Lock Rekeying in Louisville, KY

Why rekeying comes up in Louisville

Census estimates show that 39.3 percent of Louisville's occupied homes are rented and that 36.5 percent of all homes were built before 1960. Every move, sale or lease ending leaves keys with earlier tenants, relatives and contractors. Rekeying changes the pins inside an existing cylinder so the old keys stop working, while the lock, the door and the look of the hardware stay as they are.

In Germantown, a shotgun house with a front and a rear door can have both locks keyed alike, so one key works at each. Older doors may hold mortise locks; a photo of the lock and the door edge helps identify the cylinder.

Rental registration and new owners

Chapter 119 of the Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances, as amended by Ordinance No. 197, Series 2022, has owners of rental units register them online with the Department of Codes and Regulations, except units exempted under § 119.02. Under § 119.03, a new owner must register within 30 days of the transfer of ownership. Each year the department randomly selects 10 percent of registrants in Renter Tenure Areas, where rental units exceed 33 percent of residential property, for inspection after notice under KRS 383.615 and 383.665. A new owner has an obvious moment to rekey, since earlier owners' and tenants' keys still exist.

Tenants and protective orders

KRS 383.300 applies statewide. For leases created or renewed on or after June 29, 2017, a tenant protected by a domestic violence order or another listed protective or no-contact order may, after telling the landlord, install a new lock at the tenant's expense. That can mean rekeying a lock in good working condition or replacing the whole mechanism with one of equal or better quality. The landlord can get a key on request and may refuse one to the restrained person, even one named on the lease. In any other rental, read the lease before arranging lock rekeying. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to send

Say whether you own or rent, how many doors need to match one key, and the neighborhood or nearest cross streets. If a cylinder is worn out, lock replacement may suit the door better. The Louisville page covers the city's rental rules and districts.