Smart Lock Installation in Aurora, CO

Fitting a smart lock to an Aurora door

Most smart deadbolts fit a door already drilled for a standard deadbolt, so the first checks are the existing hole, the door thickness and how the bolt meets the frame. Aurora adds one more. Sec. 22-190 of the City Code, which reaches homes permitted since September 1, 1983, describes the exterior-door deadbolt as one that works by key from outside and by knob or thumb turn from inside. A smart deadbolt that keeps a keyed cylinder and an inside thumb turn stays closest to that description, and the key still opens it when the batteries die. The section also treats the entry from an attached garage as an exterior door, so that door gets the same check. This is general information, not legal advice.

Condos and townhomes

Before you buy, ask the manager or association whether a unit door that faces a hallway, courtyard or other common area may be changed, and whether management keeps a key. At Heather Gardens, a 55-and-over community of condominiums, townhomes and patio homes, ask whether its rules cover unit doors before you order hardware.

Cold batteries and storm-repair codes

Smart-lock batteries lose capacity in deep cold, so a lock on an outside door may report low batteries after a cold night and seem fine once it warms. Replace batteries at the first warning, check the manual for whether lithium cells are allowed, and keep the mechanical key somewhere outside the house, such as with a neighbor.

The Attorney General's Stop Fraud Colorado site flags door-to-door solicitation after a hailstorm. If crews had a keypad code during storm repairs, change it afterward.

What to send

Include photos of the current deadbolt from both sides and the door edge, any smart lock model you already have, which door it is for, and whether your association or manager has approved it. See smart lock installation, lock rekeying for the doors that stay keyed, and Aurora.