Lock Replacement in Henderson, NV

The oldest doors: downtown and Pittman

Henderson's oldest housing is downtown, where temporary houses for Basic Magnesium plant workers' families began going up in February 1942, and in Pittman, which predates it. Census Bureau estimates put only about 5 percent of Nevada homes before 1960, against a quarter nationwide, so a house of that age is uncommon in the state. A door rehung, patched or swapped over the decades may have holes and an edge cutout that a new lock has to match, or the door needs work first.

Green Valley, which dates to a 1971 land sale, and the later MacDonald Highlands, Seven Hills and Anthem are newer areas. Whatever a home's age, measure the existing deadbolt before shopping so the new one fits the door's holes.

Signs a lock should be replaced

• the deadbolt no longer throws fully into the frame, even after the strike is adjusted
• the cylinder spins, or the key turns only with force
• a handle keeps working loose on its spindle after tightening
• a keypad lock's electronics have failed
• you want a sturdier deadbolt, or a matching set so one key opens every exterior door

The city's door and window rules

Henderson's Property Maintenance Code, HMC 15.12.050, requires exterior doors and windows to fit securely in their frames, with operable locks where locks are present. The same section covers bars or grills over a bedroom's emergency escape opening: they must release or come off from the inside without a key, a tool or more than normal opening force. If you are adding security bars, choose a design that releases from inside. This is general information, not legal advice.

Photos and details to send

Send photos of the door edge and both faces of the current lock, the door's thickness, what is wrong, and whether the new lock should match your other keys. A sound lock with a key problem may need only rekeying. For the work itself, see lock replacement.