Car Key Replacement in Richmond, VA

First, make sure the car was not towed

Before ordering a new key for a car that seems to be gone, rule out a tow. Richmond's Parking Enterprise page names the lot that holds city-towed vehicles and lets you search it by plate or VIN. Weekday peak-period towing zones, street cleaning signs and vacuum leaf collection signs can all put a car in that lot, so a car left on the street may not be where you parked it. A car in the lot still needs a key to drive away, so if the keys are lost too, sort out both.

Also check for a boot. The city puts an orange boot on a vehicle with at least three unpaid tickets, and a new key does not release it.

Proof that the car is yours

A new key opens and starts the car, so have proof of ownership ready before one is cut or programmed:

1. photo ID
2. the vehicle title or current registration in your name, from your state motor-vehicle agency
3. the vehicle identification number (VIN), which is on the registration and visible on the driver's side of the dashboard through the windshield
4. year, make and model, and whether the car uses a flip key, a separate remote or push-button start

If the car is leased or belongs to a relative or an employer, bring written permission from the registered owner.

Where the car is parked

Richmond cars spend the night in very different places, and the answer shapes the request. On a posted street, give the block, the side of the street and the nearest cross street, and mention any tow or cleaning sign on it. In an apartment or public garage, name the garage, the level, and how someone can get in: a gate, a fob or building management. If you are away from the car, say where the keys were last seen and whether the car is locked.

Say too whether any working key or remote is left, since a spare changes what the job involves. For a remote that no longer works, see key fob programming; the city's parking rules are on the Richmond page.