Commercial Locksmith in Columbia, SC

Doors in Columbia's older commercial buildings

The West Gervais Street Historic Commercial District, in the Vista, holds commercial and industrial buildings from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, and the rail lines nearby shaped many of them. A single business in a building like that can have several very different doors: a glass storefront, a heavy rear or loading door, a side door onto an alley, and interior doors to offices and stock rooms. Each takes different hardware. A storefront may use a narrow-stile deadlock or a mortise cylinder, while a loading door may rely on a heavy deadbolt or a padlock and hasp.

Staff turnover and key control

Keys drift when people leave. An employee who moves on without returning a key, a manager who handed a copy to a contractor, or a tenant leaving a shared building can all leave working keys outside the business. Rekeying the affected cylinders cuts those keys off without replacing hardware; see lock rekeying. A master key system lets owners carry one key while staff hold keys only to their own areas. Either way, keep a written log of who holds which key and collect keys at exit.

The 911 keyholder list

For newly constructed business locations, the city suggests updating contact information with the 911 division. The Columbia-Richland 911 business emergency contact form lists up to four keyholders, called in order, plus the alarm company, and it can be reused whenever details change. After a rekey, or when keyholders change, update the form so the 911 center's emergency access details stay accurate and everyone listed still holds a working key.

What to include in a request

• Whether you own or lease the space, since a landlord or property manager may control some locks.
• Each door involved (storefront, rear, loading, side or interior), with photos of both sides.
• Whether the doors share a master key system, and how many people hold keys.
• Whether a lock is jammed or damaged, or you simply need new keys.

See commercial locksmith for the service overall and Columbia for the city.