Locksmith Services in Dallas, TX

Homes and locks in Dallas

The city's Office of Historic Preservation lists 21 Dallas Landmark Districts, among them Swiss Avenue, Munger Place, Junius Heights, State Thomas, Tenth Street, Lake Cliff and Winnetka Heights.

Winnetka Heights, in Oak Cliff on the south side of the Trinity River, was platted in 1908. It is a collection of one-story frame bungalows and two-story Prairie-influenced Four Square homes: more than 600 residential structures and 20 commercial structures on 50 city blocks, making it Dallas' second-largest historic district. On a house of that age, say whether the front door and frame are original, since an old door may not fit modern hardware.

The city requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before any work begins on a property in a Landmark District. Check with the Office of Historic Preservation before replacing a door or its exterior hardware. A lock rekeying leaves the existing lock in place and changes only which key operates it.

Businesses and buildings

The West End is a Landmark District of turn-of-the-century red brick warehouses, one to six stories tall, oriented toward nearby railroad yards. It has its own district ordinance (No. 22158), and the Certificate of Appropriateness rule applies there as well. In an older masonry building, list each door that needs work: street entrance, rear or service doors, doors between tenant spaces. See commercial locksmith services.

Car trouble in Dallas

The Dallas Police Department runs the Dallas Auto Pound on Vilbig Road. Vehicles stored there include those from parking violations, street blockage, accidents, arrests and recovered stolen vehicles, so a car missing from where it was parked may be there. When contacting the pound, have the license plate, VIN, year, make and model, and registered owner's name ready.

• To release a vehicle, the pound requires an original driver license or ID card.
• It also requires proof of insurance, except for lienholders repossessing the vehicle, motor vehicle insurance companies and auctioned vehicles.
• If the only key was lost with the car, sort out the release first, then arrange a car key replacement.

Local rules worth knowing

Multi-tenant registration and inspection. Anyone who owns, operates or controls a multi-tenant property in Dallas must register it with the city, and those properties must be inspected at least once every three years. Code Compliance points owners to Dallas City Code Sec. 27-11, Minimum Standards; Responsibilities of Owner. Its list of interior violations includes "peep hole/keyless deadbolt lock," and its exterior list includes broken windows and doors. Tenants can report violations through Dallas 311.

Convenience stores. Dallas City Code Chapter 12B covers businesses primarily selling convenience goods, with or without gasoline, that have less than 10,000 square feet of retail floor space.

• Sec. 12B-18(d): every public entrance and exit door must be glass or another transparent material. A store lawfully operating in the city on October 15, 2008 does not have to comply until its majority ownership changes.
• Sec. 12B-18(c): windows and doors must stay clear of signage, advertisements, shelving and merchandise.
• Sec. 12B-16: a drop safe or similar device must be bolted to the floor, with signs saying employees cannot open it.
• Sec. 12B-17: a height marker must be posted at each public exit.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Requesting service in Dallas

Give the neighborhood or nearest cross streets, and say whether the property is in a Landmark District, a multi-tenant building or a storefront. Texas Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Dallas. See house lockout, car lockout or the Texas page.