Car Key Replacement in Duluth, MN

A car with no key still has to follow parking rules

When every key is lost, the car stays where it is until a new one is made. Duluth City Code Sec. 33-85 bars leaving a vehicle on any street for more than 24 consecutive hours, and Sec. 33-97.8 moves street parking between the odd and even sides each week unless signs say otherwise. Both rules apply to a car stranded by lost keys, so say in your request how long it has sat and which side of the street it is on. This is general information, not legal advice.

Off the street, the property owner's rules apply. Duluth Heights was primarily rural until Miller Hill Mall opened in 1973 and drew many businesses, some from downtown, to the Highway 53 corridor; a key lost while shopping there can leave a car in a mall or store lot. In Canal Park, where old warehouses now hold hotels, shops and restaurants, the car may be in a hotel or business lot. Tell the manager or front desk the car is waiting on a key.

Proof that the car is yours

A new key is cut and programmed for one vehicle, so gather:

• Photo ID with the name on the registration or title
• The registration or title. If it is inside the locked car, say so
• For a leased or company car, paperwork showing you may authorize the work

What to have ready

• The VIN, which is printed on the registration and visible on most cars through the windshield at the driver's side base
• Year, make and model, and whether the car uses a plain key, a key with a remote head or a push-button fob
• Whether any working key still exists, since copying one is simpler than starting from none
• The exact spot: street and side, or the lot and business name

If a spare works and you only need another remote, see key fob programming. The car key replacement page covers the service statewide, and Duluth's city page has the local parking rules in brief.