Commercial Locksmith in Saint Paul, MN

Two door schedules in one downtown building

Downtown Saint Paul's skyway system falls under Chapter 140 of the city's Legislative Code, which Ordinance 23-61 amended. One building can end up running two schedules:

• Skyway-level doors follow Section 140.10(a): the system is open every day from 6 a.m. to midnight, and outside those times skyway doors must be secured unless physically monitored.
• Street-level doors follow the tenants. If a business in the building is open to the public, at least one street entrance has to stay open while it is.

Locks, closers and any electronic access on each door have to support its own schedule. When planning a change, list every door, the level it is on and when it must be locked or open. This is general information, not legal advice.

Multi-unit buildings

Saint Paul's 18.6 percent share of homes in large buildings (50 units or more) is well above the 6.9 percent national figure, per the 2024 American Community Survey. Apart from owner-occupied single-family homes and duplexes, every building needs a Fire Certificate of Occupancy from the city's Department of Safety and Inspections. In a large building, lobby, stair and unit doors may not all run on the same keys, so confirm with management which doors use the building's keys before any lock is changed.

Turnover and keys

Employees leave and tenants move out, and keys do not always come back. Rekeying the affected cylinders changes which keys work without replacing hardware. A simple key log, noting who holds which key, makes the next change smaller. Ask for a written quote before work starts, including parts such as cylinders; it is worth keeping if you later file a complaint through the Minnesota Attorney General's online forms. A ready door list makes the quote easier to write.

What to include in a request

For commercial locksmith work, send the building address, whether each door is at skyway or street level, the number of doors and which share a key, the door types (glass storefront, steel or wood) and who can approve the work. The Saint Paul page has the rest of the downtown picture.