Smart Lock Installation in Saint Paul, MN

Will your door take a smart lock?

Most keypad and smart deadbolts are built around the standard deadbolt hole, which an older door may lack. A pre-war Saint Paul door with a mortise lock usually calls for a smart lock designed for mortise hardware. Such doors are common here, since Census Bureau data for 2024 put the pre-1940 share of homes at 42.0 percent. Rochester, by contrast, is 8.5 percent pre-1940 and 51.9 percent built in 1990 or later, so its newer doors are likelier to fit. A photo of the door edge helps settle the question before anything is bought.

Approval in rentals

In Saint Paul, 50.2 percent of occupied homes are rented, so a smart lock on a unit door usually needs a landlord's say. Before installing:

• get the landlord's or manager's approval in writing
• check whether the lease says the landlord must have a key or code; Minnesota Statutes section 504B.211 covers when a landlord may enter, so the arrangement is worth writing down
• leave shared entry doors to the building

Section 34.07 of the Legislative Code, cited by Section 34.09(3)(i), defines the dead bolt required on unit entry doors, including a bolt that projects at least one inch and can be locked from outside. Check a smart deadbolt's listed throw and controls against that wording, and ask the city whether the code has changed since. This is general information, not legal advice.

Batteries, keypads and a backup key

By March 3 of winter 2013-14, the Minnesota DNR had counted 53 days at or below zero in the Twin Cities. Batteries tend to weaken in deep cold, and an exterior keypad takes that weather head-on.

• Replace batteries in the fall rather than waiting for a low-battery warning in January.
• Consider a model with a physical key override, and keep a spare key somewhere other than inside the home.

Details worth sending

Send photos of the door edge and both faces of the current lock, the door's thickness, whether it is a house, unit or shared door, and whether you have approval. See the smart lock installation page, the Saint Paul page or, for a city of newer doors, Rochester.