Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Web Policies and Procedures

Web Standard: Accordions

Note

All EPA public and internal content pages and web applications are required to follow this standard.

Why can't I use accordions?

EPA does not support the use of accordions due to accessibility concerns and challenges related to "hidden" content inside accordions. Users sent by a search engine may not see this "hidden" content.

Definition

An accordion is a list of headers that hide or reveal additional content when selected. 

Content Requirements

  • While accordions are an included component in the U.S. Web Design System, EPA does not permit accordions on webpages.
  • There are very limited exceptions to the Accordion Web Standard that have been approved to meet user expectations in limited space:
    • Top level navigation of the EPA template (see the Example below)
    • News Releases search page
    • Advanced search result page

Example

Accordions are utilized in the top level navigation of the EPA template (Environmental Topics, Laws & Regulations, etc.).

EPA top level navigation with an open accordion menu

About this Standard

All EPA public web content must adhere to all federal requirements including; the EPA Web Standards, the U.S. Web Design System guidelines, federal plain language guidelines, and the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act. Internal content, including Intranet and Microsoft 365, may differ from the public content. If not explicitly stated, content must adhere to all federal requirements.

Original effective date: 05/11/2022
Last approved on: 05/11/2022
Web Council review by:  05/11/2025 (or earlier if deemed necessary)

Web Policies and Procedures

  • Web Policies and Procedures Resources
  • EPA Web Standards
  • Historical Memoranda
  • Plain Writing
  • EPA Disclaimers
Contact Us About Web Policies and Procedures
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on July 15, 2024
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.