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Security Glass for Bank Branches and Credit Unions: What Federal Rules Require (and What They Leave to You)
If you manage facilities or security for a community bank or credit union in Los Angeles or Orange County, you may have been told that federal rules call for bullet-resistant glass at the teller line. We read the federal texts to see what they say. The short version: a written security program, a security officer, a few basic devices for banks, and no named glazing product. This is general information, not legal advice and not a recommendation for your building.
Published November 13, 2026 · Armored Glass Solutions
The Short Answer
Federal rules require a security program, not a kind of glass
Bank and credit union security rules sit in Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Four agencies each have one: the OCC for national banks (Part 21, Subpart A), the Federal Reserve for state member banks (section 208.61), the FDIC for state nonmember banks (Part 326, Subpart A), and the NCUA for federally insured credit unions (Part 748).
We downloaded the text of all four as it stood on November 9, 2026, and searched it for window, glass, glazing, bullet, ballistic, teller, barrier and partition. We re-ran the same search on the current text on November 13, 2026, with the same result. The word “windows” appears once in each of the OCC, Federal Reserve and FDIC rules, and in the OCC's separate rule for federal savings associations, always in the same place: the item about tamper-resistant locks. It does not appear in the NCUA rule at all. The other words do not appear in any of them.
In plain terms, current federal rules ask for locks on exterior windows that open. They say nothing about the glass itself, about ballistic barriers or about teller lines. If someone tells you a regulator requires bullet-resistant glass or security film at a branch, ask them to show you the section. We could not find one. That does not make your glass unimportant, only your decision. This is general information, not legal advice, and we did not research California state rules or local building rules.
What The Law Says
The Bank Protection Act asks for minimum standards, then hands the details to the agencies
The 1968 statute, 12 U.S.C. 1882(a), told each federal banking agency to promulgate rules “establishing minimum standards” for “security devices and procedures, reasonable in cost, to discourage robberies, burglaries, and larcenies and to assist in the identification and apprehension of persons who commit such acts.” Credit unions get the same instruction in 12 U.S.C. 1785(e). We searched the four sections of the Bank Protection Act and the credit union provision for glass, window, glazing, bullet and teller. None of them contains those words.
The agencies' bank rules then follow a common pattern. The board of directors designates a security officer. The security officer develops and administers a written security program for each banking office; the Federal Reserve and FDIC rules set a deadline of 180 days. The program covers opening and closing procedures, identification procedures, employee training “during and after a robbery,” and “selecting, testing, operating and maintaining appropriate security devices.” The OCC rule adds that the security officer “shall report at least annually to the bank's board of directors on the effectiveness of the security program.”
The OCC, Federal Reserve and FDIC rules also list four minimum devices. In the Federal Reserve's words, they are a means of protecting cash and other liquid assets, such as a vault, safe, or other secure space; a lighting system for the area around the vault, if the vault is visible from outside the banking office; “Tamper-resistant locks on exterior doors and exterior windows that may be opened”; and an alarm system or other appropriate device for promptly notifying the nearest responsible law enforcement officers of an attempted or perpetrated robbery or burglary. Read that lock item closely. A claim that federal rules require secure windows is, strictly, a claim about latches.
Credit Unions
Credit unions get even less physical detail
NCUA's Part 748 is shorter. It says “Each federally insured credit union will develop a written security program within 90 days of the effective date of insurance,” and that the program will be designed to “Protect each credit union office from robberies, burglaries, larcenies, and embezzlement,” among other goals, including protecting member information.
We searched all of Part 748, including its appendices, for vault, alarm, lighting, camera, window, glass, glazing, bullet, ballistic, teller and barrier. There were no hits. So, unlike the bank rules, the current NCUA text we read names no physical device. Please do not read the bank device list as a credit union requirement; it is not in the text.
What Is Left To You
The security officer decides, and the factors are about your building
After the four named devices, the OCC, Federal Reserve and FDIC rules all point to the same open door: “such other devices as the security officer determines to be appropriate.” The OCC rule lists what the officer weighs: the incidence of crimes against financial institutions in the area, the amount of currency or other valuables exposed, the distance to the nearest responsible law enforcement officers and the time they need to arrive, the cost of the security devices, other security measures already in effect, and the physical characteristics of the banking office structure and its surroundings.
That list is where a glazing decision lives. Teller-line protection is not a federal mandate in the text we read. It is a judgment recorded in the written program and reported annually to the board, weighed against local crime, cash exposure, response time, cost and the building.
A Bit Of History
Teller windows were once in the rule, and then they were not
This is the part that surprises people. The Federal Reserve's original 1969 Regulation P, in a circular the Federal Reserve Bank of New York sent to banks, had an appendix of minimum standards for security devices. For walk-up and drive-in teller windows contracted for after February 15, 1969, it said they “should be constructed in such a manner that tellers are effectively protected by bullet-resistant barriers,” of glass “at least one and three-sixteenths inches thick” or material of at least equivalent bullet-resistance. A footnote added: “It should be emphasized that this thickness is merely bullet-resistant and not bullet-proof.” Note the word “should,” not “shall.”
In 1991 the Board revised the rule. The Federal Reserve said in 1991 that it was deleting the appendix “because it is too specific and has become obsolete,” and that it believed standards naming specific devices were also likely to become obsolete as technology advanced. The Board said, “Because the level of risk varies from institution to institution,” it did not think it appropriate to make particular features mandatory, but that security officers would be expected to adopt an appropriate security program “taking into consideration applicable ANSI and UL standards.” The revision took effect May 1, 1991.
So any old bank manual, vendor sheet or article that cites 1-3/16-inch glass as a federal requirement is citing a deleted, advisory standard.
What The FBI's Numbers Show
How often it happens, where, and what the numbers cannot tell you
The FBI publishes Bank Crime Statistics for federally insured institutions, and the report itself carries a caution: “Not all Bank Robberies are reported to the FBI, and therefore BCS is not a complete statistical compilation of all bank robberies that occur in the United States.” With that in mind, the 2023 report counts 1,362 robberies, burglaries and larcenies nationwide. Credit unions account for 126 robberies and 22 burglaries of that total.
California shows 192 bank robberies and 12 bank burglaries in the 2023 report, against 172 and 6 in 2022. By our arithmetic, not the FBI's, 192 is about 15% of the 1,263 robberies in the 2023 report, and it is the highest state count in that table. We do not build a trend from it: nationally the FBI's total fell from 1,740 to 1,362 over the same two years while California's robbery count rose.
On where incidents occur, the 2023 report lists 1,259 at branch offices, and it lists the counter as an area involved in 1,182 incidents. Those categories overlap, so they are not shares of a whole. Acts of violence were committed during 54 incidents; the FBI says they “resulted in 12 injuries, 21 persons taken hostage, and zero deaths.”
One number needs particular care. Of the 1,362 incidents, 102 occurred at institutions that maintained bullet-resistant enclosures. The report counts only institutions that were victimized. It has no count of branches that were not, so it cannot show whether enclosures deter robbery, or fail to. We draw no conclusion from it and would be wary of anyone who does.
Where Glass Fits
Film, overglaze and rated systems: options, not obligations
Nothing above requires any glazing product, so glass is a choice made inside your written program. We install security window film, overglaze polycarbonate and door reglaze, and we work with the DefenseLite and BulletShield retrofit system on our DefenseLite and BulletShield page. New teller-line construction or a new storefront is work for a glazing contractor, and we will say so. Our security window film page covers what we install.
Film is not a ballistic product. If your program calls for a bullet-resistant rating, that is met with rated glazing, not with film alone. Our post on security film, laminated glass and replacement explains the difference, and our post on whether security film stops break-ins covers what film does and does not do.
Overglaze polycarbonate is a panel system installed over existing glazing. Impact Security, the maker of DefenseLite and BulletShield, says on its bank-security page: “Whether sliding or fixed, with or without drawers, we can add UL 752-rated protection to your transaction windows.” It adds that “protection comes from retrofit installation over existing glass doors, windows, and display cases.” Those are the maker's words about its own product. A rating applies to the tested configuration and level, so ask for the report. The same maker's article on ballistic glazing carries a disclaimer that “no glass or film combination can completely withstand every physical or ballistic attack.” Our overglaze guide goes deeper.
It helps to know what the rating names measure. UL's scope for UL 752 covers materials and devices “used to form bullet-resisting barriers which protect against robbery, holdup, or armed attack.” ASTM F1233 is a forced-entry comparison method, and ASTM says it “should not be used to establish or confirm the absolute prevention of forcible entries or forced exits.” ASTM F3561 simulates shots followed by forced entry, and says plainly: “This test method is not to be used for ballistic resistant glazing rating.” Do not accept an F3561 result as a ballistic rating for a teller line. Our ratings guide has the detail.
Before It Goes In The Program
Questions for your installer, your security officer and your city
- Which standard, which edition, which level? If a quote cites a rating, ask for the maker's report on that exact assembly: the glass, film or polycarbonate, anchoring and frame behind it. A rating is for the tested configuration.
- Is the product a rating or a forced-entry result? UL 752 is about bullet-resisting barriers. ASTM F1233 and F3561 are forced-entry tests, and F3561 says it is not a ballistic rating.
- When does the work happen? Ask what can be done during closed hours so the branch stays open to members.
- Who writes it up? The security officer reports on the program’s effectiveness to the board at least annually under the OCC rule, with similar reporting in the Federal Reserve and FDIC rules. Ask the installer what documentation they can hand you for that report.
- Does the work need a permit? We did not research permit, egress or accessibility rules in Los Angeles or Orange County cities. Ask the building department about the exact product and openings.
Prefer to talk it through? Call us at (310) 488-5626 or 888-960-TINT. We will tell you what we can do and what belongs to someone else.
Questions
Bank and credit union security glass: FAQ.
Does the Bank Protection Act require bullet-resistant glass at teller windows?
Not in the current text we read. The statute tells the agencies to set “minimum standards” for security devices and names no device; we searched it for glass, window, glazing, bullet and teller and found no hits. The current rules require a written security program and, for banks, four basic devices. Teller-window protection falls under “such other devices as the security officer determines to be appropriate.” Federal Reserve rules from 1969 said teller windows “should be” bullet-resistant, and the Federal Reserve deleted that appendix in 1991. This is general information, not legal advice.
What security devices do federal rules require at a bank branch?
For banks under the OCC, Federal Reserve and FDIC rules we read, there are four minimum devices: a means of protecting cash or other liquid assets such as a vault or safe; a lighting system for the area around the vault, if the vault is visible from outside; tamper-resistant locks on exterior doors and exterior windows that may be opened; and an alarm system or other appropriate device for notifying law enforcement. The only mention of windows is the lock item. The security officer decides on other devices, weighing factors that include cost and the physical characteristics of the building. Confirm current text with your regulator.
Do credit unions have the same security-device requirements as banks?
Not in the text we read. NCUA's rule, 12 CFR Part 748, requires each federally insured credit union to develop a written security program within 90 days of the effective date of insurance, designed to protect each credit union office from robberies, burglaries, larcenies and embezzlement. We searched Part 748 for vault, alarm, lighting, camera, window, glass, bullet, teller and barrier and found no hits, so it lists no devices. The statute for credit unions uses language similar to the bank statute, but the current NCUA rule is less specific about physical items.
Is security window film bullet-resistant?
No. Security film is not a ballistic product, and we will not describe it as one. Ballistic ratings such as UL 752 apply to “bullet-resisting barriers,” and a rating belongs to the exact tested assembly. ASTM F3561, a forced-entry test, says it “is not to be used for ballistic resistant glazing rating.” If a bullet-resistant rating is what your security program calls for, that is a job for rated glazing, and we will tell you plainly which part we can do and which belongs to another contractor.
How common are bank robberies in California?
The FBI's 2023 report lists 192 bank robberies and 12 bank burglaries in California, the highest state count in that year's table. The FBI cautions that “Not all Bank Robberies are reported to the FBI, and therefore BCS is not a complete statistical compilation of all bank robberies that occur in the United States.” By our arithmetic, not the FBI's, 192 is about 15% of the 1,263 robberies in the report. We do not draw a trend from one year, because the FBI's totals and California's moved in different directions between 2022 and 2023.
Sources
Where these findings came from.
We read the statute, rules and reports below in November 2026, and the regulations as of November 9, 2026. The 1969 and 1991 Federal Reserve documents are archive copies, historical rather than current law. We did not research California state requirements, local building or permit rules, insurance, or the 1969 texts of the other agencies. Regulations change, so confirm current text with your regulator before you rely on any of this. This post is general information, not legal advice.
- U.S. Government Publishing Office, U.S. Code, 2023 ed., 12 U.S.C. 1881–1884 (Bank Protection Act of 1968) and 12 U.S.C. 1785 (credit unions). Federal statute. Link; Link (1785).
- U.S. Government, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 12, Parts 21, 208 (section 208.61), 326 and 748 (point-in-time November 9, 2026). Federal regulation. Part 21; 208.61; Part 326; Part 748.
- FDIC, Final rule, 83 FR 13838 (April 2, 2018). Federal agency. Link.
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York, New Regulation P, Effective January 13, 1969 (circular dated February 14, 1969). Historical archive copy, not current law. Link.
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Circular No. 10450, Revision of Regulation P (April 18, 1991). Historical archive copy, not current law. Link.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bank Crime Statistics 2023 and 2022. Federal agency data. 2023; 2022.
- UL Standards & Engagement, UL 752, Bullet-Resisting Equipment, Edition 12 (scope page). Standards body. Link.
- ASTM International, ASTM F1233-26 and ASTM F3561-25 (scope pages). Standards body. F1233; F3561.
- Impact Security, LLC (DefenseLite), Bank Security Solutions and Understanding the Engineering of Bullet Resistant Glazing. Manufacturer. Bank page; Glazing article.
Keep Reading
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Read the post →Forced-entry, ballistic and blast ratings
What UL 752, ASTM F1233 and F3561 each measure, and what to ask for.
Read the post →Overglaze polycarbonate, explained
How retrofit polycarbonate goes over existing glass, and where it fits.
Read the post →Reviewing branch glass for your security program?
Call us and we will talk through what to confirm with your security officer, your landlord and your city before anyone orders product. If film or overglaze turns out to be a fit, we put the product and the terms in writing. Call (310) 488-5626 or 888-960-TINT.