Emergency Locksmith in Pittsburgh, PA

What counts as urgent in Pittsburgh

Snow changes what can wait. PennDOT lists average snowfall of 43 inches for its Allegheny County district, so being locked out of your home with nowhere warm to go, a key snapped in the only working door, or an exterior door that won't close or lock on a cold night are urgent.

Storms can do the same. NOAA's Pennsylvania climate summary lists catastrophic flooding from Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972 and the remnants of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. A door swollen shut, a frame damaged in a storm, or a lock seized after flooding can leave a house that can't be secured for the night.

Other problems can usually wait: a lock that sticks but still works, keys you want changed after a move, or a new deadbolt.

Safety before locks

• If anyone is in danger, or a child or pet is shut in a car or a house alone, call 911 first.
• After a break-in, get to a safe place and call the police before anything else. Leave the damaged lock, door and frame as they are until police have seen them, and photograph them for your records.
• If a lock is frozen, don't force the key; a snapped key is a second problem.

What to send in an urgent request

• the address, which door or vehicle, and what happened
• whether anyone is at risk or waiting outside in the cold
• after a break-in, whether police have been called and the report number if you have one
• for a vehicle, whether the street is a marked snow emergency route
• photos of the lock, the door edge and the frame
• whether you rent or own the place, and a photo ID showing the address

Before work starts, get the total in writing by text or email and pay in a way that leaves a record. If something goes wrong, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's consumer complaint process asks for your contract, proof of payment and any relevant emails or text screenshots. More on choosing someone is in hiring a locksmith in Pennsylvania. For a lockout that isn't urgent, see house lockout; see also emergency locksmith and Pittsburgh.