Smart Lock Installation in Bowling Green, KY

Do Bowling Green doors suit a smart lock?

By Census Bureau estimates for 2020-2024, 38.5 percent of Bowling Green homes date from 2000 or later. Doors from those years are usually bored for a standard deadbolt, the size most retrofit smart deadbolts are made to fit. Check the door's thickness and its backset, the measurement from the door's edge to the middle of the bore, against the lock's fit list before you buy.

Older front doors are another matter. In the four local historic districts, which include College Hill and Downtown Commercial, visible exterior changes can need a Certificate of Appropriateness under the historic overlay standards. A model that replaces only the inside thumb-turn leaves the outside of the door as it is, but for anything seen from the street, find out first whether a certificate is needed.

Renters and apartments

If you rent, get the landlord's written approval before changing a lock. In an apartment, ask the manager before touching any lock tied to a building fob or shared entry.

Short-term rentals

Under the city's Short Term Rental Guide (December 2024), a converted property needs inspections and a permit, and each rental unit is limited to 10 occupants. A keypad lets each guest have a separate code that is deleted at checkout. In lodging houses the guide also calls for self-closing doors to the hallway, so a smart lock on those doors must not stop them from closing on their own. This is general information, not legal advice.

Batteries and backup keys

A keypad lock depends on its batteries. Replace them when the lock first warns you, and keep a mechanical key somewhere other than inside the house. A door that swells and binds in damp weather makes a motorized bolt work harder and drains its batteries, so align the strike before installation.

What to send

Photos of the door edge and of both sides of the current lock, the door's thickness, the smart lock model and whether you own or rent. Lock rekeying applies if old keys are still out there, and smart lock installation has the service details.