Lock Rekeying in Fort Collins, CO

Why rekeying comes up so often here

Nearly half of Fort Collins households rent: 49.0 percent, in Census Bureau estimates for 2024. Each tenant change leaves keys in circulation, from the outgoing tenant, their roommates, a cleaner or anyone who was lent a copy. Rekeying changes the pin arrangement inside the existing cylinder, so the old keys stop working and a new set does, without replacing the lock body or its trim.

Buyers face the same question. In a house that has changed hands, nobody can say how many copies builders, earlier owners, contractors or dog walkers kept. Rekeying every exterior lock to one new key is a sensible first step after closing, and one key can then replace a ring of mismatched ones.

Fort Collins rental rules that touch locks

• Annual registration. Since January 1, 2025, the city has required most long-term rentals, meaning homes rented for 30 days or more, to be registered every year. Owners self-certify that they understand their responsibility for meeting the minimum standards of the International Property Maintenance Code. Registration does not require an inspection, but a renter can request one at any time.
• Inside release. The city's Landlord-Tenant Handbook says entry doors must have locks that operate from inside without a key or special knowledge. A deadbolt that needs a key on the inside does not appear to fit that description, so a tenant change is a good time to look.
• State law. C.R.S. 38-12-505 and 38-12-510 address working locks and lockouts, but neither requires rekeying between tenants. A new tenant can ask in writing at move-in whether the locks were changed.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What to have ready

Count the locks that should share the new key: front, back, the door from the garage, and any gate or storage lock. Note the brand if it shows on the lock face or the key head, and whether the current keys already match each other. A worn, loose or damaged lock may suit lock replacement better than rekeying. Rental registration and the handbook rules above are summarized on the Fort Collins page.