Title III Technical Assistance Manual (with 1994 supplement)

III−8.1000 General. The ADA establishes two avenues for enforcement of the requirements of title III --

1) Private suits by individuals who are being subjected to discrimination or who have reasonable grounds for believing that they are about to be subjected to discrimination.

2) Suits by the Department of Justice, whenever it has reasonable cause to believe that there is a pattern or practice of discrimination, or discrimination that raises an issue of general public importance. The Department will investigate complaints and conduct compliance reviews of covered entities.

Do State or local civil rights agencies have any role in enforcing title III? There is no provision for State or local civil rights agencies to directly enforce title III of the ADA. They can, however, enforce State or local laws that incorporate the standards of the ADA, or they can set up alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (see III−8.6000).