Locked out help
Locked out of your house, car or shop? We drive to you across St. Lucie County, Martin County and Melbourne, quote the full price before we head out, and open the door without damage whenever the lock allows it.
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Quick answer
For lockout service in Port St. Lucie, call Tradition Locksmith at [PHONE] and tell us where you are and what is locked. We give you the total price on that call, show ID when we arrive, check that the property is yours, and pick or bypass the lock before anything else. If a child or pet is inside a hot car, call 911 first.
Lock and car brands we work on
Do not wait for a locksmith. NHTSA says to call 911 right away if you see a child alone in a locked car, and to get a child in heat distress out and cooled as fast as possible. Florida law lets an officer who finds a child in danger do what it takes to get that child out. Call us after help is on the way.
Our lockout service in Port St. Lucie is simple: you call, we quote, we drive to you, we check the property is yours, and we open the door. We handle front doors, garage entry doors and sliders, car doors and trunks, and storefront and office doors from Port St. Lucie down to Stuart and up to Melbourne.
We are mobile, so the van carries picks, bypass tools and car entry tools, plus parts to rekey or replace a lock once you are back inside.
The price you hear on the phone is the price for the job you described. If we find something different at the door, like a broken lock or a car model we did not expect, we tell you before we touch anything and you decide.
Locked out? Call first. You get the total price before we drive.
If a child, an older adult or a pet is stuck inside and could be in danger, call 911 before anyone else. A stove left on or a running engine also counts.
Try the back door, the garage keypad and the patio slider. For a car, try every door and the trunk. Do not break glass or climb through a window.
A family member, a neighbor, your landlord or your property manager may have a key. If you live in a gated community, have the gate code ready or tell the gatehouse a locksmith is coming.
Find your photo ID. If it is inside, look on your phone for something that ties you to the address or the car. We check proof before we open anything.
Tell us the address, the kind of door or the car make, model and year, or send the details through our quote form. Note the company name you hear when the phone is answered.
A closed car heats up much faster than most people expect. AVMA figures show the inside of a car can climb almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit in 10 minutes and almost 30 degrees in 20 minutes. On a 70 degree day, that means about 89 degrees after 10 minutes and 99 after 20. Cracking the windows does very little. Port St. Lucie summers average highs in the low 90s.
Children are at much higher risk than adults. NHTSA says a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s. Heatstroke begins at a core temperature of about 104 degrees, and 107 can be fatal.
Florida law speaks to this directly. Under Statute 316.6135, a child younger than 6 may not be left unattended in a car for more than 15 minutes, and not for any time at all if the motor is running or the child seems to be in distress. An officer who sees this may use whatever means are reasonably necessary to get the child out.
Statute 768.139 also protects a bystander from civil liability for breaking into a car to save a child or a pet, but only if all of these are true. The car is locked with no other way out. You believe in good faith the person or animal is in imminent danger. You make sure 911 is called before you go in or right after. You use no more force than needed. And you stay with them nearby until police or another first responder arrives. Calling a locksmith is not on that list. Calling 911 is.
Each kind of lockout needs different tools and a different kind of proof.
Knob locks, deadbolts, keypad deadbolts, and the door from the garage. Picking comes first, and a drill only comes out with your OK.
Keys in the ignition, on the seat or in the trunk. Most makes and models are fine. German brands are the exception: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche and Mini are outside what we service.
Offices, shops, warehouses and suites, including commercial deadbolts and some panic bar doors. We need an owner or a manager who is allowed to approve entry.
If the car keys are gone for good, opening the door is only step one. We can cut and program a replacement key for most vehicles.
We start with picking. A small tension tool turns the lock’s plug slightly while a pick lifts each pin to the right height. Many standard home locks open this way and work exactly as before once we are done. Some better locks use security pins shaped like spools or mushrooms, which are built to fool a pick, so they take more time.
If picking is not the right fit, there are bypass methods that open the latch or the bolt without going through the key cylinder at all. Drilling is the last step. We only do it when nothing else works, and only after you say yes. If a lock has to be drilled, we can fit a new one the same visit.
Cars are different. The old slim jim trick does not suit many modern doors. Many newer cars have barrier blocks at the bottom of the window and shields over the lock rods. In unskilled hands, a slim jim can knock a lock rod loose and leave the door unable to open even with the key. We use car opening tools designed to work without harming the paint, seals or wiring.
Call and we will quote the total before we drive out. Sun to Thu 7am to 11pm, Fri 7am to 5pm.
We are open Sunday to Thursday from 7am to 11pm and Friday from 7am to 5pm. We are closed on Saturday. That means early mornings and late evenings, 6 days a week, but not all night and not on Saturdays. Better you know that now than wait on a call back.
If you get locked out while we are closed, here is what we suggest.
Typical ranges for lockouts in our service area. Your exact total is quoted on the phone before we drive out.
| Job | Typical range | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Home lockout | $90 to $150 | Opening one locked door at a house, condo or apartment |
| Car lockout | $75 to $140 | Opening a car or truck door or trunk, keys inside |
| Business lockout | $110 to $195 | Opening an office, shop or suite door |
These are typical ranges, not a final bill. Your exact total is quoted on the phone before we drive out. More detail is on our pricing page.
Scam operators target people who are stressed and stuck outside. These checks come from FTC, Better Business Bureau and state consumer agency advice.
Florida has no state locksmith license, so there is no state number to look up. Statute 163.211 gives occupational licensing to the state and stops counties and cities from creating their own, and Miami-Dade stopped licensing locksmiths on July 1, 2025. Here in St. Lucie and Martin counties, a locksmith needs a general Business Tax Receipt like any other local business.
So your best checks are the ones above: a real business name, a firm price on the phone, a marked vehicle, ID at the door, and a written invoice. The FTC suggests picking a locksmith before you need one and saving the number in your phone. Our guide to spotting a fake locksmith goes into more detail.
If your keys were lost or stolen, rather than just locked inside, think about rekeying before you go to bed. Anyone who finds a key ring with a car fob or a piece of mail on it may know where it goes. We can rekey the locks on the same visit so the missing keys stop working.
Seasonal residents coming back after months away sometimes find a key that will not turn at all. Salt air and humidity can seize an outdoor lock that has not been used. That is a lockout too, and we can usually free or replace the cylinder while we are there.
Other services
Other locksmith services from the same team, with the same rule: total price on the phone first.
Deadbolts, knobs, sliders and storm doors fitted and repaired at your home.
New pins so old keys stop working, or new hardware when the lock is worn out.
Keypad and Wi-Fi deadbolts fitted, aligned and set up with your codes.
Remote head keys, flip keys and push to start fobs, programmed on site.
Storefront and office locks, closers, panic bars and staff change rekeys.
Master key systems, keypads and fob readers for offices and rentals.
FAQ
Most of the time, yes. We start by picking the lock or using a bypass method, and in most cases the lock works normally afterward. Some high-security or badly worn locks will not give way like that. If the only way in is to drill, you make that call, and we can put in a new lock before we leave.
No. We are open Sunday to Thursday from 7am to 11pm, Friday from 7am to 5pm, and we are closed Saturday. If you are locked out when we are closed, call 911 if anyone is in danger. Otherwise try your auto insurance roadside plan for a car, or your landlord for a rental, or call us when we open at 7am.
Call 911 first. The inside of a car can rise almost 20 degrees in 10 minutes, and cracking a window barely helps. A locksmith may be across town, while 911 can send whoever is closest. Florida protects a bystander who breaks in to save a pet only if 911 is called and the other conditions in the law are met. Call us once help is on the way.
We open most makes and models of cars and trucks. The exception is German brands, so a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche or Mini is not one we take. For those, your dealer or your roadside plan is the better call. Tell us the make, model and year when you call so we can confirm before anyone drives out.
Tell us on the phone so we can plan for it. Often a document on your phone, like an emailed lease, a utility account or your insurance card, is enough. A landlord or property manager can also confirm that you live there. The check always comes before the door opens. If nothing ties you to the place, we cannot open it.
A car lockout is a typical range of $75 to $140. Your exact total is quoted on the phone before we drive out, based on the make, model and year and where the car is parked. If the keys are lost rather than locked inside, you will also need a new key cut and programmed, and we quote that on the same call.
Do not let the work start. FTC advice says if the price on arrival does not match the phone estimate, you should stop there. Do not sign a blank form, ask for an itemized invoice, and pay by card if you can. If anyone threatens you or charges just for showing up, call the police.
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Ready when you are
Tell us what happened and where you are in Port St. Lucie and the Treasure Coast. You get the total price on the phone before anyone drives out.
