Locksmith Services in Richmond, VA

Richmond homes, from the Fan to Westover Hills

The Fan District, named for its fan of streets running west from Belvidere Street, was mostly built between the Civil War and about 1920, and during the Great Depression many of its houses were converted to apartments. One building may have a shared street door plus separate unit doors, so say which door is the problem and who holds the shared key.

Church Hill, in the East End, covers the city's original plat and is one of the largest surviving 19th-century neighborhoods in the country. Doors of that age may still carry a mortise lock set into the door edge; if one sticks or fails, ask about lock repair before changing hardware on an original door.

Directly south of the James, most Westover Hills homes date from 1920 to 1940, with Cape Cods beside Spanish Colonial and Tudor Revival houses. Scott's Addition, rezoned for industry in 1927, has added apartment complexes such as Osprey Lofts and The Summit, where lobby and garage doors may run on management-issued fobs separate from your unit's keyed lock.

Businesses and buildings

Shockoe Slip's tobacco warehouses now hold shops, restaurants and offices. In Scott's Addition, industrial buildings such as the 1923 Nabisco factory share the district with breweries, cideries, a meadery and a distillery. One converted industrial building may have a loading door, side entrances and a newer storefront, each on different hardware. See commercial locksmith.

Car trouble in Richmond

Posted Richmond streets ban parking Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m., and the city calls these peak-period towing zones. If keys are locked in a car on one of these blocks, mention the posted hours in your request. Street cleaning and vacuum leaf collection signs can also bring a ticket or tow.

The city's parking page names the lot that holds city-towed cars, searchable online by plate or VIN, so check there before ordering a replacement key for a car that seems to be missing. A vehicle with at least three unpaid tickets can get an orange boot, released only after every fine and fee is paid. For events at the Greater Richmond Convention Center or Altria Theater, the city points drivers to its off-street parking; in a garage lockout, give its name and level. City parking rules sit in Chapter 27, Article VI of the Richmond City Code.

Old and Historic Districts

Richmond's Commission of Architectural Review, established by City Council in 1957, reviews exterior changes in the city's Old and Historic Districts and issues Certificates of Appropriateness. The districts include Jackson Ward, once called the "Harlem of the South," plus Monument Avenue, Church Hill North and Shockoe Slip.

The commission's homeowner manual says original doors should be maintained and repaired, and replaced in kind only if deteriorated beyond repair. Under Section 30-930.6 of the Zoning Ordinance, the commission's secretary may approve certain work, including doors and exterior storm doors, without the project going before the commission. The manual lists routine maintenance and work not visible from the street, alley or sidewalk as not needing a certificate. When unsure whether a lock or door change needs review, ask commission staff first. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sending a Richmond request

Virginia Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Richmond. Give the neighborhood or cross streets and whether the building is in an Old and Historic District; for an apartment building or garage, name it and the door, gate or level. See also house lockout, car lockout and Virginia.