Physical Access Control is the enforcement side of physical protection. Physical Access Authorizations (03.10.01) decides who is allowed in and Monitoring Physical Access (03.10.02) watches what happens, while Physical Access Control (03.10.07) actually enforces access at the doors and secures the physical means of access. It consolidates several R2 physical protection requirements into one and has five (5) parts: enforce physical access authorizations at entry and exit points, maintain physical access audit logs, escort and control visitors, secure keys and other physical access devices, and control physical access to output devices to prevent unauthorized access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Per the NIST discussion, physical access devices include keys, locks, combinations, and card readers, and controlling access to output devices includes locked rooms, monitored placement, screen filters, and headphones.
A common difficulty with this requirement is the output device objective, which is easy to overlook. A printer that anyone can walk up to, or a monitor visible through a window, both expose CUI regardless of how well the doors are controlled. R3 also makes entry and exit enforcement explicit, so verifying authorizations and controlling ingress and egress are now separately assessed.
Where things stand for companies facing the transition from NIST 800-171 R2 to R3:
The following is reproduced verbatim from NIST 800-171 R3, requirement 03.10.07 Physical Access Control. Only the formatting has been adjusted for readability. This requirement has five (5) lettered parts, and part a has two numbered sub-parts:
The source controls are PE-03 and PE-05 from NIST 800-53. There are no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). Per the NIST discussion, physical access points can include exterior and interior access points, audit logs can be procedural or automated, and examples of output devices include monitors, printers, scanners, facsimile machines, audio devices, and copiers. You can read the requirement directly at NIST 800-171 R3, 03.10.07 (p. 52).
None (0). Requirement 03.10.07 contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value to select and nothing for the DoD to specify. The requirement applies as written.
Your System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.10.07 therefore records how the requirement is implemented rather than a parameter you chose.
NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.10.07 into seven (7) determination statements, and it has no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). These AOs are:
The five (5) parts decompose into verifying authorizations and controlling ingress and egress, maintaining logs, escorting and controlling visitors, securing access devices, and controlling output devices. The full guidance on assessment methods and objects, is in NIST 800-171A R3, 03.10.07 (p. 67).
Examine: physical protection policy and procedures; procedures for physical access control; physical access control logs or records; inventory records of physical access control devices; system entry and exit points; records of key and lock combination changes; storage locations for physical access control devices; physical access control devices; list of security safeguards controlling access to designated publicly accessible areas within facility; system security plan.
Interview: personnel with physical access control responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities.
Test: processes for physical access control; mechanisms for supporting or implementing physical access control; physical access control devices.
03.10.07 consolidates several R2 physical protection requirements: 3.10.3 (escort visitors and monitor visitor activity), 3.10.4 (maintain audit logs of physical access), and 3.10.5 (control and manage physical access devices):
Mapped against the seven (7) AOs, two (2) are direct (minimal effort), two (2) are indirect (moderate effort), and three (3) are net new (significant effort), with none having no mapping. Audit logs, visitor escorting, and access device control carry forward, but the explicit entry and exit enforcement and the output device control are new. Three of the seven (7) objectives are significant effort.
Source Controls in NIST 800-53 R5:
Secure Controls Framework (SCF) Crosswalk
Organizations running a single control set across multiple frameworks can satisfy 03.10.07 through the following SCF controls:
The crosswalks from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3 to the SCF are available at no cost through the SCF Set Theory Relationship Mapping (STRM): https://securecontrolsframework.com/start-here/set-theory-relationship-mapping-strm. The STRM also carries the relationship type for each mapping (Equal, Subset Of, Intersects With), which tells you whether an SCF control fully satisfies the requirement or only part of it. Mapping above taken from SCF 2026.3.
The following are issues teams may encounter rather than certainties. They are about the new entry-exit and output device objectives, each of which needs documented evidence of due diligence and due care such as policies, standards, procedures, and configuration screenshots:
Reasonable objective evidence for an assessment is often subjective. The following examples of evidence to address NIST 800-171 R3 03.10.07 are sourced from the SCF Evidence Request List (ERL), available at https://securecontrolsframework.com/free-content/scf-download. These ERL artifacts are mapped to NIST 800-171 R3 03.10.07 through SCF controls. They establish a starting point for discussions on what an organization needs to have for evidence of due diligence and due care to withstand external scrutiny by an assessor or regulator.
Alongside these, keep the System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.10.07.
With two (2) AOs mapping directly, two indirectly, and three net new, 03.10.07 is a meaningful lift. A realistic sequence:
How many assessment objectives does NIST 800-171 R3 03.10.07 have? NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.10.07 into seven (7) assessment objectives. An assessor works through each one separately, so each needs its own evidence.
Which NIST 800-53 R5 controls does NIST 800-171 R3 03.10.07 come from? PE-03, PE-05.
How many Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs) does NIST 800-171 R3 03.10.07 have? None (0). The requirement contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value and nothing for the DoD to specify.
Where does NIST 800-171 R3 03.10.07 sit in the NIST 800-171 R3 Kill Chain? Phase 20, Physical Security. The Kill Chain is a phased model for sequencing R3 implementation, and it assigns this requirement to that phase.
03.10.07 Physical Access Control enforces access at entry and exit points, maintains physical access logs, escorts and controls visitors, secures physical access devices, and controls access to output devices. It consolidates R2 3.10.3, 3.10.4, and 3.10.5, with audit logs and visitor escorting transitioning directly, while entry-exit enforcement and output device control are net new. The recurring problem is unattended output devices and visible screens. Enforce at the doors, log access, control visitors, secure keys, and protect output devices from unauthorized CUI access.
Authoritative sources:
Authoritative sources:
This guide reproduces U.S. Government text from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3. It is educational, not legal or assessment advice. Last reviewed: 2026-09-22.
