Car Lockout in Tacoma, WA

Locked out downtown

The City of Tacoma's downtown parking uses Pay by Plate, so there is no dashboard receipt to leave. That helps when the keys are inside: the plate is visible from outside the car, so you can pay by parking app or text while you arrange help, with nothing to retrieve from behind locked glass.

In the Union Depot-Warehouse district, along Pacific Avenue between South 17th and South 23rd Street, give the block and the side of the street. Landmarks such as Union Station or the University of Washington Tacoma campus help someone find the car among the brick warehouse fronts.

If anyone is inside

If a child, a vulnerable adult or a pet is shut in the car, call 911 before anything else. A closed car can turn dangerously hot in sun even on a mild day and loses heat on a winter night, so that call should not wait for a locksmith.

Before you ask for help

• Check every door and the trunk or hatch; a rear door or liftgate may still be unlocked.
• Work out where the keys are: on a seat, in the ignition, in the trunk or unknown. If they are lost rather than locked in, you need car key replacement instead.
• If the fob will not unlock the doors, a weak battery may be the cause; see key fob programming.

What location details to send

1. The street and the nearest cross street. Include North or South in the street name, since Tacoma uses both, as in North I Street and South J Street.
2. For a garage or lot, its name, level and space number.
3. The year, make, model, color and plate.
4. Whether the engine is running.
5. Proof that the car is yours, such as the registration or title, and whether those papers are locked inside.

The car lockout page covers the service, and Tacoma covers the city.