to suing your employer. You can’t skip it. For Title II and Title III, you can go directly to federal court without filing an administrative complaint first, though filing with the DOJ costs nothing and can produce results without a lawyer.

The 180-Day Filing Deadline

Nearly every ADA path runs on a 180-day clock, counted from the date of the discriminatory act. Miss it, and the agency will likely reject your complaint without looking at the substance.

EEOC employment charges start at 180 calendar days. That extends to 300 days if your state or local government has its own agency enforcing disability discrimination laws, which most states do.⁵ Even with the extension, don’t treat the extra days as a cushion. Evidence goes stale, witnesses forget details, and employers overwrite records.

DOJ complaints under Title II run on the same 180-day window, though the designated agency can extend it for good cause.⁶ The FTA applies the same 180 days to transit complaints.⁷

What to Gather Before You File

A complaint that reads like a clean narrative moves faster than one that forces an investigator to call you for every detail. Pull the following together before you open any form:

Your full name, mailing address, phone, and email.
The exact name of the business, government agency, or employer, plus their address. For employers, include the number of employees if you know it.
A dated timeline of what happened, written in order. “March 12, 2026 at approximately 2:00 p.m.” holds up in a way “sometime last spring” does not.
Supporting documents: photographs of architectural barriers, copies of denied accommodation requests, relevant emails and letters, and any written policies that created the barrier. For transit, include route numbers and vehicle identifiers.
Names and contact details for witnesses who saw the incident or can confirm the treatment.

For employment complaints, medical documentation can matter if the employer questioned whether you have a qualifying disability. A doctor’s note should explain the functional limitation and the specific accommodation needed. Vague notes that just say “please accommodate this employee” have been rejected in court for failing to recommend a concrete adjustment.

Filing With the DOJ

The DOJ handles Title II and Title III complaints. There is no filing fee.

Online

The fastest route is the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s online form. You get a confirmation number immediately, and the report goes straight to review staff.⁸ Save the confirmation number for follow-up.

By Mail

You can send a paper ADA Complaint Form or a typed letter containing the same information to:

U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530³

The paper form is available in regular and large-format versions on ADA.gov. If you write a letter instead, include everything the form asks for — your details, the respondent’s details, what happened, when, and what type of discrimination you experienced. An incomplete letter may sit in a queue while the agency requests clarification.

Filing With the EEOC

Employment complaints go through the EEOC, which calls them “charges” rather than complaints. The process involves more back-and-forth with staff before your charge becomes official.

Online Through the Public Portal

Start with an online inquiry through the EEOC Public Portal. It asks preliminary questions to confirm the EEOC is the right agency. The EEOC then schedules an interview by phone or in person, and a staff member drafts the formal charge based on what you describe. You review and sign it through your online account.⁹

In Person

You can visit any EEOC field office. Appointments are available through the Public Portal, and most offices take walk-ins. Staff will prepare the charge with you on-site.⁹

By Mail

If you’re within 60 days of the deadline, you can mail a signed letter to your nearest EEOC office. It must include your name, address, and phone number; the employer’s name and address; the number of employees if known; a description of the discriminatory actions; and when they occurred. The letter has to be signed, or the EEOC cannot investigate it.⁹

By Phone

The EEOC doesn’t take formal charges over the phone, but 1-800-669-4000 will get you a representative who can start the process and confirm whether your situation falls under the laws they enforce.

If your state has a Fair Employment Practices Agency, filing with either the EEOC or the state agency automatically dual-files with the other. You don’t file twice.

Filing a Transit Complaint

The FTA asks that you first file with the transit agency itself and give them a reasonable chance to fix the problem. If the agency doesn’t respond or the problem continues, you can escalate to the FTA’s Office of Civil Rights.⁴

Include dates, times, route numbers, and any correspondence you’ve had with the transit agency. The FTA provides a complaint form and mailing instructions on its website.

What Happens After You File

Filing is the start of the process, not the end. What follows depends on which agency has your complaint.

DOJ

The DOJ assigns your complaint to a team that specializes in the type of issue. Review can take up to three months. If you haven’t heard anything after three months, call the ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY) for a status check.³

The DOJ doesn’t investigate every complaint. Possible outcomes include an investigation with an attorney or investigator contacting you, referral to another agency, enrollment in the DOJ’s free ADA Mediation Program, or a determination that the agency can’t help with your matter.⁸ An investigation that moves forward can lead to a settlement or a lawsuit filed by the DOJ.³

Mediation is worth considering. It’s free, confidential, and voluntary. A neutral mediator helps both sides reach a binding agreement without a formal investigation. You give up no legal rights by trying it and can withdraw at any point. If the respondent refuses to participate, the complaint returns to the DOJ for possible investigation.¹⁰

EEOC

After the EEOC accepts your charge, it investigates and eventually closes the case. On closing, the EEOC automatically issues a Notice of Right to Sue, which gives you 90 days to file a lawsuit in federal court. If the investigation is dragging, you can request that notice yourself once 180 days have passed since you filed — the EEOC is required by law to issue it at that point.¹¹

The right-to-sue letter is not a formality. Without it, a court will dismiss an employment discrimination lawsuit under Title I.

You’re Protected From Retaliation

Federal law makes it illegal for anyone to punish you for filing an ADA complaint, testifying in an investigation, or helping someone else exercise their ADA rights. The ADA also prohibits coercion and intimidation, so threats alone violate the law even if never carried out.¹²

An employer can’t demote you for requesting an accommodation. A business can’t ban you for filing a complaint. A landlord can’t threaten eviction because you reported an accessibility violation. Retaliation is a separate violation and can support its own complaint or lawsuit.¹³

Where to Get Help

The DOJ operates an ADA Information Line that answers questions about ADA requirements, explains how the law applies to your situation, and walks callers through the complaint process. It’s staffed Monday through Friday at 800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY).¹⁴ The same number handles status checks on DOJ complaints after the three-month mark.³

1
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The ADA: Your Responsibilities as an Employer
2
Cornell Law Institute. 28 CFR Part 35 – Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services
3
ADA.gov. File a Complaint
4
Federal Transit Administration. How Do I Submit a Complaint Regarding a Public Transit Agency’s Failure to Comply with ADA Regulations
5
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Time Limits For Filing A Charge
6
eCFR. 28 CFR 35.170
7
Federal Transit Administration. Is There a Time Limit for Filing an ADA Complaint with the FTA
8
Americans with Disabilities Act. Americans with Disabilities Act – Section: How to Report a Disability Rights Violation
9
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. How to File a Charge of Employment Discrimination
10
ADA.gov. The ADA Mediation Program: Questions and Answers
11
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Filing a Lawsuit
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 12203 – Prohibition Against Retaliation and Coercion
13
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Questions and Answers: Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues
14
ADA.gov. ADA Information Line