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Security Glass for Houses of Worship: Where Entrances, Glass Doors and Fellowship Halls Are Weakest
Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are built to be open. Here is what the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FEMA’s FY 2026 grant notice say about entrance glass, and what film, overglaze and door reglazing can and can’t do. This is general information, not grant or legal advice.
Published October 27, 2026 · Armored Glass Solutions
The Short Answer
Short answer: glass is one layer, and CISA plans from the parking lot inward
CISA’s house-of-worship guidance starts from the tension most congregations feel between openness and safety. Its security guide answers in one line: “A welcoming environment does not mean a defenseless one.”
The guide does not start at the glass. “Most security planning begins at the outer perimeter and works inward toward the middle and inner perimeters.” Glazing is one layer of that plan. CISA’s landing page says these options will not deter all threats, and recommends that you “Conduct a vulnerability assessment to understand the risks to the house of worship from which you may prioritize implementing any subsequent safety measures.”
For how the Nonprofit Security Grant Program works, see our NSGP security glass explainer.
The Layers
Where the glass sits in CISA’s outer, middle and inner perimeters
CISA’s December 2020 guide, Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship, divides a campus into three zones. The middle perimeter covers what is on campus but outside the main buildings, and “includes exterior features such as walkways, doors, and walls.” The inner perimeter “is any interior space, such as the vestibule, worship area(s), administrative offices, community room, auditorium, and classrooms.”
In our reading, that makes the entry glass the line between the two: the exterior doors are middle perimeter, and the vestibule behind them is inner perimeter. CISA calls the middle perimeter a place where many vulnerabilities converge.
The guide’s evidence base is 37 incidents of targeted violence that CISA compiled from open sources for 2009 to 2019. Of those 37 incidents, 43 percent (16) took place within the inner perimeter or sanctum. The same data counts 19 percent as beginning inside the main building during a service, where entry glass would not have been the barrier. Glazing addresses only some scenarios.
CISA’s middle-perimeter checklist asks about doors directly: “How are they constructed (wood, metal, or glass)?” For windows, it reminds readers that “Windows also provide an emergency escape.” It also asks whether the glass has a protective material on it, without defining that material. For what California’s escape-opening rules and a federal fire-service test say about film on windows people may need to get out through, see security film on emergency escape windows.
Entrances & Glass Doors
Entrances and glass doors: what CISA’s self-assessment actually asks
CISA’s paper Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment (May 2020) is a first step, not an in-depth assessment. Question 41 is the glass question: “Does the construction of exterior doors and windows deter or delay an attack?” Its answer scale runs like this:
- Very Low. “Exterior windows are tempered glass and can be opened.” and “Doors are mostly glass or metal-framed glass.”
- Medium. “Most doors are wood or steel and have minimal glass.”
- Very High. “Doors are wood or steel and have minimal or no glass.”
CISA’s 2025 user guide adds that the scale is not a to-do order: “None of this infers priority of actions to implement.”
The neighboring questions are about how doors are run, not what they are made of. Question 37 asks whether doors are locked during services; its highest answer describes doors unlocked before and after services but attended by ushers during them. Question 38 lists card access and pin pad locks as upgrades and adds: “Evaluate hinges windows and door frames for other weaknesses.”
That last line matters for glass. A glass lite is held by a frame, hinges and a lock, and a tested rating applies to the assembly that was tested; our guide to glass security ratings explains why. CISA’s 2023 infographic adds steps that involve no glass at all, such as electronic doorbells, solid doors with proper locks, and “limiting entry points and locking doors during events.” Its performance goals are shorter still: “Do not prop doors open.”
Fellowship Halls
Fellowship halls, offices and children’s areas
CISA lists the “community room” in the inner perimeter, and its self-assessment uses the words most congregations do. One option reads: “Lock fellowship hall/meeting rooms when not in use.”
The performance goals name the rooms that deserve their own control: “Incorporate access control for critical areas such as IT/electrical rooms, finance offices, and children’s ministries.” For a school or daycare on the property, CISA points to a single point of entry. Our post on security film for schools covers the school side.
Here is what we cannot tell you: CISA says nothing specific about glass in fellowship halls or multipurpose rooms. So treat these as site-walk questions, not CISA findings: Does the hall have its own exterior door or a glass wall at ground level? Is it open on weekdays to outside groups while the rest of the building is quiet? If so, it may belong in your assessment.
Film
What CISA says about film: both sentences
CISA has two statements about film.
- 2023 perimeter infographic. “Where feasible, use blast-resistant glass film.” It sits next to locking and alarming windows, “ensuring they can be unlocked for emergency escape.”
- 2020 self-assessment. “In many cases it is not practical to cover windows with blast film.”
“Where feasible” and “not practical” are not strictly in conflict, but neither document explains what makes film feasible or not, and we will not guess on CISA’s behalf. A site walk can look at the specific openings, starting with entry doors, sidelights and ground-floor glass, and say which ones film suits. Our post on what to ask for in a blast film specification covers the attachment questions.
The self-assessment’s reasoning: “Windows can be used to access the facility or become shrapnel and shards during an attack.” Its options lean toward procedure and smaller glass, such as wood or steel doors “with smaller areas of glass.” During a lockout, it says individuals should “avoid exposed areas (e.g., glass doors, windows).”
One more limit. CISA’s guide says shelter-in-place locations “should be rooms without windows and with doors that lock.” No source we read says film or an overglaze turns a room with glass into that room.
The Options
Film, overglaze, laminated glass or door reglaze: what each is engineered to do
- Security film. Madico says “SafetyShield is engineered to hold shattered glass in place during blasts or high-impact events, reducing injuries and property damage.” Impact Security, which sells film too, is direct about the limit: “Security window film does not stop bullets.” FEMA’s 2003 manual, FEMA 426, describes several ways to attach film and says, in our paraphrase, that film does best when anchored into the glazing system or frame.
- Ratings belong to a system. Impact Security reports an ASTM F3561 Level 3 result for its RiotLite film system on quarter-inch single-pane tempered glass with a structural caulk anchor in aluminum frames, and calls the testing “a total system approach.”
- Laminated or replacement glass. FEMA 426 describes an interlayer that can hold most fragments if the glass breaks. See security film vs. laminated glass vs. replacement.
- Overglaze. A separate panel over the existing glass. Since CISA repeats that windows are also exits, a panel on an operable window has to be squared with egress; see our overglaze retrofit explainer.
- Door reglaze. Swapping the glass in an existing door for a stronger panel. Impact Security describes its AccessShield as “a retrofit door-lite re-glazing system.” We read no test report for any reglazed door, so we have no rating to quote.
Our scope is film, overglaze and door reglazing (see security window film). We do not replace windows or install new doors or storefront; we refer that work out.
If NSGP Is Paying
If NSGP is paying: tie each opening to the vulnerability assessment
FEMA’s FY 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program notice lists film under AEL item 14EX-00-BSIR, whose NSGP description includes “breakage/shatter resistant glass, window wraps/films/velums, etc.” Doors (14SW-01-DOOR) and access control (14SW-01-PACS) are separate lines, and 14SW-01-WALL covers barriers, not film. In FY 2025, impact resistant doors and gates ranked second in NSGP funding; glazing was not in the top five.
A few FY 2026 rules shape a glazing line:
- Per site. “a nonprofit organization with one site may apply for up to $200,000 for that site.” Also, “One vulnerability assessment is required per physical address.”
- Traced to the assessment. Cal OES’s FY 2026 webinar says: “Equipment that does not appear to directly tie to the findings identified in the VA, may not be funded or may be placed on hold by FEMA.”
- Separate assessor and installer. Cal OES says a security company that prepares your assessment is “prohibited from Bidding or Contracting for the Equipment Installation.”
- Environmental and historic review. “Federal law requires EHP review to be completed before federal funds are released to carry out proposed projects.” No source we read says how that review treats film or overglaze on stained or leaded glass.
Eligible is not funded, and rules change yearly; confirm with your state agency (Cal OES in California). After an award, see the first 30 days after an NSGP award.
Questions
Security glass for houses of worship: FAQ.
Does CISA recommend security film for churches, synagogues and mosques?
CISA's 2023 perimeter infographic says “Where feasible, use blast-resistant glass film,” alongside locking and alarming windows and keeping them openable for escape. Its 2020 self-assessment also says “In many cases it is not practical to cover windows with blast film.” CISA treats film as one possible layer, not a requirement, and does not explain what makes it feasible.
Are our glass entry doors a weak point?
On CISA's self-assessment scale for whether doors and windows deter or delay an attack, doors that are “mostly glass or metal-framed glass” sit at the Very Low end, and the highest level describes wood or steel doors with “minimal or no glass.” CISA also asks you to evaluate hinges, windows and door frames, and to keep doors locked or attended by ushers during services.
Can window film be part of an NSGP application?
The FY 2026 NSGP notice describes AEL item 14EX-00-BSIR as including “breakage/shatter resistant glass, window wraps/films/velums, etc.” Eligible is not funded. Equipment has to tie to findings in the site's vulnerability assessment, and Cal OES says a security company that prepares the assessment can't bid the installation. Confirm with your state agency.
Will film make a room safe to shelter in?
No source we read says so. CISA's guide says shelter-in-place rooms “should be rooms without windows and with doors that lock,” and during a lockout tells people to avoid glass doors and windows. Impact Security, which sells film, says “Security window film does not stop bullets.”
What's the difference between film, an overglaze and replacing the glass?
Film is applied to the existing glass, and FEMA's 2003 reference manual says it does best when anchored into the glazing system or frame. Laminated glass has an interlayer that can hold most fragments if it breaks. An overglaze adds a separate panel over the existing glass. Maker ratings apply to the tested system, glass and anchoring, not to the product alone.
Sources
Where these findings came from.
We read these on October 26, 2026. Percentages from CISA’s guide describe the 37 incidents it compiled for 2009 to 2019 and nothing broader. FEMA 426 is paraphrased because we could not re-check its exact wording. Makers’ statements are about their own products on their stated glass. Grant rules are FY 2026 and change each year. This post is general information, not grant or legal advice.
- CISA, Protecting Houses of Worship topic page. Federal agency. Link.
- CISA, Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship Security Guide, December 2020. Federal agency. Link.
- CISA, Protecting Houses of Worship: Perimeter Security Considerations infographic, 2023. Federal agency. Link.
- CISA, Physical Security Performance Goals for Faith-Based Communities, December 2023. Federal agency. Link.
- CISA, Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment, May 2020, and Faith-Based Community Self-Assessment User Guide, August 2025. Federal agency. Link.
- FEMA, Notice of Funding Opportunity, Nonprofit Security Grant Program, FY 2026. Federal agency. Link.
- Cal OES, FY 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Application Webinar. California state agency. Link.
- FEMA 426, Reference Manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings, December 2003. Federal agency; dated. Link.
- Impact Security, RiotLite ASTM F3561 article and its April 2026 article on film marketing myths. Glazing and film maker. Link, Link.
- Madico, SafetyShield product page. Film maker. Link.
Keep Reading
Related reading.
The FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant (NSGP)
How AEL 14EX-00-BSIR funds security glazing for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations.
Read the post →Overglaze polycarbonate retrofit, explained
How the shield attaches, what the one independent forced-entry report shows, and how to read UL 752 and ASTM F3561 ratings.
Read the post →Glass security ratings, explained
What F1233, F3561, F3038, TP-0500, UL 752 and EN 356 actually test, and why a rating belongs to the tested assembly.
Read the post →Walking your building’s glass before an assessment or an award?
We will look at the entrances, glass doors and ground-floor openings with you, tell you plainly which ones film, overglaze or a door reglaze suits and which they don’t, and put the product, glass and attachment in writing. Call (310) 488-5626 or 888-960-TINT.