Broken Key Extraction in Fort Collins, CO

Where keys snap in Fort Collins

A key rarely breaks without warning; it usually gives way at a lock where it has been under strain. Three settings put keys at risk here.

• Shared locks in multi-unit housing. Census Bureau estimates for 2024 put 49.0 percent of Fort Collins households in rentals, and renters in multi-unit buildings often carry keys to a shared entrance or a mailbox bank as well as their own door. Every unit uses those cylinders, and a copied key cut slightly off can twist and crack in one. Shared locks often belong to the building, so tell the property manager before anyone works on them.
• Worn cylinders in older houses. The Laurel School district, known as Midtown, has architecture from the 1870s to the 1930s. Where an original or very old cylinder remains, worn pins and springs can make a key bind, and people turn harder.
• Ice in the keyway. Colorado's weather adds a third risk. The Colorado Climate Center says chinook winds, warmed as they descend from the mountains, can raise temperatures on the high plains 25 to 35°F within a short time. Meltwater that runs into a lock on a warm afternoon can turn to ice overnight, and forcing a key against ice can snap it.

What not to do

• Do not slide the other half of the key in beside the fragment; it can push the piece deeper.
• Do not put glue on the broken end. Glue that reaches the pins can ruin the cylinder.
• Do not force the handle or the door while the fragment is stuck; if another door works, use it.
• Thaw an iced lock with a de-icer made for locks, not an open flame.

What to send

Say which lock holds the piece: unit door, building entrance, mailbox, deadbolt or car. Note whether the door is locked or unlocked, and whether any of the blade sticks out. Keep both halves of the key: the head often carries its markings, and the blade shows the cuts, which helps in making a new one. A clear photo of the keyway helps too. If the cylinder is damaged, lock repair may follow. Renters can find the city's registration and inspection rules on the Fort Collins page.