Locksmith Services in Chicago, IL

Homes and locks in Chicago

The Chicago Bungalow Association counts more than 80,000 bungalows in the city, nearly one-third of its single-family housing stock. The Chicago bungalow is brick, one and a half stories over a full basement, built from about 1910 to the mid-1930s, with porch steps up from the street and sometimes a side entrance. National Register bungalow districts include Portage Park, Rogers Park Manor, Gage Park, Brainerd and South Shore. For lock replacement on a bungalow, say whether it is the porch or side door, and whether the door is original.

Chicago also has roughly 30,000 greystones, most faced with Bedford limestone, first built in the 1890s in Woodlawn and then North Lawndale and Lake View. Many hold two or three flats. Where one street door serves every flat, a lock rekeying after a move-out may need to cover that shared key too.

Businesses and buildings

The Milwaukee Avenue District in West Town became a Chicago Landmark district on April 9, 2008. About half its buildings have a single storefront, typically with a central entrance door between display windows, below lofts or flats; the earliest reached their flats through a separate side entrance. For commercial locksmith work there, list each door. The city's Historic Preservation Division handles permit applications for work in landmark districts, so check before replacing a street-facing door.

Car trouble in Chicago

From December 1 to April 1, parking is banned from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. on 107 miles of arterial streets, snow or not, and cars left there are towed. Another 500 miles of main streets can be closed to parking once 2 inches of snow is on the street, at any hour or date, and cars there can be ticketed or relocated.

• For a car lockout on a signed overnight-ban street, say so.
• After snow, a missing car may have been towed or relocated. Check with the city before assuming theft.

Local rules worth knowing

Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance. Chicago Municipal Code 5-12-160 bars landlord lockouts, which the city says include changing or disabling locks, removing doors and shutting off utilities. The city's Department of Housing says the rule covers all residential tenancies, with exceptions for some shelters and hotels, and lockouts can be reported through 311. The city's ordinance summary advises tenants not to change their locks without telling the landlord, except in emergencies, and to give the landlord a key if they do.

Door security. Chicago's Minimum Requirements for Existing Buildings set lock standards for buildings with dwelling or sleeping units; units occupied by an owner-occupant are exempt (14X-4-403.1).

• 14X-4-403.2: a door from outside or a vestibule into a lobby, corridor or stair leading to units needs a deadlocking latch with at least a 1/2-inch bolt, opened inside without a key. Entrances with an attendant continuously on duty are exempt.
• 14X-4-403.3.1.1 to 403.3.1.4: each unit door, other than a sliding glass door, needs a deadbolt with at least a 1-inch saw-resistant bolt, or an equivalent rim or vertical drop deadbolt, that opens inside without a key; a guard on any projecting cylinder; non-removable or jam pins on hinges reachable from outside; and a viewing device such as a 160-degree peephole.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Requesting service in Chicago

Give the community area and nearest cross streets, and say which door is involved. Illinois Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Chicago. See house lockout or the Illinois page.