WCAG 2.1 AA compliance baked in, not bolted on
Every page, form, and downloadable document must meet federal accessibility standards. We build to that standard from the first wireframe, not as a remediation step after launch.
Industry
Website Design for Fire Districts & Local Government
ADA-compliant, mobile-first WordPress websites built for the operational demands of public agencies, fire districts, and special districts. We've been building websites since 2002 and we manage 800+ WordPress sites today.
Overview
What Makes a Great Government or Fire District Website
Government websites fail residents when they're built like commercial brochure sites. Residents looking for a burn permit application, a board meeting agenda, or a public records request form shouldn't have to hunt for it.
Mobile-first architecture for emergency access
Roughly half of all U.S. government website traffic arrives via mobile device, and that share climbs during active emergencies when residents are checking for alerts on their phones. Pages need to load fast and display clearly on a 4G connection.
Agenda and meeting management integration
Board agendas, minutes, and meeting archives need to publish reliably and be easy for staff to manage. We integrate directly with Granicus and Municode so the workflow stays in the systems your team already knows.
Accessible public records and records request forms
Residents and media should be able to submit a records request online in under two minutes. The form needs to be keyboard-navigable, screen-reader compatible, and routable to the right staff member automatically.
Emergency alert and status pages
A dedicated emergency page that staff can update in 30 seconds, without a developer, is a public safety feature. We build these with simple admin workflows and fast load performance.
Volunteer and staff recruitment sections
Fire districts and EMS agencies face a nationwide volunteer shortage. Your website should make it frictionless to learn about joining and submit an application.
Process
Our Design Process for Government Websites
1. Discovery and compliance scoping
We start by mapping your district's specific requirements: current WCAG compliance status, which state open-meeting and records laws apply, existing software integrations, and the content types your staff manages day to day. This determines the project scope before any design work begins.
2. Information architecture and content mapping
Government sites often have years of accumulated content that's never been organized for residents. We audit what you have, recommend what to migrate, what to retire, and how to structure navigation so the most-accessed pages, permits, agendas, emergency info, and contact forms are immediately findable.
3. Design and accessibility review
Every design comp we produce is evaluated for color contrast ratios, keyboard focus order, and heading hierarchy before we hand it off for development. We don't leave accessibility as a post-design problem to solve.
4. Development and integration
We build on WordPress and configure the integrations your agency relies on: agendas from Granicus, ordinances from Municode, documents from Laserfiche, records request forms from Gravity Forms or SeamlessDocs, and emergency subscription forms for Everbridge or CodeRED users. We build around your existing systems, not against them.
5. QA, accessibility audit, and launch
Every site goes through our 75+ point QA process before launch, including accessibility validation across browsers and assistive technologies. Government sites don't ship until they're ready.
Client Work
Government and public agency websites we've designed and built
Integrations
Features & Integrations
Government agency websites need to connect with the platforms that run daily operations. We build WordPress sites that integrate cleanly with the tools your staff already relies on.
Granicus
Agenda management, meeting webcasting, and legislative records. Board packets publish from Granicus to your website automatically, keeping the workflow in one system for staff.
Municode
Ordinance and municipal code publishing. Residents can search and access codified ordinances directly from your WordPress site without leaving your domain.
Laserfiche & OnBase
Enterprise document management and records retention. Deep integration makes it straightforward to surface the right documents publicly without compromising internal records workflows.
SeamlessDocs & Gravity Forms
Government-grade form digitization for records requests, permit applications, and resident service requests, with accessibility add-ons built in for agencies that prefer a native WordPress approach.
Archive Social
Social media archiving for public records compliance. Any content your agency posts to social platforms is captured and preserved as a public record automatically.
Everbridge & CodeRED
Emergency mass notification systems. We embed resident subscription forms and, where the platform allows, status displays so your website and alert system work together.
Pricing
Fire District Website Pricing
Government website projects are scoped based on site size, integration complexity, and content migration volume. Most fire district and special district websites fall in the $2,000-$12,000 range. Larger or more complex projects with multiple department sites, deep Laserfiche or Granicus integrations, or extensive accessibility remediation run higher.
Small district / volunteer department
10-20 page site with core content, contact and news, standard accessibility baseline (WCAG 2.1 AA)
$2,000-$5,000
One-time build
Mid-size district
20-50 pages with agenda and meeting integration, permit and inspection forms, expanded content architecture, and accessibility audit
$5,000-$8,000
One-time build
Multi-department / municipality
Complex department architecture, deep Laserfiche or Granicus integrations, extensive content migration, full accessibility remediation of legacy content
$8,000-$12,000
Scoped individually
Annual care and maintenance plans are separate from the design project and are detailed on our fire districts WordPress maintenance page. Everything is scoped after a free consultation, never priced off a package menu.
Not sure which tier fits?
Send us your project and we'll scope it straight -- no pushy sales.
From our blog
Reading for fire districts
Deeper reads pulled from our blog, all written with fire districts in mind.
Good to know
FAQ
How much does a fire district or government website design cost?
Most fire district and special district websites break into three scopes: $2,000-$5,000 for smaller, focused sites; $5,000-$8,000 for a well-built site with the integrations most agencies need; and $8,000-$12,000 for larger builds with more pages, deeper integrations, or multi-site architecture. Standard scopes include design, development, accessibility build-out, and typical integrations. Projects that involve large content migrations, multi-site architectures, or custom integrations with document management platforms scale higher. We scope everything after a free consultation so you know exactly what you're getting before any work starts.
How do you approach ADA/WCAG compliance on government websites?
We treat WCAG 2.1 AA as a baseline build requirement, not an optional add-on. That means color contrast is checked during design, heading hierarchy is enforced in development, all forms are keyboard-navigable and screen-reader compatible, images have appropriate alt text, and videos include captions. We also flag existing PDFs that need accessibility remediation, since WCAG applies to documents posted on the site, not just the pages themselves. Before launch, every site goes through a full accessibility audit as part of our 75+ step QA process.
Can you redesign our existing government website without losing our content?
Yes. Content migration is a standard part of our government redesign process. We audit the existing site, map what should carry over and what should be reorganized or retired, and migrate the content into the new site structure. For agencies with years of archived agendas, minutes, and documents, we plan the migration carefully so nothing gets lost and everything that needs to be publicly accessible stays findable.
Do you build websites for very small special districts with limited budgets?
Yes. Volunteer fire departments, mosquito abatement districts, cemetery districts, and other small agencies with lean budgets are exactly the type of client we work with. Smaller sites sit at the lower end of our price range. We scope to what you actually need, not to a one-size-fits-all package.
How do you make sure staff can update the site without technical help?
WordPress is the platform specifically because it gives non-technical staff a manageable content editing experience. We configure the admin interface to show only what your team needs to touch, add clear labeling and simple page templates for common update tasks like posting an agenda, updating a contact page, or publishing an emergency notice, and provide a training walkthrough before launch so staff feel confident from day one.
Still have questions? We're happy to answer them, let's connect.
Who you'll work with
Meet the senior team behind your district's site
You'll talk to real senior practitioners from day one. No account coordinators, no offshore handoffs.
Ron Johnson
Founder & Managing Director
Warren Greeley
Operations Director & Chief Creative
Guillermo Valdez
Project Director
Chris
Care & Support Director
Explore More
800+WordPress sites built
800+Sites hosted & maintained
300+Reviews at 4.9 stars
24+Years since 2002
Ready to build a better fire district website?
Tell us about your project and we'll take a look. No pushy sales, no wasted calls.