House Lockout in Idaho Falls, ID

The house you are locked out of

Idaho Falls has the oldest homes of the four Idaho cities with pages on this site: in the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates, 27.8 percent date from before 1960. The house shapes a house lockout here as much as the lock does.

• Original Townsite of Eagle Rock. Platted as Winn's Addition, it includes Lava and Basalt streets near Cliff Street. Most first residents lived in modest gable-front frame houses. Say whether the locked door is the front, rear or side door.
• Ridge Avenue Historic District. East of the railroad, entrances can be unexpected: the walking tour notes that the second-floor room at 478 North Water Avenue was originally reached only by an exterior stair. If your part of a house has its own entrance, describe that door, not the main one.
• Eleventh Street Historic District. In this part of the numbered streets, Craftsman bungalows are the most common style, most built from 1905 to 1921. A wood door that old may swell and stick, so mention it if yours does.
• Houses from the 1950s. Say whether the door has only a knob lock or a deadbolt as well.

Weather while you wait

The city's snow-removal parking season, set in Title 9, Chapter 5 of the City Code, runs November 14 to March 15, so a lockout in those months can mean standing in the cold. Wait with a neighbor or in a nearby building, and do not climb to an upper window. If someone who cannot let you in or get out on their own is inside, call 911. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to have ready

1. Something that ties you to the address: photo ID showing it, or a lease, deed, mortgage statement or utility bill in your name.
2. Cross streets or the neighborhood, and which entrance you use if the house has more than one.
3. The lock on that door: knob, deadbolt, keypad or other, and whether a key is broken off in it.

If the keys are lost rather than locked inside, lock rekeying is worth considering once you are back in. The Idaho Falls page has more on local homes.