Car Key Replacement in Cambridge, MA

Where the car is parked matters

Cambridge's snow rules can decide where a car sits in winter. Residents holding a Resident Parking Permit may park in five designated garages during a snow emergency parking ban, among them One Kendall Square and CambridgeSide, and cars must leave within two hours after the ban is lifted. If you lose your only key while parked in one of those garages, that deadline is the first thing to mention in a request, along with the garage level and space number.

For a car on the street, give the block and whether it is signed for snow emergencies, since a car on those streets can be ticketed and towed during a ban.

Papers to gather

A replacement key is cut and, on most newer cars, programmed to the vehicle, so proof that you own the car or may act for its owner comes first:

• Photo ID with a name that matches the ownership papers.
• The registration or title, and the vehicle identification number (VIN), which is printed on the registration and on a plate at the base of the windshield on the driver's side.
• For a relative's or a company's car, a signed note or other document showing you may act for the owner.

If the registration is in the locked glove box, say so; it can often be checked once the car is opened.

What to include in the request

1. Make, model, year and VIN.
2. Whether any working key or fob still exists; a working key can be simpler to copy than starting from none.
3. The type of key, if you know it: a plain metal key, a key with a chip in the head, a flip key or a push-button start fob.
4. The exact location, including garage level or street block.

The service itself is on the car key replacement page. A spare for a fob you still have is a key fob programming job. More local notes are on the Cambridge page.