Lock Replacement in Annapolis, MD

Replacement rules in the Historic District

The Historic District on Spa Creek is where Annapolis began to grow outward, and its doors come with rules. A certificate of approval from the Historic Preservation Commission is required for exterior changes to structures in the historic district (City Code section 21.56.040). The design manual says the commission's review covers replacement of doors and windows, that historic doors are to be preserved in place unless documentation justifies replacement, and that a replacement must duplicate the historic unit in design, dimensions and materials. This is general information, not legal advice.

For lock replacement, that raises one practical question: can the work stay inside the existing door? Three steps help:

1. Ask the Historic Preservation Division whether your project needs an application before you buy hardware.
2. Choose a lock body that fits the existing bore or mortise pocket, so the door is not re-cut or re-drilled.
3. If only the cylinder is worn, replace the cylinder and leave the lock body and outside trim alone.

Outside the downtown core

Between 1951 and 1961 the city annexed Eastport, Parole, West Annapolis and the areas along Forest Drive and Bay Ridge Road. Whether a given house falls under the rules above is a question for the Historic Preservation Division, so ask before assuming. Where no historic-district review applies, replacement is mostly about condition:

• a deadbolt that no longer throws all the way
• a cylinder that spins with the key
• a knob or lever set that has worked loose
• keys worn smooth enough to stick in the lock

Worn hardware or worn keys

A lock that stays gritty or sticky after cleaning is a candidate for replacement rather than another round of lubricant, and lock repair covers what can still be saved. If only the keys are a worry, rekeying keeps the existing hardware and leaves the door untouched.

Describing the door

Say whether the door is in the Historic District, what it is made of (wood, metal or glass and aluminum), what the current lock looks like and whether you own the building. Rules that reach across the whole city are collected on the Annapolis page.