Car Key Replacement in Durham, NC

Replacing a lost or only key in Durham

Cutting and programming a key is tied to one specific car, so a request should say where that car is. It should also say what you have left: a car with one working key is a different job from a car with every key lost.

Location matters on Durham's permit-parking blocks. Under the city's Controlled Parking Residential Area (CPRA) program, the plate number has replaced the decal as the permit ID since January 1, 2016, so keep it with the rest of your paperwork. If the car is waiting on a block posted with a time limit, check the sign. This is general information, not legal advice.

Proof of ownership

Expect to show that the car is yours. Gather:

• Photo ID whose name matches the registration or title.
• The registration or title. If you cannot find one, your state motor-vehicle agency can tell you how to get a copy.
• The VIN, which usually appears on the dashboard at the base of the windshield, on the driver's door jamb and on the registration.
• For a leased or company car, the lease or a letter from the owner, since the titleholder may not be you.

What to have ready

1. Where the car is, and whether that is a CPRA block, a lot or a garage.
2. Whether any key or fob still works, and how many you have.
3. The kind of key the car uses: a metal blade, a remote-head key or a push-button-start fob.
4. Year, make, model and plate number.
5. Whether the keys are locked inside the car, which makes it a car lockout as well.

Ask for the full cost in writing before cutting or programming begins. For fobs, see key fob programming; for the key service itself, see car key replacement.