Commercial Locksmith in Savannah, GA

Riverfront buildings with doors on several levels

The riverfront sits on a sloping bluff, and one business can have doors at three heights. The former cotton warehouses on River Street's south side were the industrial back sections of buildings whose fronts face Bay Street. Factors Walk runs at mid-height on the bluff, between the warehouses below and Bay Street above. A shop or restaurant there might have a lower door onto River Street, a middle one onto Factors Walk and an upper one on the Bay Street side, so a key plan has to account for each level.

East River Street today is mostly restaurants, cafes and craft shops. Newer buildings include the 1980 Hyatt Regency and the Plant Riverside District, a mixed-use development that opened in 2020 at the street's west end. In mixed-use and multi-tenant buildings, shared entrances typically belong to the owner or management, while each tenant controls only its own doors.

Keys when staff or tenants change

A key that leaves with a former employee or tenant still opens the door.

• Rekey rather than replace. When keys go missing but the hardware is sound, rekeying the affected cylinders shuts out the old keys.
• Master keying. A master key system lets managers open every door while each staff key opens only its own areas. With doors on more than one level, it takes planning.
• Restricted keyways. These limit who can have copies cut.
• New leases. Ask the landlord whether the last tenant's locks were rekeyed, and get written approval before changing a lock you don't own.

Buildings in the Downtown Historic District

A building inside the Savannah Downtown Historic District falls under Section 7.8 of the City of Savannah Zoning Ordinance, the Savannah Downtown Historic Overlay District. The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) says every project in the district goes before the Historic District Board of Review. Before ordering a new storefront door or any other exterior change, check with MPC preservation staff on whether a Certificate of Appropriateness is required. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to include

Name the building, the street and level of each door, how many cylinders need work, whether you own or lease, and who holds keys now. See commercial locksmith service and the Savannah page.