Where keys snap in Norfolk

A key rarely breaks on its own. It breaks when a worn key meets a stiff lock and someone turns harder. Norfolk has plenty of both:

Shared entrances and mailboxes. More than half of the city's occupied homes are rented (56.0 percent in 2024 Census estimates), and a rented apartment building comes with a shared street door and a mailbox lock. Those cylinders see far more turns than a house door, and a key copied from a copy fits them loosely.
Old cylinders in old buildings. Park Place dates from 1884, and its historic district counts 1,525 contributing buildings. A cylinder in a building that old may have outlasted several owners and a drawer of duplicate keys, and its wear makes every key work harder.
Damp and cold. NOAA describes Virginia as humid, with moderately cold winters. A keyway that takes rain begins to corrode, and moisture that turns to ice on a cold night can stiffen a lock that opened easily the day before. A key that needs a wiggle to turn is close to failing.

What not to do

Do not push anything into the keyway beside the stub. It usually drives the piece deeper.
Do not use glue on the broken halves or on a tool; glue in a cylinder often means a new cylinder.
If the key broke with the lock half turned, leave it there rather than forcing it back.
If the lock has iced over, let it thaw before trying the key again.
For a building entrance or a mailbox, tell the manager before anyone works on it. Those locks may be the property's rather than the tenant's.

a close photo of the keyway, showing whether any of the stub sticks out
a photo of the broken piece you still have
which lock it is: a unit door, a building entrance, a mailbox, or a car door or ignition
whether the door is locked or open, and whether a spare key exists
whether the lock felt stiff before it broke, since it may need lock repair once the piece is out

The broken key extraction page covers the service, and Norfolk covers the older neighborhoods.

At the door

Removing a key that has snapped off or become stuck in a lock, then checking the lock and providing a new key where possible.

ID and proof you may access the property are checked before any work.

Public records and references this page draws on. They are outside USA Locksmith Pros and open in a new tab.