Snow removal for banks and credit unions: ATMs, drive-thru lanes and the night drop

What makes a bank or credit union different?

A branch runs on three clocks: lobby hours, staff hours that start earlier and often in the dark, and an ATM and night depository that never close. Add a drive-thru with several lanes split by islands, a vestibule ATM that collects slush all night, and customers carrying cash who want light, visibility and a short walk. That makes a branch a commercial snow removal job with no closing time. The ADA's Title III rules also name banks outright in their list of public accommodations (28 CFR 36.104).

What gets cleared first, and by when?

The ATM and night drop have no opening time. Write evening and weekend checks into the scope.

What do the ADA standards say about ATMs?

The 2010 ADA Standards (section 220) require at least one ATM of each type at each location to meet section 707, and an advisory note treats a bank's interior and exterior ATMs as separate locations. A lobby machine does not cover for a buried outdoor one, least of all after the lobby closes.

At the accessible walk-up machine, section 707.2 requires a clear floor or ground space, which section 305 sets at 30 by 48 inches minimum, with no changes in level, no slope steeper than 1:48 and a stable, firm, slip-resistant surface. Footprints frozen into ruts, or the ridge a plow leaves at the curb, put a change in level exactly where a wheelchair user has to pull up. Clear that rectangle to pavement and treat it. Drive-up-only ATMs are exempt from the clear space and reach rules, but their lane still has to be passable.

Night depositories are covered too: section 228, whose advisory names bank night receptacles, requires at least one of each type to meet the operable-parts rules, including the same clear floor space, unless it is drive-up only. Federal rules at 28 CFR 36.211 require these features to be kept in working order, allowing only temporary interruptions. See ADA and snow. This is general information, not legal advice.

How do you clear drive-thru lanes and tube stations?

The basics of plowing a drive-thru are in snow removal for restaurants. A bank's version differs in three ways:

• Several lanes, separated by islands. Snow can only leave out the ends, and every island curb needs hand work.
• Reach. The customer has to reach the pneumatic tube carrier or the ATM from the window. A ridge left along the island holds the car a foot or more away, and the customer opens the door onto ice. Clear right to the curb face.
• The bypass lane. Where there is one, it is how a driver gets out of line. Keep it open.

Stake island ends and curbs, bollards around the tube stations and drive-up ATM, clearance bar posts, canopy columns, lane signs, light pole bases and curb ramps. Know the canopy's posted clearance, because a truck carrying a spreader can stand taller than its cab. Treat the canopy drip line, where afternoon melt refreezes at night.

Never stack in the ATM clear space or its approach, in front of the night drop, at the lane exits or in the bypass lane, in accessible spaces, at the vestibule entrance, or in the sight lines from the street to the ATM.

Staff arrival, the night drop and lighting

Federal bank security rules, such as the FDIC's (12 CFR 326.3), require a security program with procedures for opening and closing, and federally insured credit unions keep written security programs under NCUA rules (12 CFR 748.0). The branch does not need to share those procedures with a snow contractor. It needs to say which spaces, walk and door the opening staff use, and when the first person arrives, so those are plowed, treated and lit first.

Business customers use the night drop after the lobby closes, often with the day's receipts. Clear and treat the walk and the space in front of the depository, and check both on evening visits.

Keep piles low near the ATM and night drop so both stay visible from the street and the lot, and keep them off light pole bases. A plow crew at 2 a.m. may be the only people who see the lot in the dark, so ask them to note burned-out lights in the visit record.

Vestibules, records and contract questions

An ATM vestibule collects slush all night with nobody mopping until morning. Clear the threshold so the card-access door closes and latches, and lay absorbent mats inside. See salt stains on floors.

Keep timestamped records of every visit, including night and weekend checks, along with the branch's own opening checks. See snow logs. Before signing, ask:

1. How often are the ATM and night drop checked after dark and on weekends?
2. Is the walk-up ATM's clear space hand-cleared to pavement and treated?
3. Are drive-thru lanes cleared to the island curbs, with the bypass lane included?
4. Is every island, bollard and clearance bar staked, and what is the canopy clearance?
5. What time does the first employee arrive, and through which door?
6. Are evening and weekend visits recorded with times?