Not every legacy PDF is worth remediating. Some should be fixed, some are better rebuilt from scratch, and some can simply be retired. The hard part is knowing which is which – especially when you’re staring down a backlog and a Title II deadline.
This quick, interactive tool walks you through that decision one document at a time. Answer a few questions about the file, and it’ll point you toward the most practical path: fix, rebuild, or retire.
Fix, Rebuild, or Retire?
A decision tool for triaging your legacy PDF backlog. Answer four short questions to know what to do with each document.
Is the document still legally required to be public?
Policies, ordinances, budget records, meeting minutes, or anything currently linked and referenced.
How is it currently used?
Check your analytics or make a rough judgment on visitor traffic to the file.
What’s the document’s structure?
Look at how it’s built, not just how it looks.
Is a newer or duplicate version available elsewhere?
Check whether the same information is already published in another form.
Remediate this document
This is a straightforward remediation case. Fix it, don’t replace it.
What to do next
Tag the document, add alt text to images, adjust the reading order, and verify heading structure. A relatively text-heavy document usually takes under an hour to fully remediate.
If you have a lot of documents in this bucket, consider batching them together for a bulk remediation pass rather than fixing one at a time.
Rough effort
Low. Straightforward for one person to handle in-house, or fast to outsource at scale.
Recreate this document from scratch
The document is complex enough that rebuilding it in an accessible tool is faster and cheaper than untangling what’s there.
What to do next
Scanned, image-heavy, or dense documents with tables and forms rarely remediate cleanly. Rebuild the document in a tool that produces accessibility as a default – tagged structure, real tables, alt text, and correct reading order all handled from the start.
Then retire the original once the new version is live.
Rough effort
Medium. Higher upfront, but produces a cleaner, more maintainable document than remediation would.
Remove or archive this document
If it’s not legally required and no longer relevant, retiring it is the right call – no accessibility work needed.
What to do next
Remove the document from your public site. If you have a records-retention policy, move it into your internal archive rather than deleting it outright.
Add a redirect if the URL was frequently linked or bookmarked, pointing to whatever current resource replaces it.
Rough effort
Minimal. This is the fastest path to shrinking your backlog.
Replace with a link to the newer version
Since a current version already exists elsewhere, redirect to that instead of maintaining two.
What to do next
Remove the old file from public access and replace it with a link to the current version. This preserves anyone who has the old URL bookmarked while making sure they land on accessible content.
If the newer version isn’t accessible either, that becomes your next document to triage.
Rough effort
Minimal – as long as you have a clear owner for the newer version.
Remediate this document
Low traffic doesn’t remove the legal obligation. This one has to stay accessible.
What to do next
Even though usage is low, if the document is legally required to remain public, it needs to meet accessibility standards. Prioritize it below your high-traffic documents, but don’t skip it.
If it’s simple enough, remediate in-place. If it’s complex, this is a candidate for rebuilding into an accessible template.
Rough effort
Depends on structure. Simple text documents remediate fast; complex ones may be worth rebuilding.
There's no single right answer for an entire backlog - it comes down to each document's complexity, how often it's used, and whether the source file still exists. Use this as a starting point to triage what you've got, then tackle the "fix" and "rebuild" piles knowing you're not wasting effort on documents that should have been retired anyway.
Whether you're looking to create new accessible documents from the start or tackle a backlog that needs remediating, we can help. Book a call and we'll talk through what fits your situation.
