Car Key Replacement in Tampa, FL

What to have ready

A replacement key has to be tied to a car you can show is yours, so gather the paperwork before you ask for car key replacement:

1. Photo ID in your name.
2. The registration or title, or the lease or loan paperwork if the car is not yet yours outright.
3. The VIN, which appears on the registration and on the dashboard at the base of the windshield.
4. Any keys or fobs you still have, plus the year, make and model.

Where the car is parked

When every key is lost, where the car stands matters to the request. Tampa cars stand in many places: the city's garages include Fort Brooke, Twiggs and Palm Avenue, and Westshore has two major malls and Tampa International Airport, so a key lost at a store or on a trip can leave a car far from home. Give the garage name and level, or the street and cross street.

If the car has to wait

Tampa Code Sec. 15-41 bars leaving a vehicle on city-owned or city-run lots, garages and metered streets for more than a day unless you arrange it in advance with the Parking Division. A car waiting on a new key is a case to raise with the division before that limit passes. This is general information, not legal advice.

Making a spare early

A spare made while one key still works is simpler than starting over once every key is gone, so it is worth arranging before you need it. Before a storm, pack spare house and car keys with your evacuation kit.

Details for the request

Year, make, model and VIN, the exact location, how many keys are lost, and whether the missing key is a plain blade, a remote or a push-button fob. Say whether the car starts and whether it is locked. If the doors are locked with the keys inside, see car lockout. The Tampa page covers the city's garages.