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Important Disclaimer:
This is an open source template project and is not an official project of the United States Government. This was created as a weekend project to help developers build federally compliant websites more easily.

About this template:
This template helps developers create websites that follow the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) standards. It provides a starting point for building accessible, mobile-friendly government websites. The template is released under the CC0 license, making it free to use, modify, and distribute.

View on GitHub: https://github.com/williamzujkowski/uswds-11ty-template

License

This template is released under the CC0 1.0 Universal public domain dedication.

License Information

CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

This template has been released under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, which means it is in the public domain. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

What This Means for You

✅ You CAN:

  • Use this template for any purpose (commercial, government, personal)
  • Modify the code however you need
  • Distribute it to others
  • Use it as a starting point for proprietary projects
  • Remove any attribution or credits

❌ You DON’T NEED TO:

  • Ask for permission
  • Provide attribution (though it’s appreciated!)
  • Share your modifications
  • License your work under the same terms

The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

No Warranty

The work is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement.

In no event shall the authors be liable for any claim, damages or other liability, whether in an action of contract, tort or otherwise, arising from, out of or in connection with the work or the use or other dealings in the work.

Why CC0?

We chose CC0 for this template because:

  1. Maximum Flexibility: Government agencies and contractors can use it without legal concerns
  2. No Attribution Required: Simplifies usage in official government contexts
  3. Global Compatibility: Works across different legal jurisdictions
  4. Future Proof: No concerns about license changes or restrictions

Third-Party Components

While this template is CC0, it includes some third-party components with their own licenses:

U.S. Web Design System (USWDS)

11ty (Eleventy)

  • License: MIT License
  • Source: https://www.11ty.dev/
  • Note: Only the build tool, not included in your final website

Public Sans Font

Your Responsibilities

While the template is free to use, you are responsible for:

  • Ensuring your content meets legal requirements
  • Maintaining accessibility standards
  • Protecting user privacy and data
  • Following applicable laws and regulations
  • Securing your deployed website

Full License Text

The complete CC0 1.0 Universal license text is available in the LICENSE file in the root of this repository.

You can also read it online at: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Contributing

If you’d like to contribute improvements back to this template:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Make your changes
  3. Submit a pull request

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be released under the same CC0 license.

Questions?

If you have questions about using this template:

Remember: This template is provided “as is” without warranty. While we’ve done our best to create a solid foundation for federal websites, you’re responsible for ensuring your site meets all applicable requirements and standards.