It’s 3 AM. Your phone is ringing. The alarm company is telling you someone just smashed through your storefront glass.
Or maybe it’s broad daylight and a car just jumped the curb and drove through your front window. Or a break-in happened overnight and you’re arriving to a gaping hole where your glass used to be.
Whatever the scenario, the next 60 minutes matter. What you do right now determines how much inventory you lose, how much additional damage occurs, and how fast you get back to business.
Here’s the playbook — straight from a company that’s handled hundreds of emergency board-ups across LA County.
Minute 0–15: Safety and Police
Step 1: Don’t enter the building. If the glass was broken during a break-in, the intruder may still be inside. Wait for police to clear the building. If it was a vehicle impact, the structural integrity around the opening may be compromised.
Step 2: Call the police. File a report. You’ll need the police report number for your insurance claim. Don’t skip this even if nothing was stolen — the glass damage itself is a covered loss on most commercial policies.
Step 3: Document everything. Before anyone touches anything, take photos and video from every angle: – The full exterior showing the broken glass – Close-ups of the damage pattern – Interior damage (displaced merchandise, broken fixtures) – The surrounding area (for vehicle impact: skid marks, debris field)
Your insurance company will want all of this. Your phone camera is fine.
Minute 15–30: Call Your Glass Company
This is where response time separates real emergency glass companies from everyone else.
The LA Glass Company operates 24/7 emergency board-up service across LA County. When you call, here’s what we do:
- Dispatch immediately — our crew is en route within minutes, not hours
- Assess on arrival — measure the opening, evaluate structural damage, check for safety hazards
- Board up — secure the opening with plywood or polycarbonate panels to protect your interior from weather, theft, and further damage
- Measure for replacement glass — so the permanent replacement can be ordered immediately
The board-up is temporary protection. It stops the bleeding. The permanent glass replacement follows as quickly as the glass can be fabricated — usually 1–3 business days for standard sizes, longer for custom.
Minute 30–60: Insurance and Documentation
While our crew is securing your building, start your insurance process:
Step 1: Call your insurance company. Report the loss. Give them the police report number. Ask about your deductible and what’s covered.
Most commercial property policies cover: – Glass replacement – Board-up costs – Interior damage caused by the break-in – Lost inventory (if applicable) – Sometimes even lost business income during repairs
Step 2: Get a written estimate from your glass company. We provide detailed written estimates that your insurance adjuster can work with. We’ve done this hundreds of times — we know what adjusters need to see.
Step 3: Save every receipt. Board-up service, temporary security, cleanup costs — anything you spend to mitigate further damage is typically reimbursable.
What Good Emergency Board-Up Looks Like
Not all board-ups are created equal. Here’s what you should expect from a professional service:
- Plywood or polycarbonate panels — cut to fit the opening precisely, not just leaned against the hole
- Properly fastened — screwed into the frame, not taped or propped
- Weathertight — sealed against rain, wind, and debris
- Secure — a board-up that can be kicked in doesn’t protect anything
- Clean — all broken glass removed from the interior and exterior, swept and vacuumed
A board-up should make your building look closed — not abandoned. Presentation matters, especially if your business is in a high-traffic area.
Why Response Time Matters
Every hour your storefront is open to the street is an hour of:
- Theft risk — the original break-in may have been interrupted, or opportunistic theft follows
- Weather damage — rain, wind, and dust enter freely
- Liability — exposed glass edges and an unsecured building create injury risk for pedestrians and employees
- Lost revenue — you can’t open for business with a hole in your wall
This is why we operate 24/7. A break-in at 3 AM on a Saturday needs the same response as one at 2 PM on a Tuesday.
We Cover All of LA County
The LA Glass Company serves the entire greater Los Angeles area from our shop in Signal Hill:
- Long Beach and Signal Hill
- Torrance
- Carson and Compton
- Bellflower
- Cerritos
- Lakewood
- South LA
- Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood
- And surrounding communities
Veteran-owned. 3rd generation glazier. Licensed, bonded, and insured.
When your glass breaks, call us. We’ll be there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How fast can you respond to an emergency board-up call?
A: We dispatch immediately — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Response time depends on location, but we serve all of LA County from our Signal Hill shop and prioritize emergencies.
Q: Does insurance cover emergency board-up costs?
A: Yes, in most cases. Commercial property insurance typically covers board-up costs as part of loss mitigation. We provide detailed written estimates that work directly with your insurance adjuster.
Q: How long does the board-up stay up before permanent glass is installed?
A: Standard storefront glass replacement usually takes 1–3 business days after the board-up. Custom sizes, tempered glass, or specialty configurations may take longer. We order replacement glass immediately during the board-up visit.
Q: Can I stay open for business with a board-up in place?
A: In most cases, yes. A professional board-up secures the building and allows you to resume operations while waiting for permanent glass replacement.
