Lock Replacement in Miami, FL

Older doors and worn locks

Florida's housing is young overall, with 68.0 percent of homes in buildings from 1980 or later, but older stock clusters in Miami, where 28.5 percent of homes predate 1960. Morningside, built from 1925, has Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco and vernacular houses, and Buena Vista, from the 1920s, adds Mission and Craftsman residences.

An old door can need a different approach than a new pre-drilled one, so a modern lockset may not simply drop in. Say whether the original door and frame remain, and describe what has worn: a latch that no longer catches, a knob that spins loose, or a key copied so many times that it turns hard.

Historic districts and exterior doors

Under Chapter 23 of the City Code, the historic preservation ordinance, the City of Miami requires a certificate of appropriateness for any work on historic properties, small projects such as window replacements included. Regular permits still apply. Before replacing a street-facing door in a designated district such as Morningside or Buena Vista, check with the city first.

Swapping a lockset in an existing door is one thing; a new exterior door is another. Miami-Dade County's permit checklist for exterior door replacement asks for product approval numbers from the county or the Florida Building Commission, plus the current Notice of Acceptance (NOA) for each door. A lock problem that turns into a new door becomes a permit question. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to include in a request

• Photos of the door's face, edge and inside hardware, and a note on whether the door is original.
• The neighborhood, the cross streets, and whether the property is in a designated historic district.
• Whether you own or rent, since a rented or condo door may not be yours to change.
• What you want changed: one lock, every exterior door, or matching keys throughout.

If the lock is only worn, lock repair may be enough. The service overview is on the lock replacement page.