Lock Replacement in Philadelphia, PA

Old doors, newer hardware

Roughly 40 percent of Philadelphia's homes stand in buildings from 1939 or earlier, according to Census Bureau estimates for 2024, against 11.5 percent nationally. Many front doors in the city have outlived several sets of locks. The Planning Commission's rowhouse manual advises owners to reuse old doors where possible and notes that new hardware is made to match older styles, so a worn lock does not have to take the door with it. Replacement makes sense when the lock is cracked, the bolt no longer reaches its strike after adjustment, parts can no longer be found, or you want a stronger deadbolt than the one the house came with.

Door types by neighborhood

• Society Hill, Queen Village, Old City and Kensington. The manual places the city's colonial and early 19th-century houses here, from tiny Trinity houses to larger Federal and Georgian townhouses. A Trinity house has a single entry, so its one lock carries all the security. Whatever the house, photograph the door edge and the current faceplate before choosing anything, because the new lock has to fit the openings already cut.
• East Falls and West Oak Lane. The manual lists 20th-century porch-front rows here among those that typically have a lower-level garage for one car. Include the garage entry when you take stock of worn locks.

Gates, bars and the inside release

Security bars and gates on a rowhouse have to open from the inside with no key in case of fire, the rowhouse manual says. If the lock you are replacing sits on a gate in front of the main door, choose hardware whose inside release works without a key. The manual adds that such releases can be installed without compromising safety.

Before you request a replacement

Send photos of both faces of the lock and of the door edge, say whether the door is original, and note whether the new lock should take your existing key. If the lock only sticks or drags, lock repair may be enough. The lock replacement page covers the service itself, and the Philadelphia page describes the city's three rowhouse eras.