It’s the objection that comes up in about a third of our first conversations, usually phrased carefully because people feel a bit silly raising it: you’re asking me to cut a person-sized hole into my basement.
That’s a fair thing to notice. An egress window is required to be large enough for an adult to climb through, which means it works in both directions by definition. The question worth answering isn’t whether that’s true, it’s what you can do about it without defeating the reason the window is there.
Have questions about a specific install? Call (888) 217-8740 or get a free written estimate.
The Quick Answer
| Measure | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Quality window locks | Yes. The most effective single measure |
| Laminated or security glass | Yes. Slows forced entry substantially |
| Well cover, secured, openable from inside | Yes. Physical and visual barrier |
| Alarm contacts on the window | Yes. Standard sensor placement |
| Motion lighting and camera coverage | Yes. Deterrence and evidence |
| Landscaping and gravel that make noise | Yes. Cheap and underrated |
| Security bars with an interior quick release | Conditionally. Must be releasable from inside without tools, keys, or special knowledge |
| Fixed bars, screws, or a padlocked cover | No. Defeats egress and fails inspection |
The line is simple: anything that could stop a person inside from getting out in the dark, in smoke, without a key, is not allowed on an egress window.
Put the Actual Risk in Context
Worth saying plainly before the hardware discussion, because the fear tends to be out of proportion to the exposure.
Basement windows are not the preferred entry point. Going into a basement window means dropping into a confined space, in the dark, with an unknown interior and one way out. That’s a bad situation for an intruder, and most opportunistic entries use doors and ground-floor windows.
A window well is conspicuous. Someone standing in a well is committed, visible from the side yard, and cannot leave quickly.
A code-compliant window is a real window. An egress window is a modern, properly framed and locked unit, not the old rusted single-pane basement hopper it replaced. In a lot of Lincoln homes, adding an egress window makes the basement more secure than the window it replaced, which is a point worth sitting with. Egress windows versus regular basement windows covers the difference in construction.
The risk it removes is larger. A basement bedroom with one interior stairway has one exit. A fire between that bedroom and the stairs leaves none. That’s the risk the window is addressing, and it’s a much more common way for people to die at home than a basement window burglary.
What Genuinely Improves Security
Good locks, used. The single highest-return item and the one most people skip. Casement windows, which are common in egress applications, use a multi-point locking mechanism that pulls the sash tight into the frame at several points, and it’s genuinely difficult to force. Sliders use different hardware with different strengths. Casement, slider, and in-swing egress windows covers the tradeoffs. Whichever you have, the lock only works when it’s engaged.
Laminated glass. A laminated pane has an interlayer bonding the glass, so breaking it doesn’t produce a clean opening; it produces a spidered pane that stays largely in place and takes sustained, loud effort to get through. This is the upgrade to spend money on if security is your main concern. Note this is a different thing from tempered glass, which is a safety requirement in some locations and is covered in tempered glass for egress windows.
A secured well cover. A cover is a genuine barrier: it has to be dealt with before anyone reaches the window, and doing so is awkward and visible. The rule is that it must be openable from inside the well by a child or an adult, without tools or special knowledge. Window well cover types covers the options, at $150 to $400, and they also keep out leaves, rain, and animals.
Alarm contacts. A basement egress window takes a standard contact sensor like any other opening, and glass-break sensors work well in a confined basement room.
Lighting. Motion-activated light over the well area. Window well lighting options covers fixtures that also make the room more pleasant.
Noisy landscaping. Gravel around the well, and thorny or dense shrubs at a distance that don’t block the well itself. Cheap, effective, and it doesn’t interfere with anything.
Sight lines. A well that’s visible from the street or a neighbor’s window is a well nobody wants to stand in.
Security Bars: The Rule That Matters
This is where people get themselves into trouble, so it’s worth being exact.
Security bars, grilles, grates, and covers are permitted on an egress window, but only if they can be released from the inside without a key, without a tool, and without special knowledge or force. A quick-release mechanism, operable by anyone in the room including a child, in the dark, is the standard.
That means:
Acceptable: a hinged grille with an interior quick-release latch, rated and manufactured for egress applications.
Not acceptable: bars bolted or welded in place. A grate screwed to the frame. A well cover secured with a padlock. Anything requiring a key kept somewhere else. Anything a panicked ten-year-old couldn’t operate.
The failure mode here is not theoretical. Fixed bars on bedroom windows have killed people in house fires, which is precisely why the release requirement exists. It’s also why fixed bars will fail your inspection, and why an inspector will flag them on a home you’re buying, as covered in home inspection egress window red flags.
If you install a release mechanism, test it periodically and make sure everyone who sleeps in that room has actually operated it. A quick release nobody knows about is nearly as bad as no release at all.
What Not to Do
Don’t screw the window shut. Obvious when stated, common in practice, and it converts a legal bedroom into an illegal one instantly.
Don’t padlock the well cover. Same problem.
Don’t block the well with stored items. Bikes, planters, and firewood in a window well defeat the escape route and hold moisture against the foundation, which contributes to a flooded window well.
Don’t plant thorny shrubs inside or right against the well. They don’t stop anyone determined and they make escape worse.
Don’t skip the permit to avoid attention. An unpermitted opening is a problem at sale, at insurance claim time, and if the work was structurally wrong. See Lincoln and Lancaster County egress permits.
Renters, ADUs, and Landlords
If the basement space is rented, the obligations are firmer and the security measures more constrained, because the tenant’s ability to escape is not something a landlord can compromise for convenience.
Everything above applies, with one addition: whatever release mechanism exists must be explained to the tenant and documented. Rental property egress window inspection and ADU basement conversions in Lincoln cover the broader requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are egress windows a security risk?
They’re an opening large enough for a person, which is inherent to their purpose, but basement windows in wells are not a preferred entry point: they’re confined, visible, and hard to leave quickly. In many homes a new egress window is more secure than the old basement window it replaced, because it’s a modern locking unit rather than a decades-old single-pane sash.
Can you put security bars on an egress window?
Yes, provided they can be released from the inside without a key, a tool, or special knowledge. Fixed bars, welded grilles, or anything requiring a key are not permitted and will fail inspection, because they can trap people during a fire. Buy hardware that’s specifically rated for egress use.
Can I lock my window well cover?
Not with a padlock or anything else requiring a key. A well cover has to be openable from inside the well by anyone escaping, including a child. Covers designed for egress use have latches that satisfy this while still resisting casual opening from outside.
What’s the best way to secure a basement egress window?
Engaged multi-point locks, laminated glass, a proper egress-rated well cover, an alarm contact, and motion lighting. That combination addresses the realistic risk without touching the window’s ability to function as an escape route.
Does an egress window affect my home insurance?
Adding a code-compliant, permitted egress window generally works in your favor, since it brings a basement bedroom into compliance. The reverse is the concern: an unpermitted opening or an illegal sleeping room can complicate a claim. Tell your insurer about the improvement, and check that the permit is on file.
Install It Right the First Time
The security question and the code question have the same answer: a properly built, properly locking, properly permitted window with a cover that opens from inside.
Call (888) 217-8740 or request a free written estimate. We install egress windows across Lincoln and Lancaster County, plus Waverly, Hickman, Ashland, Crete, Seward, and Beatrice, and we’ll talk through glass, hardware, and cover options as part of the quote.