Commercial Locksmith in Boston, MA

Neighborhood business districts

Chinatown, Fields Corner and Mattapan Square are among the neighborhood business districts in Boston's Main Streets program, each run by an independent nonprofit. Lock work on a small storefront in districts like these tends to center on a few doors: the customer entrance, a rear or service door, and sometimes a back room or stockroom, each with its own set of keyholders.

Storefronts on Beacon Hill

Storefronts on Beacon Hill go through the same district review as the houses around them, so exterior security work needs planning. Exterior features open to view from a public way require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission (Chapter 616 of the Acts of 1955, as amended). For security grilles, the guidelines call for mounting within the window reveal, fixed into mortar joints rather than the masonry or the face of the building, with shop drawings submitted to the commission for approval.

Apartment buildings

For owners and managers of rental buildings, the State Sanitary Code, 105 CMR 410.270, sets baseline lock duties: every dwelling unit entry door must be able to be secured against unlawful entry, other exterior doors need an operating lock, and openable exterior windows must be securable.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Staff turnover and key control

When an employee or manager leaves, the question is who still holds a key. Rekeying exterior doors after a keyholder leaves without returning keys, keeping a written key log, and cutting separate keys for rooms only some staff need all limit the exposure. A master key system can let a manager open every door while other keys open only their own areas.

What to include in a request

Give the business district or cross streets, the number of doors and locks, the door types (glass storefront, steel service door, interior door), and whether your lease requires the landlord's approval for lock changes. See commercial locksmith, lock rekeying, or the Boston page.