Lock Replacement in Aurora, CO

Three generations of Aurora housing

The city's 2020 Housing Strategy maps Aurora's housing in rough bands: the oldest neighborhoods in the west near the Denver line, mostly 1980s and 1990s homes east of I-225 out to Buckley, and the newest construction around E-470.

• The 1950s wave. Hoffman Heights, north of East Sixth Avenue, is the clearest example: a 2012 survey for the city says Sam Hoffman built 1,696 houses there. Check each door for a worn original knob set, a deadbolt added later or none at all, and extra holes or a split frame from earlier installs that new hardware has to cover.
• East of I-225, 1980s and 1990s. Original hardware from those decades is now three to four decades old. Loose latches, worn finishes and cylinders that fight the key are common reasons to replace rather than repair.
• Around E-470. Replacement here can be a choice rather than a need: a new style, one key for every door, or a smart lock.

What Aurora's deadbolt rule describes

For structures with building permits issued on or after September 1, 1983, Aurora City Code Sec. 22-190 requires a deadbolt on every exterior door of a dwelling unit unless the fire code prohibits one; hotels and motels are excepted. The deadbolt must have no spring action and sit no higher than 48 inches above the finished floor, and it must be operable with a key on the outside and with a knob or thumb turn on the inside. An exterior sliding glass door needs a locking bar or a pin or bolt device. Those are the points to compare against a lock's specifications. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to send with a replacement request

• the neighborhood and the approximate year the house was built
• which doors, with photos of each lock from both sides and of the door edge
• the door thickness and the distance from the door edge to the center of the lock hole
• whether you want every lock on one key
• for a sliding glass door, whether it has a bar or pin now

See lock replacement for the service and Aurora for city notes.