Commercial Locksmith in Augusta, GA

Downtown's historic commercial buildings

Broad Street between 5th and 13th Streets is its own National Register district, listed in 1980. The larger Augusta Downtown Historic District, listed in 2004, is roughly bounded by 13th Street, Walton Way, Gordon Highway and the Savannah River.

Downtown is one of three local historic districts in Augusta, with Olde Town and Summerville, and design guidelines have been published for it. Under the city's preservation ordinance (Chapter 7-4 of the local code), a material change in a building's exterior appearance needs a Certificate of Appropriateness first (§ 7-4-16), and door type and style count as exterior features (§ 7-4-2). Swapping a storefront door for one of a different type or style may need approval; rekeying its lock leaves the door as it is. Interior changes that have no effect on those exterior features are not considered by the commission (§ 7-4-23). This is general information, not legal advice.

Doors in older commercial buildings

• Glass storefront doors often take a narrow lock body set into the door's stile, with a cylinder on one or both sides, so replacement parts must match that narrow profile.
• Rear and service doors are often steel, with a deadbolt or an exit device, facing an alley or lot.
• Upper-floor and interior doors in older buildings may still hold original mortise locks.

Turnover and key control

Staff leave, tenants move out and keys go with them. A few habits keep that manageable:

• Rekey when you cannot account for every key, or when someone who held one leaves on bad terms.
• A master key system lets owners and managers open every door while each employee's key opens only their own areas.
• Keep a written log of who holds which key.
• In a multi-tenant building, the landlord often controls the street entry and shared doors, and each tenant its own suite. Ask before changing a shared lock.

What a request should cover

The address or cross streets, whether the building is in the downtown local district, the number and type of doors, and who holds keys now. Georgia Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Augusta. See commercial locksmith for the service, lock rekeying for key resets and Augusta for the city.