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Automotive · California Locksmith Pros

Car Key Replacement in Los Angeles, CA

Replacing a lost car key in Los Angeles: the Penal Code 466.6 work order, proof of ownership to bring, and how the 72-hour street rule shapes it.

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Locksmith hands a new car key to a woman in a yellow raincoat beside a red pickup on a foggy hillside streetIllustrative image

Your vehicle

What to have ready

Replacement keys for lost, broken, or worn vehicle keys, including cutting and programming where the vehicle allows.

  • The VIN, found on the dashboard near the windshield or in the driver's door frame
  • Registration or title and a photo ID
  • Any existing keys, including broken ones

ID and proof you may access the vehicle are checked before any work.

Car Key Replacement in California

Los Angeles notes

Updated 3 sources

The paperwork when every key is gone

When no key is left to copy, the law adds paperwork. California Penal Code § 466.6 requires anyone who makes an ignition key other than by copying an existing one to record your name, address, date of birth and ID number, plus the car's plate, VIN and description, on a work order you sign, and to keep it for two years.

That makes proof of ownership the first thing to sort out:

  • Photo ID. A government-issued photo ID with your current name.
  • Registration. It should match the name on your ID. If it is missing or lists someone else, contact your state motor-vehicle agency about a replacement or transfer before asking for a key.
  • The VIN. It is printed on the registration and usually visible through the windshield at the base of the driver's side.

Where the car is parked shapes the request

  • On the street. Under California Vehicle Code 22651(k), Los Angeles can cite or tow a vehicle parked in one place for more than 72 consecutive hours. No sign is required, and there is no exception for placards or permit districts. If the car waits at the curb while a key is made, that clock keeps running, so note when it was last moved.
  • Behind the house. In Hancock Park, the garage generally sits at the back of a side driveway that passes through a porte cochere, so the car may be well back from the street. Say whether it is in the garage, how much room there is beside it and whether the garage door opens.
  • In a building garage or lot. Give the level and space number, and check whether building staff need to let someone in.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Documents and details to gather

  1. The car's year, make and model, and how it starts: key or push button.
  2. Whether any key still works, even a worn spare, since copying is simpler than making a new one.
  3. Your ID, your registration and the VIN.

If the car uses a remote or proximity fob, see key fob programming. The service is described at car key replacement, and the city's parking rules at Los Angeles.

Sources

Public records and references this page draws on. They are outside USA Locksmith Pros and open in a new tab.

  1. California Penal Code § 466.6leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (external site, opens in a new tab)
  2. LADOT Parking: Operations and Supportladotparking.org (external site, opens in a new tab)
  3. City Planning: Hancock Park HPOZplanning.lacity.gov (external site, opens in a new tab)
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