Commercial Locksmith in Houston, TX

Downtown buildings with two ways in

Houston's downtown tunnel system stretches about six miles, roughly 20 feet below the streets, and links 95 full city blocks of office towers, hotels, banks and the Theater District. Just two buildings, Wells Fargo Plaza and the McKinney Garage on Main, open from the sidewalk straight into it; everywhere else, people reach the tunnel through connected buildings. A downtown business may therefore have doors at street level and at tunnel level, each with its own locks.

Tunnel hours are generally limited to weekday business hours, and a tunnel-level door is reachable only while its host building is open. Access for lock work at that level has to be arranged with building management.

Who controls which door

In a tower, locks usually split between building management and tenants. Lobby doors, tunnel connections, stairwells and service corridors belong to the building; suite doors, storerooms and private offices belong to the tenant, subject to the lease. Before any rekeying or hardware change, confirm who has authority over the door and whether the building runs a master key system that a new cylinder has to fit.

Staff and tenant turnover

Keys leave with employees, contractors and former tenants, and in a building with many suites the loose copies add up. A few habits keep them under control:

1. Keep a written log of who holds which key.
2. Collect keys when people leave, and rekey when one cannot be accounted for.
3. Use a master key system so managers carry one key while staff open only their own doors.
4. Rekey a suite when a new tenant takes it over, before business starts.

What to include for a business door

Give the building name and the door's level: street, tunnel or an upper floor. Name the building contact who approves work, describe the door, such as a glass storefront, a metal service door or a wood office door, and say how many keys are needed. Texas Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Houston; see commercial locksmith, lock rekeying and the Houston page.