Illinois Locksmith Services

Homes and doors across Illinois

Census Bureau estimates for 2024 put 20.0 percent of Illinois homes in buildings from 1939 or earlier, against 11.5 percent nationally. In Chicago the share is 39.0 percent, and 26.2 percent of the city's homes sit in two-, three- or four-unit buildings, compared with 7.5 percent across the country. Another 21.6 percent are in buildings with 50 or more units.

The suburbs are newer. Nearly half of Naperville's homes (49.2 percent) went up in the 1980s and 1990s, and 39.3 percent of Aurora's date from 1990 to 2009. Springfield falls in between: 17.5 percent pre-1940 and 38.0 percent built from 1950 through 1979.

What that means at the door:

• Pre-1940 buildings. In older Chicago and Springfield housing, ask whether an original lock can be repaired or rekeyed before replacing it.
• Two- to four-unit walk-ups. Chicago's code calls for a keyed latch on the building entrance and a deadbolt on each covered unit door (see below). Check which of those locks the lease lets you change.
• 1980s to 2000s suburbs. For a keypad or smart lock on a Naperville or Aurora door from those decades, check the existing deadbolt hole and door thickness against the lock's specifications.

How Illinois's climate affects locks and keys

NOAA's state climate summary puts average snowfall above 40 inches in northeastern Illinois and below 10 inches in the far south, and notes occasional heavy lake-effect snow around Chicago. In the February 2011 storm, O'Hare recorded 20.2 inches of snow, the city's third-largest total in 120 years of records, with gusts over 60 mph. During Chicago's July 1995 heat wave, the heat index reached 105°F or more for 42 hours, and 2-inch extreme precipitation events have run above average since 1990.

Practical upkeep:

• Thaw a frozen cylinder with lock de-icer and never force the key; a twisted key can snap and need a broken key extraction.
• If a key fob dies on a bitter morning, try a fresh battery before assuming it needs reprogramming.

Renting in Illinois: locks, keys and rekeying

About 32 percent of occupied Illinois homes are rented, and renters are the majority in Chicago at 53.5 percent.

• Safe Homes Act, 765 ILCS 750/20. Tenants can ask in writing for new locks when one of them reasonably believes a tenant or household member faces a credible imminent threat of domestic or sexual violence at the home. A threat from someone not on a written lease needs one piece of evidence, such as medical, court or police evidence or a statement from a victim services, domestic violence or rape crisis organization. A threat from a co-tenant on the lease, or any oral-lease request, needs a plenary order of protection or civil no contact order granting the tenant exclusive possession. The landlord then has 48 hours to change the locks or let the tenant do it, and may charge no more than the reasonable price customarily charged. After that, the tenant may change them with locks of similar or better quality and must make a good faith effort to give the landlord a key within 48 hours.
• Chicago lockouts, Municipal Code 5-12-160. The city's ordinance summary says this covers every Chicago rental unit, no exceptions: a landlord may not lock a tenant out, change the locks or remove doors. Police enforce it, fines run $200 to $500 a day, and a tenant can sue for possession plus two months' rent or twice actual damages, whichever is greater.
• Chicago deadbolts, Chapter 13-164. The chapter excludes owner-occupied units, co-op units occupied by the proprietary lessee, and places such as hotels, shelters and school dormitories (13-164-010). Otherwise every unit entrance door except a sliding glass patio door needs a deadbolt with at least a one-inch saw-resistant bolt projection (or an equivalent rim-mounted or vertical drop deadbolt), keyed outside and opened inside without a key, plus a viewing device (13-164-030). Building entrance doors need a deadlocking latch with at least a half-inch latch bolt projection unless an attendant is always on duty (13-164-040).

Where Chicago's ordinance applies (it excludes owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units), landlords get reasonable access on two days' notice (5-12-050). Before you rekey, check whether your lease requires handing over a key. This is general information, not legal advice.

Where we take requests in Illinois

Illinois Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Illinois.

• Chicago
• Aurora
• Naperville
• Springfield

For other Illinois towns, see service areas or include your ZIP code with a service request.

Before you book a locksmith in Illinois

The Illinois Attorney General takes consumer complaints, preferably online; printable forms for mailing come in English, large print, Spanish and Polish.

A few checks before work starts:

1. Get the full price in writing before any drilling or cutting, and keep the itemized invoice.
2. Have ID ready, plus proof of address such as a lease or utility bill, or the registration or title for a vehicle.
3. For a Safe Homes Act lock change, keep copies of your notice and evidence and note when the landlord received them, since the 48-hour clock runs from then.