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ATM Lighting Requirements

Question: 
What is the lighting requirement for ATMs?
Answer: 

Answer by Andy Zavoina:

You will have to review your state's requirements. If you're in Texas, I'll make it easy.http://www.banking.state.tx.us/legal/FinCode/CH59.HTM#Sec.%2059.305 has the provisions addressing ATMs.

Specifically, Texas lighting requirements include:

The lighting must be at least:
(1) 10 candlefoot power at the face of the unmanned teller machine and extending in an unobstructed direction outward five feet;

(2) two candlefoot power within 50 feet from any unobstructed direction from the face of the machine, except as provided by Subdivision (3);

(3) if the machine is located within 10 feet of the corner of a building and is generally accessible from the adjacent side, two candlefoot power along the first 40 unobstructed feet of the adjacent side of the building; and

(4) two candlefoot power in the part of the defined parking area within 60 feet of the unmanned teller machine.

There are also provisions as to when and who.

Answer: 

Answer by Barry Thompson

Andy is entirely correct with his answer to you. New York State’s original ATM Law has been the model for the other states and has become the standard of the industry.

You should consider one other step that many institutions fail at when developing ATM lighting procedures. Most institutions forget to implement a night inspection program for ATM installations.

Among the problems I have found are:

  1. No one is inspecting the ATM installation for malfunctioning or blown lights.
  2. Maintenance staff may replace blown lights with lights of less foot-candle power.
  3. New staff didn’t realize they had been assigned to inspect the facility.
  4. Lighting timers on the ATM’s not adjusted for the changing seasons.
  5. Construction crews removed lights or relocated them changing the amount of light on the ATM.

Be sure to have a night inspection program for not only ATMs installed at branch locations but also those located elsewhere.

First published on BankersOnline.com 8/12/02

First published on 08/12/2002

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