How to Secure Basement Windows From Break-Ins: A Colorado Springs Locksmith's Guide

To secure a basement window from break-ins, start with the latch: most basement windows close with a thin cam latch that holds the sash shut but does almost nothing against someone prying from outside. Add a secondary lock or a pin that stops the sash from sliding, cover the window well with a cover that cannot be lifted from outside, and make the door from the basement into the rest of the house lock properly. If the window is in a bedroom, every one of those steps has to keep it openable from inside without a key, because it is the room's fire escape.

This is not a theoretical worry in El Paso County. On September 18 the Sheriff's Office arrested a man in Falcon after a neighbor watched him walk up to a house on East Highway 24 and climb in through a window. In late August, deputies asked Monument residents for camera footage after a home on Red Rocks Drive was burglarized before dawn and a truck was taken from the driveway. And on November 1 the clocks go back, so it will be dark by about 5pm across Colorado Springs, which gives a low window at the back of a house a lot more cover in the evening.

Why Basement Windows Are an Easy Way In

Walk around most homes in Colorado Springs, Fountain, Falcon or Monument and you will find the same weak spots at ground level:

• A basic cam latch. Slider and casement basement windows usually ship with a small latch meant to pull the sash tight against the weatherstrip. A flat bar between the sash and the frame can often pop it.
• A window well that hides the window. Newer homes with finished basements have deep metal wells. Once someone is down in the well, the street and the neighbors cannot see them.
• Windows left cracked. Basements get stuffy, and a window left open an inch for air in September is often still open in October.
• A door at the top of the stairs that does not lock. Many basement doors have a privacy knob or nothing at all, so getting into the basement means getting into the whole house.

Step 1: Upgrade the Lock on the Window Itself

The goal is simple: even if the latch is forced, the sash still cannot move far enough to climb through.

Sliding basement windows

Put a stop in the track. A cut dowel or a metal track bar in the bottom channel keeps the moving panel from sliding open. A thumbscrew track lock does the same job and can be set a few inches open for ventilation. Also check that the panel cannot be lifted out of its track from outside; anti-lift blocks or a couple of screws in the top channel fix that.

Casement and hopper windows

These open on a hinge, so a stop in a track does not apply. A second latch on the opposite corner of the sash, or a sash lock that needs more than a flick to release, makes prying much harder. Tighten loose operator handles and hinges too, since a sloppy sash is easier to lever.

Keyed locks: only where nobody sleeps

A keyed window lock is the strongest option on a storage room, laundry or utility window. Do not put one on a bedroom window. Read the egress section below before you lock anything in a room someone sleeps in.

Step 2: Cover the Window Well

A good window well cover keeps out snow, leaves and animals, and it also puts one more barrier between the yard and the glass.

• Polycarbonate covers let light through and are the most common choice. Look for one that fastens to the well or the foundation, not one that just sits on top where anyone can lift it off.
• Steel grate covers are stronger and handle a heavy Colorado snow load.
• On a bedroom egress well, the cover or grate must still open from inside without a key, a tool or any special knowledge. Many covers are made with an inside release for exactly this reason.

Step 3: Make the Glass Harder to Get Through

Breaking glass is noisy, which is why most entries through a window are made by prying, not smashing. Still, a clear security film on the inside of the glass holds the pieces together, so a broken pane has to be pushed through slowly rather than knocked out. On older single-pane basement windows, replacing the glass or the whole unit with a modern insulated window adds strength and cuts the winter draft at the same time.

Step 4: Lock the Door at the Top of the Stairs

This is the step most people skip, and it is where a locksmith helps the most. If the basement door has a deadbolt that is fitted properly, someone who gets in through a basement window is stuck in the basement, with no easy way to the bedrooms, the garage keys or the front door. The same goes for the door from the garage into the house.

• Fit a real deadbolt with a one-inch throw, not just a knob lock.
• Use long screws in the strike plate so they reach the framing behind the jamb. If the frame is weak, our guide on how to reinforce a door frame covers the fix.
• If you have ever lost a key or moved into the home without changing the locks, rekey the locks so old keys stop working.

The Egress Rule You Must Not Break

A basement bedroom has to have an emergency escape opening, usually a large window in a well with a ladder or steps. The residential building code requires that opening to work from inside the room without keys, tools or special knowledge. That rules out keyed locks, bars that need a tool to remove, and screwed-down well covers on that window.

You can still make an egress window much harder to open from outside: a stronger latch that releases with one simple motion from inside, a track stop that lifts out by hand, a well cover with an inside release, and good lighting over the well. Security and escape are not a trade-off if the hardware is chosen with both in mind. If you are not sure whether a window counts as egress, treat it as if it does.

Light, Sightlines and Cameras

• Motion lights over window wells at the side and back of the house. A burglar wants darkness, and after November 1 there is a lot more of it in the evening.
• Trim shrubs and junipers that hide a window well from the street. Colorado Springs landscaping tends to be low and dry, so this is usually a quick job.
• A camera or window sensor covering the well. In both the Monument and Falcon cases deputies asked neighbors for footage, which shows how much a single camera can help.

When to Call a Locksmith

Some of these steps are an easy weekend job. Others are better done by someone who works with locks every day:

• The door from the basement or garage into the house has no deadbolt, or the bolt does not fully extend. A proper deadbolt installation fixes both.
• You want stronger locks on the doors that matter most. Our high-security locks resist picking, bumping and drilling.
• You moved in recently or a key has gone missing. Lock rekeying makes old keys useless without replacing the hardware.
• Someone already got in. Our guide on lock replacement after a break-in covers what to do first.

For window hardware, call and describe the window. We will tell you honestly whether it is a lock job or a window company job. Our lock installation and repair in Colorado Springs covers fitting, adjusting and replacing locks on the doors that connect your basement and garage to the rest of the home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do burglars really come in through basement windows?

Yes. Most break-ins happen through a door, but a basement window out of sight in a deep well is an easy second choice, especially if it is left unlocked or open for air. The Falcon case on September 18 was an entry through a window.

Can I put bars on a basement window?

On a storage or utility window, yes. On a bedroom egress window, bars or grates must have a release that opens from inside without a key or tool. Fixed bars on a bedroom window can trap someone in a fire.

What is the cheapest way to secure a sliding basement window?

A stop in the bottom track, such as a cut dowel or a track lock, plus anti-lift blocks in the top track. Both cost very little and stop the panel from sliding or lifting out even if the latch is forced.

Is a window well cover enough on its own?

No. A cover that just sits on the well can be lifted off. Use it together with a better window lock and a locked door at the top of the basement stairs.