Colorado Locksmith Services

Homes and doors across Colorado

Census Bureau estimates for 2024 put 35.4 percent of Colorado's homes in buildings from 2000 or later, against 27.4 percent nationally, and only 6.6 percent before 1940, against 11.5 percent.

The four cities with their own pages differ sharply:

• Denver is the oldest, with 16.0 percent built before 1940; 24.2 percent of homes sit in buildings of 50 or more units, against 7.7 percent statewide, and 51.9 percent of households rent.
• Aurora built heavily in the 1970s and 1980s, which account for 44.1 percent of its homes.
• Colorado Springs splits evenly: 33.0 percent built since 2000 and 32.6 percent from 1970 to 1989.
• Fort Collins peaked in the 2000s, with 21.5 percent of homes, and 49.0 percent of households rent.

At the door:

• A prewar Denver house may still have its original mortise lock, set into the door edge. Repairing it can avoid cutting new holes for a standard deadbolt.
• In a large Denver building, lobby, garage and mailbox locks often belong to the building, not the unit.
• A 1970s or 1980s house in Aurora or Colorado Springs may have many old keys in circulation. Rekeying the exterior locks to one new key is a sensible first step.

How Colorado's climate affects locks and keys

Colorado State University's Colorado Climate Center describes generally low humidity and large day-to-night temperature changes. Chinook winds, warmed as they descend from the mountains, can raise temperatures on the high plains 25 to 35°F within a short time. Subzero nights are commonplace in valleys such as the San Luis Valley, and some eastern counties average six or more hail days a year.

What that does to locks:

• Dry air. Low humidity dries wood doors and frames, and seasonal movement can pull a deadbolt out of line with its strike. Often the fix is lock repair at the strike plate, not a new lock.
• Chinook thaws. Snowmelt that runs into a keyway on a warm afternoon can refreeze overnight. Use de-icer rather than forcing the key; a key snapped in the cylinder calls for broken key extraction.
• Subzero valleys. Fob and smart-lock batteries lose capacity in deep cold. Keep a mechanical key for any smart lock on a mountain home.
• Hail season. The Attorney General's Stop Fraud Colorado site flags door-to-door solicitation after a hailstorm. If crews had a garage code or key during storm repairs, change the codes afterward.

Renting in Colorado: locks, keys and rekeying

The 2024 Colorado Revised Statutes address locks directly:

• Working locks. Under C.R.S. 38-12-505(1)(b)(XI), a rental is uninhabitable if it substantially lacks locks on all exterior doors, and locks or security devices on windows designed to be opened, kept in good working order.
• A safety issue. Section 38-12-505(4)(g) presumes, unless rebutted, that a lack of working locks or security devices on exterior doors and openable windows materially interferes with a tenant's life, health or safety. C.R.S. 38-12-503(2)(b) then gives a landlord with written notice 24 hours to begin remedial action, against 72 hours for other uninhabitable conditions.
• No lockouts. C.R.S. 38-12-510 bars a landlord from removing or excluding a tenant without court process, except in cases such as mutual consent or abandonment, and includes the willful removal of doors, windows or locks other than for repair or maintenance. Statutory damages are actual damages plus the higher of three times the monthly rent or five thousand dollars. The section also lists the return of keys among the signs of abandonment.

None of these sections requires rekeying between tenants, so ask in writing at move-in whether the locks were changed, and report lock problems in writing. This is general information, not legal advice.

Where we take requests in Colorado

Colorado runs from the high plains over the Front Range and the mountains to the Grand Junction area. Colorado Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Colorado.

• Denver
• Colorado Springs
• Aurora
• Fort Collins

For other Colorado locations, see service areas or use the contact page.

Before you book a locksmith in Colorado

Stop Fraud Colorado, from the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section, says to document attempts to resolve a problem with the business first, then file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office and contact local police if that fails.

Checks that fit Colorado:

1. Ask for the total price. House Bill 25-1090 added C.R.S. 6-1-737, which the act made effective January 1, 2026. A stated price must show the total, mandatory fees included, as a single number. A service whose total cannot reasonably be known in advance, such as one that depends on distance or time, may instead disclose the pricing factors, any mandatory fees, and that the total may vary.
2. Watch the payment terms. Its contractor fraud red flags include asking for more than 10 percent of costs up front and requiring cash, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
3. Read any contract before signing, as the same guidance advises, and keep the invoice.