Locksmith Licensing: How U.S. States Regulate Locksmiths

Which States License Locksmiths

The Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA), the main U.S. trade association, maintains a list of states with locksmith licensing laws. As of its January 2025 advocacy page, ALOA listed 13 states:

A September 2025 Locksmith Ledger article lists the same 13 states. ALOA notes that some local governments also have their own licensing ordinances, so a statewide "no" does not always mean no rules apply.

The list can change. Legislatures add, revise, and repeal occupational licenses, and Illinois has scheduled the end of its program (see below).

Why States License Locksmiths

North Carolina's statute states the reasoning directly. Its purpose section says locksmiths "have the knowledge and tools to bypass or neutralize security devices in vehicles, homes, and businesses," and that "the licensing of locksmiths is necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare."

Licensing laws generally aim to:

• Screen people who will have access to homes, businesses, and vehicles, usually through criminal history checks
• Set a baseline of competence, in some states through an examination
• Make locksmiths identifiable, through license numbers and ID cards
• Give consumers a place to verify a license and file a complaint

Views within the trade are mixed. In an unscientific 2025 Locksmith Ledger reader poll, nearly half of participants opposed any government regulation, and the magazine's takeaway was that licensing has value only if it is enforced. Programs can also be repealed or allowed to expire (see Illinois below). This article does not take a side.

What "Locksmith" Means in Law

Each state defines the regulated activity differently, and the definition decides who needs a license.

North Carolina defines "locksmith services" broadly. The definition covers repairing, rebuilding, rekeying, repinning, servicing, adjusting, or installing "locks, mechanical or electronic locking devices, access control devices, egress control devices, safes, vaults, and safe-deposit boxes" for compensation. It also includes "any method of bypassing a locking mechanism of any kind" in commercial, residential, or automotive settings.

California's Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) describes a locksmith as a business that installs, repairs, opens, or modifies locks, or originates keys. BSIS says that duplicating keys on its own does not require a locksmith license.

Texas regulates locksmiths within its private security law, Occupations Code Chapter 1702. Section 1702.1056 says a person acts as a locksmith company if it sells, installs, services, or maintains mechanical security devices such as deadbolts and locks, or advertises services "using the term 'locksmith,'" or includes "locksmith" in the company name. In other words, the word itself can trigger regulation.

These differences matter for adjacent trades. Door hardware installers, access-control integrators, and safe technicians may or may not fall under a locksmith law depending on the state. See locksmithing and safes.

Common Features

The details differ, but state programs tend to use the same building blocks.

Background checks. North Carolina requires applicants to consent to a criminal history record check through the State Bureau of Investigation. A conviction does not automatically bar a license; the board weighs factors such as how serious it was, how long ago it happened, and its connection to the work. California BSIS says applicants go through criminal history checks by the state Department of Justice and the FBI.

Company vs. individual credentials. California issues a locksmith company license and requires employees who perform locksmith work to register separately. BSIS also offers a temporary employee registration, available only to applicants with no convictions.

Examinations. North Carolina requires applicants to be at least 18 and to pass a board-administered exam covering locksmith services and the laws that apply to locksmiths.

Apprenticeships. North Carolina allows apprentice designations for up to three years, under a licensed locksmith's supervision, with no more than two apprentices per licensed locksmith at a time (with a short grace period).

Identification and advertising. North Carolina issues each licensee a photo ID card, and "all advertisements for locksmith services shall include a valid license number."

Exemptions. Laws usually exempt some groups. North Carolina's exemptions include employees working under a licensed locksmith's direct supervision and property owners or their employees working on the owner's own property, as long as they don't present themselves as locksmiths.

Enforcement. In North Carolina, unlicensed practice is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class I felony for a second or later offense.

Overlapping licenses. BSIS notes that larger installation jobs in California may also require a contractor's license, and that local business permits may apply.

Who Regulates

The licensing body differs by state. Some states have a dedicated locksmith board, such as North Carolina's Locksmith Licensing Board, which has six locksmith members and three public members. Others place locksmiths under a broader agency: California's BSIS and Texas's Department of Public Safety under the private security chapter. ALOA's advocacy page lists the agency for each licensing state.

Changes and Sunsets

Licensing programs are not permanent. Illinois regulates locksmiths under Article 30 of its Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004. Under the state's Regulatory Sunset Act, as amended by Public Act 103-0309, that Act is scheduled for repeal on January 1, 2029. The earlier sunset date had been January 1, 2024. Sunset dates can be extended again before they arrive, so the current statute is the authority.

For Consumers

In a licensing state, the agency usually offers an online license lookup. In any state, the questions are the same: who is the business, can they show identification, and what will the work cost before it starts. A license shows that the state's requirements were met. It does not guarantee the quality of the work. See locksmithing for how the trade works.

Related Topics

• Locksmithing: the trade itself
• Key control: who may cut and hold keys
• Locksport: the hobby, which is legally distinct from paid locksmith work
• Safes: safe technicians are covered by some state definitions
• Access control: electronic access work some states include
• Delayed egress locks: egress control devices

Sources