Lock Replacement in Nampa, ID

Old Nampa's original doors

Old Nampa was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 2007. The city describes its 243 homes as almost entirely Craftsman bungalows from 1920 to 1940, many built from plan-book designs by the local lumber company or ordered as catalog kits shipped in by railroad car.

A door from that period may have been prepared for a mortise lock, a box-shaped body set into a pocket cut in the door's edge, rather than the round bores of modern knob sets and deadbolts. If the door has also been patched, redrilled or given a deadbolt above the original, replacement is mostly a fitting job. The new lock has to match the pocket, the backset and the door's thickness, or the old holes have to be filled and the door prepared again.

The city's historic review option

The city has looked into neighborhood interest in a local historic district for Old Nampa. One option it describes would require city review for exterior work that already needs a building permit, while interior changes would not need city approval. For a new door or frame, ask the city about permits and any review first. This is general information, not legal advice.

Newer houses and mobile homes

Just over half of Nampa's homes, 53.8 percent by 2024 Census estimates, date from 2000 or later. There, replacement usually means something has failed:

• A knob that spins without pulling back the latch
• A deadbolt that has to be pushed or lifted to throw
• A finish worn through, or a cylinder damaged in a break-in attempt

Statewide, mobile homes are 6.5 percent of Idaho homes, about 54,000 units. On one, measure the door and read the existing lock set before choosing hardware.

Photos that help

Send photos of the door edge with the latch plate showing and of the lock from both sides, plus the door's thickness if you can measure it. Say whether the new lock should take your existing key. To keep the hardware and change only the key, see lock rekeying; for a keypad or app lock, see smart lock installation. The Nampa page covers Old Nampa in more detail.