If it's urgent
What to tell us
Urgent lockout and lock help for homes, vehicles, and businesses, starting with a clear conversation about what is possible.
- Your exact location and a phone number where you can be reached
- A short description of what happened
- Photo ID and proof of residence, ownership, or authorization, or tell us if they are locked inside
If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.
Emergency Locksmith in KentuckyBowling Green notes
Updated 2 sources
What counts as urgent here
Some lock problems can wait for a convenient visit. Others cannot:
- Storms. According to NOAA, Kentucky averaged about 24 tornadoes a year from 1991 to 2019, and the December 10-11, 2021 outbreak, which caused 76 deaths, is one of the deadliest in the state's history. A door that no longer closes or locks after wind damage leaves a home open. A split jamb needs repair before a new deadbolt will hold, so the first job may be securing the door for now.
- Break-ins. Call the police first and wait for them before going inside. Leave the damaged lock as it is until they have seen it; afterward the door can be secured and the locks rekeyed or replaced.
- A key snapped in the only exterior lock, which leaves the home unable to be locked.
- A lockout with nowhere safe to wait, such as a summer afternoon without shade or a winter night in the rain.
A lock that is stiff but still works, or a lockout where a spare key is already on the way, is usually not an emergency.
Safety first
If anyone is hurt or trapped, if a child or an animal is shut in a car or a home, you smell gas, or there is a fire, call 911 before anything else. Do not climb through windows or force a door that a storm has damaged.
Winter streets and rented homes
Bowling Green's plows begin at two inches of snow and reach residential streets last, in the fourth of four priority groups, so your street may still be unplowed when a lockout happens. Say whether it has been cleared. If you rent, tell the landlord after a break-in or storm damage; the lease may say who replaces a damaged lock.
What to send
- Where you are, by cross streets or a landmark, and which door or vehicle
- What happened: lockout, break-in, storm damage or a broken key
- Whether anyone is at risk, and the police report number after a break-in
- Photos of the damage
- Photo ID with the address, or a lease or deed
After a break-in, lock rekeying or lock replacement follows once the police have seen the door, and emergency locksmith describes the service.
Sources
Public records and references this page draws on. They are outside USA Locksmith Pros and open in a new tab.