Residential Locksmith Service That Does What It Says

Grade 3 (residential)

Entry-level builder-grade hardware. Fine for interior doors; inadequate for exterior. If your front door came with a $15 deadbolt, this is likely it.

Grade 2 (heavy residential / light commercial)

Real-world residential strength. Rated for higher cycle counts and stronger force resistance. The sweet spot for most {{mpg_state}} homes.

Grade 1 (commercial)

Designed for commercial doors and high-use residential. Drill resistance, kick-in resistance, and longer cycle life. Worth it on primary exterior doors.

High-security cylinders

Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, ASSA. Drill-resistant cylinders with restricted keyways. Meaningful upgrade beyond Grade 1 for front-door hardware.

Smart locks

Grade varies wildly by product. Schlage Encode and Yale Assure hit Grade 2. Most aftermarket retrofit smart locks are Grade 3 with added electronics.

Strike plate & frame reinforcement

The cheapest, highest-impact upgrade in residential security. 3-inch screws into the stud behind the jamb, plus a strike reinforcer, beats most kick-in attempts cold.

Standard landlord responsibilities

Standard tenant responsibilities

Rekey

Changing the internal pins of an existing lock so old keys stop working, but the hardware itself stays. Cheapest security update after a move, key loss, or roommate departure.

Key-alike

Rekeying multiple locks so one key opens all of them. Common setup for a single-family home’s front, back, garage, and side doors.

Master-key system

A hierarchy where one key opens every lock, sub-masters open scoped areas, and individual change keys open specific doors. Standard in commercial buildings and larger rentals.

Grade 1 / 2 / 3

ANSI/BHMA hardware grade. Grade 3 is builder-grade residential, Grade 2 is heavy residential / light commercial, Grade 1 is commercial. Higher grades mean more cycles and better forced-entry resistance.

Restricted keyway

A keyway that only authorized dealers can cut keys for. Prevents employees or tenants from making hardware-store copies. Required for meaningful key control.

Bump key

A specially cut key that exploits a rapid impact to pop standard pin-tumbler locks open. Legitimate tool for licensed locksmiths, also an entry method criminals use. High-security cylinders defeat it.

Non-destructive entry

Opening a lock without damaging it — picking, bumping, impressioning, or using bypass tools. Professional standard. Drilling is reserved for genuinely damaged or high-security locks where picking fails.

Transponder key

A car key with an embedded chip that authenticates to the vehicle’s immobilizer. Required for most vehicles built since 1995. Cutting alone isn’t enough — the chip must be programmed to the specific car.

Proximity fob

Push-button-start vehicle key that communicates with the car via low-frequency radio. Programming requires a diagnostic tool and often a physical backup blade cut to match.

Deadbolt

A lock with a bolt that extends into the door frame and can only be retracted by turning a key or thumbturn (not by spring pressure like a latch). Primary exterior-door security on most residential installs.

IC core

Interchangeable core — a removable cylinder that can be swapped in 30 seconds with a specialized control key. Heavily used in commercial and multifamily settings for fast rekey on turnover.

Mortise vs. cylinder

Mortise locks fit into a pocket cut into the door edge; cylinder locks mount through a bore hole. Mortise is heavier-duty and more common on commercial; cylinder is the residential standard.