Commercial Locksmith in Meridian, ID

Meridian's commercial areas and their doors

Twenty years of change have moved land in and around Meridian away from farming and single-family use toward a mix that includes commercial and industrial space, according to the comprehensive plan. Three kinds of business space stand out:

• Old Town. The historic downtown, whose district boundary mostly follows the historic plat. With existing buildings expected to be reused, a storefront door may have been refitted more than once. Photograph and measure it before ordering new hardware.
• Shops with apartments above. The Idaho Building, 136 E. Idaho Ave., went up for Harrell & Pfaffle Co. with shops on the first floor and apartments on the second. The shop, the residents and the owner each need different keys, and a key change at the storefront should not cut off the upstairs entrance.
• The Ten Mile Interchange area. Its specific area plan covers about 2,800 acres between Linder and McDermott roads, with residential, commercial and lifestyle-center designations.

Business doors come in a few kinds: glass storefronts with narrow-stile locks, steel back doors with exit devices, and interior doors.

Staff and tenant turnover

Keys leave with former employees and former tenants. Common responses:

• Rekey exterior doors whenever a key cannot be recovered, and at every change of tenant in a leased space. In a mixed building like the Idaho Building, keep the shop's keys apart from the apartments' keys so a change at one does not lock out the other.
• Use a master key system so managers carry one key and staff open only what they need, and keep a written log of who holds which key.
• Choose a restricted keyway where copies should need authorization.

Two city programs to know

• Knox Box. The fire department uses these lockboxes so first responders can enter commercial and residential properties. Once locks are rekeyed, Fire Administration can help swap the keys stored in an existing box.
• Security surveys. The police department's Crime Prevention Unit offers business security surveys that look at lights, alarms and locks.

What to send

The business name, the district or nearest cross streets, the door types involved, how many locks, and whether there is a Knox Box or a master key system. See commercial locksmith service, lock rekeying and the Meridian page.