Commercial Locksmith in Phoenix, AZ

Desert Locksmith is a commercial locksmith in Phoenix, AZ. We rekey buildings, set up master key systems, repair and replace door hardware, and install access control for offices, shops, restaurants, clinics, warehouses, schools and rental properties across the Valley. The owner does the work, so the person you talk to on the phone is the person at your door.

This page is the map to our commercial work. Each service below has its own page with the detail: what the hardware is, what usually goes wrong and how we handle it. If you already know what you need, call (602) 301-5243 Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm.

Why businesses call us

Most commercial locksmith problems are not emergencies. A lock starts to fail, a key stays with a former employee, or a door stops latching. What helps in those cases is someone who looks at the hardware, tells you what is wrong, and does the repair without sending a second person later.

• You talk to the locksmith who does the work. Desert Locksmith is owner-operated and family-owned. There is no call center between you and the person who comes to your door.
• One contact. The owner does the work, so the person who sees your doors is the same each visit. You do not explain your building to a new technician every time.
• 20+ years of experience. Twenty-plus years of locksmith work, from plain lever locks to exit devices and electric strikes.
• Insured, with credentials you can check. We are an insured Arizona LLC, BBB A+ rated and a member of ALOA (Associated Locksmiths of America).

Being one locksmith also shapes what we take on. We would rather tell you early that a job is not a fit than start something we cannot finish well. More on that under our limits, further down.

Commercial locksmith services

A commercial door does a few jobs, and most problems trace back to one of them. The key system decides who can open it. The lock holds it shut. The exit device lets people out without a key, and the closer shuts the door again so the latch can catch. Electrified hardware, where there is any, lets the right people in without a key. The tiles below follow that order. Lock replacement and lockouts come last.

Not sure which page you need?

• A former employee still has a key, or a tenant moved out: commercial rekey.
• Several people need keys that open different doors: master key systems.
• A door slams, drifts open or will not latch: door closers.
• An exit door sticks, resists the push bar or will not catch: panic bars and exit devices.
• A glass or aluminum door will not lock: storefront door locks.
• You want to stop handing out keys: access control systems.
• A shared restroom lock sticks, or its indicator shows the wrong thing: restroom and indicator locks.
• You are not sure what kind of lock is on a door: start with lever handle lock functions or the door hardware glossary.
• You are locked out of your business: commercial lockout, or call us.

Rekey, repair or replace?

• Rekey when the locks work well but the wrong people may hold keys: staff turnover, a new tenant, a lost key, or keys with no known history. The hardware stays and the old keys stop working.
• Repair when one part has failed: a latch that sticks, a worn strike, a closer that leaks or drifts, an exit device that will not retract.
• Replace when a lock is worn through, damaged in a break-in, no longer suits the door or the traffic, or when you want something it cannot do, such as a different function or an electrified release.

Many jobs combine two of these, for example a rekey of every lock plus a repair on the one door that never latches. We tell you which part is which when we price it.

Who we work with

Different buildings have different problems. A clinic worries about records rooms and exam-room privacy, a restaurant about the back door and the cash office, a property manager about turnover and gates. Each industry page covers the doors that matter in that kind of building.

Offices and professional suites, churches and other small organizations use the same services and the same approach: describe the doors, get a price, and agree on it before we start.

How a commercial job works

Here is what happens from the first call to the finished door, including what we do not promise.

1. You callWe answer Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm, and you reach the locksmith who will do the job. If you are locked out of your business after hours, call anyway. If we are free, we will come.
2. You describe the job or send photosTell us what is wrong or what you want changed. Photos of the door, the lock and the edge of the door help us identify the hardware before we arrive. You can also send the details through our commercial quote page.
3. We agree on the priceSimple jobs, such as a rekey, a closer adjustment or a lock swap, are priced on the phone. For bigger work, such as a master key system, access control or several doors, we look at the doors first and agree on the price before any work starts. If part of the job belongs to another trade, such as glass work or electrical wiring, we say so before we begin.
4. We do the work on siteThe owner does the work. Tell us when you would like it done and we will fit it to your schedule where we can. Before we leave we try each door we worked on: the key turns, the latch catches and the door closes.
5. Keys and handoverYou get the new keys and we tell you which key opens which door. For a master key system, ask us about a keying schedule: a simple list of which key opens which doors, so you can see who holds what. Whoever has it can have keys made, so keep it somewhere safe, away from the keys themselves.
6. Follow-upIf a key binds, a door sticks or a closer drifts after we leave, call us. The person who did the work answers the phone.

We keep weekday hours. We do not promise a specific arrival time, and after-hours calls depend on whether we are free. What we do promise is that the person you talk to does the work, and that you know the price before it starts.

For bigger projects the walk-through comes first. We go through the building with you, door by door, and note what is on each one, who needs to open it and which doors are exit doors. From that we put together a plan and a price. If you go ahead, we schedule the work to disturb your business as little as we can.

Resources

Four references for when you want the detail before you call.

What a good commercial locksmith should be able to tell you

Whoever you hire, a few questions separate a locksmith who knows commercial hardware from one who is guessing. Here is what we think you should expect, and what we do about each.

• That they are insured. Arizona has no state locksmith license, so insurance and a track record are what you can check. Ask any locksmith for proof of insurance. We are insured. If your building or lease requires a certificate of insurance from us, tell us when you call and we will say what we can provide.
• What is on your door. Most commercial hardware has the maker’s name and a model number stamped on the lock body, the latch edge or the cylinder. A good locksmith reads those marks and tells you what you have before quoting a replacement. Photos of those marks help us do that before we visit.
• What your options are, not only the biggest one. Rekey, repair or replace is a real choice. If the locks are sound, a rekey often does what you need and you keep the hardware. If a lock is worn out, we say so and explain why.
• What they cannot do. No one locksmith covers everything. A good one says where their work ends and names the trade that should handle the rest.
• The price before the work starts. You should know what you are agreeing to. For us that means a price on the phone for simple jobs and a look at the doors first for bigger ones.

None of this is special to us. It is a fair list to hold any locksmith to, and if a locksmith cannot answer these questions before quoting, keep looking.

Areas we serve

We work with commercial customers in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria and Paradise Valley. For Scottsdale there is a separate page on commercial locksmith service in Scottsdale. Tell us the address when you call. Where the building is can affect the price of a simple job, and we will say so before you agree to anything.

Our limits

We are one owner-operated locksmith. That is a good fit for single buildings and small to mid-size facilities: an office suite, a shop, a restaurant, a clinic, a warehouse, a school building or an HOA’s common areas.

For very large projects, such as several buildings at once or work that needs a crew on site for days, one technician may not be the right answer. If that is the case we will tell you plainly on the first call. We would rather say so than take the job and fall behind. Where a job includes work outside locksmithing, such as glass work or new electrical wiring, we tell you where our part ends.

For many customers that is the advantage: one person who knows your doors and no handoffs. The tradeoff is capacity. One technician can be in only one place at a time, so we tell you where our schedule stands when you call.

Related commercial services