House Lockout in West Valley City, UT

Which home is locked

West Valley City's housing runs from 1960s brick ranches to apartment buildings finished in 2024.

• Brick ranches. Redwood and Chesterfield, on the east side, are mostly brick ranch homes built in the 1960s and 1970s. Front, side, basement and garage doors often take different keys.
• Fairbourne Station apartments. Near City Hall, the apartment buildings were completed in 2014, 2021 and 2024. A locked building entry and a locked unit door are separate problems, and the building manager may be able to solve the first. Say which one stopped you.
• Manufactured homes. The city's general plan says about 30 percent of all mobile homes in Salt Lake County are in West Valley City. Exterior doors can differ from those on a site-built house, so name the home type in your request.

While you wait outside

Utah's strong daytime sun gives way to rapid cooling at night, the Western Regional Climate Center says, so an afternoon lockout can turn cold after dark. If children, older relatives or a pet are with you, wait at a neighbor's or in a nearby business rather than on the step. If someone inside is at risk, such as a young child alone or a person who needs medicine, call 911 first.

Showing the home is yours

Have photo ID ready. If it shows an old address, a lease, deed or utility bill can back it up; keep a photo of one on your phone in case the paper copy is inside.

If a landlord changed the lock to keep you out, that is a legal matter rather than an ordinary lockout. Section 78B-6-814 of the Utah Code makes it unlawful for an owner to willfully exclude a tenant except by judicial process, with an exception for abandoned premises. This is general information, not legal advice.

Details that help

1. Your neighborhood or nearest cross streets, plus whether it is a house, manufactured home or apartment.
2. Which door is locked, and which other doors you hold a key for.
3. Whether a key broke off in the lock (broken key extraction) or the keys are lost entirely, in which case lock rekeying may be worth adding.

Where each housing type sits is laid out on the West Valley City overview.