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Crenshaw Lock

Master Key System in Los Angeles · 24/7 mobile

Master Key System Design and Installation in Los Angeles

Crenshaw Lock Company designs and installs master key systems and restricted-key systems for Los Angeles apartment buildings, offices, retail centers, churches, and mixed-use properties. We're a fully mobile locksmith available 24/7, so all the work happens at your property. Call (323) 997-8867 to talk through your building's doors, users, and key control needs.

  • Mobile to your Los Angeles location
  • Available 24/7
  • Price quoted before we start
Call (323) 997-8867or tap to call — we answer 24/7
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A master key system lets the right people open the right doors and keeps everyone else out. In Los Angeles that can be hard to plan. One owner may hold a 1920s courtyard apartment in West Adams with original mortise locks, a dingbat fourplex in Koreatown, and a storefront on Crenshaw Blvd. A property manager may be handing keys to tenants, cleaners, contractors, and maintenance staff who change every few months. Without a plan, these properties end up with a ring of thirty unrelated keys, or one key that opens everything and has been copied at a hardware counter more times than anyone knows.

We've been serving Greater Los Angeles since 1987, and owner and lead tech David Shar has worked on just about every era of building in this city. We start by mapping who needs access to what. Then we build a key hierarchy around it: change keys for individual units or offices, sub-masters for departments or floors, a master for management, and a grand master where the property calls for one. When copies are a real risk, we put the system on a restricted keyway so keys can't be duplicated without authorization.

We're fully mobile and have no storefront. We come to your building, survey the doors in person, pin the cylinders, and cut keys on site. If a lock fails or a key goes missing at an odd hour, we're available around the clock.

How it works in Los Angeles

  1. 1

    Walk-through and access mapping

    We visit the property and go door by door: unit entries, common-area doors, laundry rooms, mailrooms, gates, utility closets, and offices. We record each lock's brand, type, and condition. On older Los Angeles buildings that often includes original mortise locks and interior doors that still take skeleton keys. Then we ask who actually needs to open each door, so the system reflects how the building really runs and not just how it looks on paper.

  2. 2

    Designing the key hierarchy

    From that map we lay out the levels: individual change keys, sub-master groups such as a single floor, a commercial wing, or maintenance-only rooms, and a master or grand master at the top. We keep the design as simple as the property allows, because every added level means more pinning combinations and a little less security. You get a written key schedule showing what each key opens.

  3. 3

    Choosing hardware and keyway

    We look at whether your existing locks can be re-pinned into the system or whether some should be replaced. Worn original mortise bodies and loose builder-grade knobs are common candidates for replacement. If unauthorized copies are a concern, we recommend a restricted keyway, where blanks are controlled and duplication requires authorization. We explain the trade-offs plainly and you decide how far to go.

  4. 4

    On-site pinning and installation

    Because we're mobile, the cylinders are pinned and installed at your property. We schedule the work so tenants and businesses aren't left without access, often working one section at a time. We test every key against every lock it should open and every lock it shouldn't.

  5. 5

    Key issuance and key control records

    We stamp keys with control codes, not unit numbers, and help you set up a simple record of who holds which key. If a key is lost or a staff member leaves, that record tells you exactly which cylinders need attention, so you don't have to rekey the whole building.

  6. 6

    Ongoing changes and emergencies

    Buildings change. Tenants move out, a suite gets split, or a master key disappears. Because the system was designed with room to expand, we can usually rekey just the affected cylinders and keep the rest of the system intact. We're available 24/7 if something can't wait.

Need master key system in Los Angeles?

24/7 Mobile Locksmith across Greater Los Angeles & Ventura County. We answer 24/7.

Call (323) 997-8867

What affects the price

  • How many doors and cylinders the system covers, and how many levels the hierarchy needs (change keys, sub-masters, master, grand master)
  • Whether existing locks can be re-pinned or need to be replaced, which is common with worn 1920s mortise locks or mismatched hardware from past repairs
  • Choosing a standard keyway versus a restricted or patented keyway with controlled key blanks
  • The number of keys to be cut, stamped, and logged for tenants, staff, and management
  • Specialty hardware such as gate locks, mailroom and laundry doors, storefront cylinders, or commercial-grade deadbolts
  • Scheduling needs, such as phased installation in occupied buildings or after-hours work for businesses that can't close

Why Los Angeles chooses us

  • Serving Greater Los Angeles and Ventura County since 1987, with owner David Shar personally involved in system design
  • Fully mobile: surveys, pinning, installation, and key cutting all happen at your property
  • Comfortable with older LA hardware, including original mortise locks, period doors, and wrought-iron security gates, as well as modern commercial locks
  • Written key schedules and key-control records, so you know who can open what
  • Restricted-keyway options for owners who need to stop unauthorized duplication
  • Available 24/7 for lost master keys, lockouts, and urgent rekeys after a tenant or employee leaves

Master Key System across Los Angeles

Our home base is in the 90008 area, near Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and Leimert Park Village, so a lot of our master key work is right here. That includes courtyard apartments and Craftsman duplexes off Crenshaw Blvd, small commercial strips along Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, and churches and community buildings in Leimert Park that hand keys to volunteers and staff. Many of these buildings still have original 1920s and 1930s mortise locks. Some can be re-pinned into a system, and others are worn past the point of being reliable. We'll tell you honestly which is which.

In West Adams (90018) and around Exposition Park and USC (90007, 90037), we often work on older multi-unit homes converted into rentals or student housing. Turnover there is high, and keys get copied without anyone knowing. A restricted keyway with a clear key schedule makes a real difference. In Koreatown (90006, 90019) and Hollywood (90027, 90046), we see dense mid-century and dingbat apartments, mixed-use buildings with street-level retail, and offices that need tenants, managers, and cleaning crews all working from one coordinated system.

We also serve Downtown (90012) near Union Station and Walt Disney Concert Hall, Baldwin Hills and View Park-Windsor Hills (90043, 90056), and the neighborhoods along I-10, I-110, La Brea Ave, and Slauson Ave. Because we're mobile, we come to you and work around your tenants and business hours.

Locked out or need a locksmith now?

24/7 Mobile Locksmith across Greater Los Angeles & Ventura County. We answer 24/7.

Call (323) 997-8867

Other Los Angeles locksmith services

See all of our Los Angeles services, or our citywide master key system page.

Master Key System in Los Angeles — FAQs

Can you build a master key system using the locks my Los Angeles building already has?
Often, yes. Many existing cylinders can be re-pinned into a master system. Some can't. Original 1920s mortise locks that are badly worn, or mismatched hardware from years of piecemeal repairs, may need replacing. We'll assess every door on site and explain your options. Call (323) 997-8867 to schedule a walk-through.
What's the difference between a master key system and a restricted-key system?
A master key system sets up who opens what: each tenant's key opens only their unit, while a manager's key opens several units or all of them. A restricted-key system adds control over copies. The key blanks are controlled, so duplicates require authorization. Many Los Angeles rental and commercial properties combine the two.
What happens if someone loses the master key?
Don't wait on this. A lost master key compromises every door it opens. We can rekey the affected cylinders and issue new keys, and a well-designed system limits how much has to change. We're available 24/7 at (323) 997-8867.
Do I have to close my business or disturb tenants while you install?
Usually not. We're fully mobile and work on site, often one section or floor at a time, so access is never cut off. For storefronts and offices we can schedule after hours.
Do you have a shop where I can drop off locks or pick up keys?
No. We're mobile only and don't have a storefront. We come to your property anywhere in Los Angeles, from Leimert Park and Baldwin Hills to Koreatown, Hollywood, and Downtown, and do the pinning and key cutting there.
How much does a master key system cost?
It depends on the number of doors, how many levels the hierarchy needs, whether locks are re-pinned or replaced, and whether you choose a restricted keyway. After we see the property, we'll give you a clear quote before any work starts. Call (323) 997-8867 to set up a visit.
Can a master key system include gates and security doors?
In many cases, yes. Pedestrian gates, laundry rooms, mailrooms, and some security doors can be keyed into the system if the hardware accepts a compatible cylinder. Wrought-iron screen doors and gates are common across South LA, and we'll check what each one can take.
Is a master key system worth it for a small duplex or fourplex?
Often, yes. Even a small building benefits when the owner carries one key and each tenant's key works only on their own unit and the shared doors they need. Turnover also gets simpler, because you rekey a single unit and leave the rest of the system alone.
DS

Reviewed by David Shar — Owner & Lead Technician

Crenshaw Lock Company has served Greater Los Angeles & Ventura County since 1987.

Last updated 2026-10-12.

Call (323) 997-8867 · Open 24/7