A shop owner's lock problem is usually about control. Who can get through which door, and how fast can that change when someone quits? Rekeys, master key systems and, increasingly, keypads and access control are how it gets handled.
The cuts on a key line up a row of tiny pins. Swap the pins and the old key is just metal. Photo: Derek Nelson / Unsplash
What businesses call about
A manager or a subtenant leaves, and the keys don't all come back.
A master key setup: the owner opens every door, staff open only theirs.
Restricted keyways that a hardware store can't copy without a signed card.
Panic bars and closers on required exits.
Keypads or card readers on the alley door so deliveries stop needing a key.
The burglary numbers
The Denver Police Department reported 4,298 burglaries in 2025, a rate of 586 per 100,000 residents next to 195 for the country (FBI Crime Data Explorer). That count mixes homes and businesses.
Denver burglary rate next to the national rate, by year
Denver Police DepartmentUnited States
Counts reported by the Denver Police Department (ORI CODPD0000) to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, shown per 100,000 city residents. A year appears only if DPD reported every month of it.
What a commercial quote should list
Past a straightforward rekey, ask for the quote in writing, with each piece of hardware named by brand and ANSI grade, and a key schedule that says who gets which key. Electric strikes and access control involve wiring, which may count as electrical work; ask who will run the wire and whether the job needs a permit.
What Denver callers ask about this
How often should a business rekey?
Every time a key leaves on bad terms or goes missing, and every time you move into a new space. A restricted keyway cuts down how often that comes up.
