Commercial
Master key systems: the right keys for the right doors
Each person gets a key for the doors they need, and managers get a key for more. We set it up and keep it in order.
Where
South-eastern Pennsylvania
What we cover
Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Lancaster County and Philadelphia
How we work
We are a mobile locksmith. We come to you.
What this covers
A master key system lets different people carry different keys for the same building. Each staff member's key opens only the doors they need, a manager's key opens a group of doors, and the owner's key opens all of them. It replaces a ring of separate keys with one key per person, and it gives you control over who can open what.
How we approach it
A master key system starts from a map of the building: every lock, the doors each person or role needs, and the areas that should stay restricted. From that map, each lock is set up to work with the right keys, and each key should open its own doors and none of the others. Keep a written record of which key opens which doors.
Where it stops
A master key system is mechanical: locks and keys. It does not include electronic systems, and it does not replace good key control, because keys handed out without a record soon undo its value. When a key goes missing, the cylinders it opened can be changed without touching the rest of the building, which is one of the main reasons to have one.
What master key systems covers
Set up a master key system for a building, key each lock to the right level, change cylinders when a key goes missing.
Worth knowing
The record is the most important part of a master key system. Keep a list of every key, its number, the doors it opens and who holds it, and update it every time a key is issued or returned. Without that list, a master key system slowly turns back into a pile of unknown keys, which is the problem it was meant to solve.
Plan for growth. A system set up for today's doors should leave room for the rooms and people you may add. Adding a new office or a new level of access later is simpler when the system was planned with room to spare, so mention planned changes before the locks are set up.
Control who can copy keys. Keys in a master key system should be issued by you, not copied by whoever holds one. Collect keys on an employee's last day, as part of the same checklist as passwords and equipment, and if a key cannot be accounted for, change the cylinders it opened rather than hoping it turns up.
Master Key Systems: questions before you call
I run a small office with front, stockroom, and manager doors. What decides how many key levels we need?
The key levels come from who needs to open which doors. We map the access around real jobs, not around the number of keys you have now. For example, a manager key might open the front and stockroom doors but not the records room. Tell us which staff roles need which doors, and which doors must stay separate.
I lost one grand master key at my clinic. What should I tell you on the phone before you plan the change?
Tell us exactly which doors that missing key opened, whether it was your top level key, and whether any copies could still be out. A grand master key can reach across several groups of doors, so that changes the scope. If one exam room key is missing, that is different from one key that also opens the drug cabinet door.
Before you set up a master key system for our warehouse, what should I have ready about each door?
Have a simple door list ready with a name for each opening and what lock is on it. We need clear labels so the plan matches the building. A note like rear hall, lever lock, or shipping office, deadlatch on storefront door gives us something concrete to work from when we assign key access.
Our building has a mix of knob locks and mortise locks. How does the hardware change the master key job?
The hardware changes which cylinders can be keyed together and what has to be changed at each door. A mortise lock, a rim cylinder on a narrow frame door, and a bored cylindrical lock do not all take the same parts. Tell us what each opening has now, and if any door has two keyed cylinders, such as a front door with a separate deadbolt.
I only need one former employee's key blocked at our side entrance. How is that different from a full master key setup?
That is a cylinder change for selected doors, not the same as building a full key hierarchy. In a master key system, we set up several levels of access across multiple locks. If your issue is one former employee and one side entrance, tell us whether that key also opened any other rooms, such as the break room or supply closet.
