Broken Window Glass Repair: First Steps and Options

When a window pane cracks or breaks, the first job is to make the area safe and close the opening; the repair comes after. A small crack in glass that is still intact can sometimes be filled with resin, but shattered glass always needs replacing, according to Fixr ². In a double- or triple-pane window, Fixr advises replacing the whole sealed glass unit rather than the one damaged pane ¹.

The cost of the repair is usually far below a new window. This Old House, using Angi estimates, reports $200 to $400 to fix broken glass and $40 to $100 for a cracked pane (updated June 23, 2026) ³. If the broken glass is in a door, beside a door, near a tub or in a large low pane, the new glass may have to be safety glass, covered below.

The first hour: safety and a temporary cover

• Keep people and pets away from the window and the floor below it until the glass is picked up.
• Protect your hands and feet. Wear heavy gloves and closed shoes, and pick up large pieces before sweeping small ones.
• Leave loose glass in the frame alone unless it is about to fall. Pulling shards out of a sash is where cuts happen; a glass company can remove them.
• Close the opening. For a crack, tape over it on both sides to hold the glass together until it is replaced. For a broken pane, cover the opening from outside with heavy plastic sheeting taped to the frame, or with plywood fastened to the frame for a large opening or one at ground level.
• Note what you have. The window type, the size of the glass, whether it is single, double or triple pane, and any small mark etched in a corner of the glass. That mark matters, as the safety glass section explains.

Tempered glass breaks differently from ordinary glass: NFRC's glossary says that when tempered glass shatters it breaks into small pieces, while laminated glass has an inner layer of transparent plastic to which the glass adheres if broken ⁶. A pane that has crumbled into small pieces was likely tempered; one that cracked but stayed in place may be laminated.

Emergency service is available but costs more. Fixr reports emergency technicians at $120 to $150 an hour ¹, and its repair guide says to expect labor costs to double or triple for same-day or immediate service ². A secure temporary cover may let the repair wait for regular hours.

Crack or break: what can be repaired

A small crack in intact glass. Fixr says small cracks that do not compromise the thermal seal between panes can be filled with resin for about $70 to $175 ². Its glass guide says a small crack may be fixable rather than replacing the pane if it is done immediately, but that repair is typically not a good option if the crack is larger than an inch ¹. This Old House describes epoxy patching as usually a temporary solution and says cracks tend to spread over time, particularly where temperatures fluctuate ³. Fixr adds that a cracked window can leak air, is easier to break into and is more likely to shatter in extreme temperatures ¹.

Shattered or heavily damaged glass. It needs new glass ^{2 3}. Which kind of replacement depends on the window.

Reglazing or a new insulated glass unit

Single-pane windows: reglazing

In a single-pane sash, the glass is held in place by a molding called a glazing bead ⁶ or, in many older wood sashes, by glazing putty, which Fixr's reglazing price covers ¹. Replacing it means cutting a new pane to size, setting it in and sealing it again. Fixr lists $150 to $400 for single-pane glass, material only, with labor adding about $50 to $125 ¹. Where the old putty is also cracked or missing across the window, Fixr prices reglazing at $250 to $500 per window, materials and labor included ¹.

Double- and triple-pane windows: a new sealed unit

A double-pane window has two panes sealed around a spacer, so one broken pane cannot simply be swapped; the unit is replaced as a whole ^{1 6}. A glass shop measures it and orders a new unit to the same size, so the temporary cover may need to stay in place until it arrives. Fixr's repair guide lists average repair costs by glass type of $200 to $400 for double-pane and $500 to $1,000 for triple-pane (updated January 21, 2026) ². Fixr's glass guide gives $150 to $600 for double-pane and $400 to $950 for triple-pane glass, material only (updated August 29, 2025) ¹. The two guides differ in date and in what they include, which may explain the different ranges.

The same job fixes a fogged unit; see foggy window between panes. How a sealed unit is built is covered in double-pane windows.

When a new window makes more sense

Fixr says glass replacement is usually not worth it if the window will need replacing in less than three to five years, the dividers or muntins are broken or the windows are low quality, and that some manufacturers do not honor warranties if the glass is replaced without replacing the sash ¹. If the break also damaged the frame or sash, or the window was already drafty or sticking, see repair or replace windows and window sash replacement.

When the new glass must be safety glass

Some locations call for safety glass, such as tempered or laminated glass. Boulder County, Colorado's Publication B-30, Safety Glazing, based on Sections R308.1 and R308.4 of the 2021 International Residential Code, says: "New windows and window replacements shall comply with the safety glazing requirements." ⁴ The locally adopted code edition governs your house.

For windows, the Boulder handout treats glazing in an individual fixed or operable panel as a hazardous location when it meets all of these conditions: "The exposed area of an individual pane is larger than 9 square feet," "The bottom edge of the glazing is less than 18 inches (457 mm) above the floor," "The top edge of the glazing is more than 36 inches (914 mm) above the floor," and "One or more walking surfaces are within 36 inches (914 mm), measured horizontally and in a straight line, of the glazing." ⁴

The same handout also lists "Glazing in fixed and operable panels of swinging, sliding and bifold doors"; glazing in a panel adjacent to a door "where the bottom exposed edge of the glazing is less than 60 inches (1524mm) above the floor or walking surface" and it is "within 24 inches (610 mm) of either side of the door in the plane of the door in a closed position"; and glazing near bathtubs, showers, hot tubs and pools "where the bottom exposed edge of the glazing is less than 60 inches (1524 mm) measured vertically above any standing or walking surface." ⁴ Each location has exceptions, which the handout lists.

On marking, the Boulder handout says each pane in a hazardous location "shall be provided with a manufacturer's designation," that the designation "shall be acid etched, sandblasted, ceramic-fired, laser etched, embossed, or be of a type that once applied cannot be removed without being destroyed," and that "A label shall be permitted in lieu of the manufacturer's designation." ⁴ If the broken pane had a mark in a corner, ask for the replacement to carry one too. Every location and exception is in where tempered glass is required.

Permits are a separate question. The City of Dublin, California's safety glazing handout, written for Section R324 of the 2025 California Residential Code, lists under "Permits are not required when:" the case "Only the glazing area is replaced," and under "Permits are required when:" the case "Removal or replacement of windows 'in kind'" ⁵. Other cities may draw the line differently, so ask your local building department.

Fixr lists tempered glass at $180 to $700 and laminated at $275 to $625, material only ¹.

Before you call a glass company

• Give the size of the glass, the pane count and any corner mark.
• Ask whether the price covers removing the broken glass and any temporary cover.
• Ask whether the new pane will be safety glass where the old one was, and whether it will carry a mark.
• Is the company licensed where your state licenses this work?

The rest of the checklist, and the cost surveys for glass alone, are in window glass replacement cost; repair prices are in window repair cost. If the window needs more than glass, you can compare quotes from window installers, and how to choose a window installer lists what else to check.

About these figures

• ¹ Reported: Fixr glass guide, its advice to replace the whole insulated unit, resin repair of small cracks and the one-inch limit, risks of a cracked window, emergency service at $120 to $150 an hour, single-pane glass at $150 to $400, double-pane at $150 to $600, triple-pane at $400 to $950, tempered at $180 to $700 and laminated at $275 to $625 (material only), labor of about $50 to $125, reglazing at $250 to $500 and when glass-only work is not worth it, updated August 29, 2025, checked October 26, 2026.
• ² Reported: Fixr repair guide, shattered glass needing replacement, resin repair at $70 to $175, repair costs by glass type of $200 to $400 for double-pane and $500 to $1,000 for triple-pane, and labor doubling or tripling for immediate service, updated January 21, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ³ Reported: This Old House repair guide using Angi estimates, broken glass at $200 to $400 and a cracked pane at $40 to $100, and its notes on temporary epoxy patches and cracks spreading, updated June 23, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁴ Official record: Boulder County, Colorado Publication B-30, based on Sections R308.1 and R308.4 of the 2021 International Residential Code (doors; 24 and 60 inches beside doors; 9 square feet, 18 and 36 inches for windows; 60 inches at wet areas; manufacturer designation or label) and its statement that window replacements shall comply, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁵ Official record: City of Dublin, California handout on Section R324 of the 2025 California Residential Code, listing when permits are and are not required, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁶ Official record: NFRC glossary definitions of tempered and laminated glass, glazing bead, double glazing and insulating glass, checked October 26, 2026.