Emergency Locksmith in Los Angeles and Ventura County

What situations lead to an emergency locksmith call?

Most emergency calls start the same way: someone is on the wrong side of a door and the key that would fix it is not available. It is inside, in a coat at the office, somewhere between the car and the porch, or snapped off in the cylinder. What changes from call to call is everything around that moment: the hardware, the hour, how safe the person feels waiting outside, and whether anything is damaged.

The calls we get fall into a handful of groups, and each one shapes how the job is done.

Some people call unsure whether their situation counts as an emergency. If you are asking, call. A short conversation usually settles whether it needs someone on site now or can wait for a scheduled visit.

• Locked out of a home, apartment, or business with no spare nearby. Our house lockout page covers the residential side in more detail.
• Locked out of a vehicle, sometimes with the keys visible on the seat and sometimes with no idea where they are.
• A key broken off in a lock, whether in a door, an ignition, or a padlock.
• A door or lock damaged in a break-in or attempted break-in, where the property has to be secured before anyone can leave it.
• A lock that has stopped working: a latch that will not retract, a deadbolt that spins freely, a key that turns but does nothing.
• A lost or stolen set of keys, where the worry is not only getting in but who else can.

What happens when you call for emergency door unlocking?

The line at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, by the company that sends the technician. Your request does not get passed to a call center that hands it to whoever is nearby.

We do not publish arrival times on this page, because distance, traffic, and the number of calls in progress change them. Ask when you call and you will get a realistic answer from the people who know where the vans are.

1. You tell us where you are, what is locked, and anything you can see about the lock: a brand name, a deadbolt above the knob, a keypad. That description decides which tools go in the van.
2. We ask safety questions first. Is anyone, including a child or pet, locked inside? Was there a break-in? Are you somewhere safe to wait?
3. We explain how we would approach the job and which factors will drive the cost, so nothing is a surprise when the technician arrives.
4. A technician drives a mobile van to you with the tools for that type of lock.
5. Before opening anything, we confirm you have the right to be let in: ID that matches the address, a lease, or authority over the business or vehicle. This protects you as much as it protects us.
6. We open the lock, repair or replace what needs it, test everything with a working key, and hand the keys over.

How do we open a locked door without damaging it?

The goal on every lockout is to get in with the lock still working afterward. We work through methods from least invasive to most, and the lock type decides where we start.

What we avoid is forcing doors, prying frames, or breaking glass when a controlled method exists. A broken frame or shattered panel costs more to repair than a lock does, and it leaves the property unsecured. Occasionally there is no non-destructive option, for example when a door is already damaged or a deadbolt is fully engaged against a warped frame. When that happens we explain the trade-off before we start.

• Latch work. Many interior doors and older entry doors use a spring latch that can be retracted with a thin, flexible tool slipped between the door and the frame. It takes patience more than force and leaves no mark.
• Picking. A standard pin tumbler cylinder can be opened with a tension wrench and picks, setting the pins the way the correct key would. This is the workhorse method for deadbolts and most keyed entry locks.
• Bypass tools. Some doors, especially those with lever handles, can be operated through a gap with a specialized tool without touching the cylinder at all.
• Vehicle entry. Cars are opened with wedges and reach tools that create a small opening, with care taken around the weatherstripping and the wiring inside the door.
• Drilling, as a last resort. If a lock is damaged, jammed, or built to resist picking, drilling the cylinder can be the only clean way in. We tell you before we do it, and the lock is replaced afterward.

What does a technician check once the door is open?

Getting in is half the job. The other half is making sure you are not locked out again next week, or exposed to a weakness the lockout revealed.

If keys were lost rather than locked inside, we will suggest rekeying, which changes the lock so the old keys stop working. It is often the more economical route compared with replacing hardware. If the hardware is worn or poor quality, we will say so and let you decide.

• Whether the lock operates smoothly from both sides and the key turns without binding.
• How far the deadbolt reaches into the frame, and whether the strike plate is held by screws long enough to reach the framing and not just the trim.
• Whether the door has dropped or swollen, so that the latch drags or the bolt misses its hole.
• Cracks or splits in the jamb around the strike, which can make a good lock easy to defeat.
• Tool marks or other signs of forced entry, which tell us whether this was only a lockout.

How do different locks, vehicles, and keys change the job?

A lockout is never just one job. The same phone call can lead to a simple opening or a long, careful one, depending on what is on the door.

Vehicles add a second layer. An older mechanical key is one thing. A key with an electronic component, or a push-button start with a proximity fob, is another. Whether we can cut or program a replacement depends on make, model, and year, so we confirm by VIN and in person before promising anything. Some vehicles can only have keys made through a dealer, and when that is the case we tell you plainly instead of starting work we cannot finish. For the entry-only side of the problem, see our car lockout service.

• Standard deadbolts and knobsets are the most straightforward, and most are opened without damage.
• High-security cylinders are built to resist picking and drilling. They may take longer, and some can only be replaced with the manufacturer's own parts.
• Mortise locks, common in older buildings, put a lock body inside the door edge. They are opened and repaired differently from modern cylinders, and matching parts can be harder.
• Keypads and smart locks add electronics. A dead battery, a forgotten code, or a failed motor can look like a lockout, so we diagnose which it is before opening or resetting.
• Sliding patio doors and gates have their own latch styles and need different tools.
• Padlocks and gate locks on business property range from basic to hardened, and the method follows.

What do we do after a break-in or attempted break-in?

If you think someone may still be inside, stay out and call the police first. We can come once the scene is safe. A locksmith is not a substitute for a police report, and an insurer may ask for one.

Once it is safe, the job is to make the property secure tonight and to fix what failed. In practice that usually means the steps below.

Our limits are real. We do not replace broken glass or rebuild shattered door frames. If the damage goes beyond the lock and its immediate surroundings, we secure what we can and tell you which trade to call next. Taking photos before repairs can help when you speak with your insurer.

• Assess the damage to the lock, strike, door edge, and frame.
• Repair or replace the lock so the door closes and locks again, even if the permanent fix comes later.
• Reinforce weak points, such as a split jamb or a short-screwed strike plate, when the frame allows it.
• Rekey or replace locks if keys may have been taken.

What can't an emergency locksmith fix?

Being honest about limits saves people time. These are the cases where we are not the right call, or not the whole answer.

And if your situation is not urgent, such as a stiff lock that still works, scheduling a regular daytime visit is usually the more economical route.

• A car that will not start with the key in hand. A dead battery or mechanical fault is a roadside or mechanic problem, not a lock problem.
• Vehicles whose keys can only be produced by the dealer. We confirm by VIN and tell you.
• Structural damage such as broken glass, splintered doors, or rotted frames. That needs a glazier or carpenter, though we can secure the opening in the meantime.
• Property that is not yours to open. If we cannot reasonably confirm you have the right to enter, we will not open it, and a tenant locked out of a rental may need to start with the landlord or property manager.
• A key broken in the lock is within our scope, but it is its own careful task. When we extract and when we replace the cylinder is covered on our broken key extraction page.

What affects the cost of an emergency lockout service?

We do not put numbers on this page, because honest pricing depends on the job in front of us. These are the factors that move the cost.

Be careful with any quote that sounds unusually low on the phone and grows once someone is at your door. Ask what the quote includes before anyone is dispatched. We explain how this works in more detail on our pricing page.

• The hour and day. Late-night, weekend, and holiday calls take a technician away from rest and are priced with that in mind.
• Distance. A van traveling farther across two counties spends more time getting to you.
• The lock itself. A standard deadbolt and a hardened, high-security cylinder are very different amounts of work.
• The method. A clean pick or latch release is less work than a drill-out followed by a replacement cylinder.
• Parts. New cylinders, strike plates, and hardware vary by grade and brand.
• Keys. Cutting a house key is different from cutting and programming a vehicle key.
• Scope. One door or several, and whether there is damage to repair.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for an emergency?

Wilshire Lock & Key has been in business since 1987. We have a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, Los Angeles, and mobile vans that go to the customer. Both matter. The storefront is a real address with real stock and a place to bring a key to be cut. The vans mean the work happens where the problem is.

We are one company. The people who answer the phone and the people who arrive at your door are part of the same operation, with no dispatch middleman adding a layer between you and the work. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees how we do it.

One more thing worth knowing: California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, known as a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith who shows up for that license number, and check it with the state. A legitimate company will not mind.

Where do we provide emergency locksmith service?

We serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The full list is on our locations page, where you can find your city. If you want details written for a specific place, we have separate pages for cities such as Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Pasadena.

This page is about the craft, and it applies wherever we work. Whether you are at a house, an apartment, an office, or a parked car, the process described above is the same. If you are not sure we cover your area, call (213) 577-1366 and ask.

Emergency Locksmith near you

• Los Angeles
• Beverly Hills
• Santa Monica
• Culver City
• West Hollywood
• Sherman Oaks
• Marina del Rey
• Ladera Heights
• Encino
• Inglewood
• Studio City
• View Park–Windsor Hills
• Van Nuys
• Lake Balboa
• All service areas

Related services

• 24 Hour Locksmith
• Mobile Locksmith
• House Lockout
• Apartment Lockout
• Car Lockout
• Business Lockout