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    Safe Locksmith Choices

    Certified, Bonded, Insured

    A safe locksmith expert is a must if you have a high quality gun safe. If you forget your combination or safe locksmith recommendationssomething breaks, the last thing you want is a locksmith who specializes in installing deadbolts fumbling around your $5,000 Fort Knox gun safe.

    But, who you gonna call? How do you know who is good and who isn’t? Not all locksmiths are created equal.

    Some Basic Criteria:

    1. Are they Bonded, Licensed and Insured?
    2. Do they belong to any professional associations?
    3. Do they belong to the Better Business Bureau?
    4. What type of training and experience do they have?
    5. Do they have any safe certifications such as:
      1. Certified Professional SafeTech
      2. Certified Master SafeTech

    Failure to satisfy one or more of these criteria is not fatal to choosing a locksmith, but it does get you started in choosing the right safe locksmith for you.

    Are you a Locksmith?

    Interested in being listed in this locksmith directory? Click here to learn more.

    Locksmiths by City

    Here are the TOP 100 U.S. cities (by population). If you do not see your city or think I should add another one, please drop me a note and I will work to get you listed.

    I know it may have been easier to put in alphabetical order, but I thought it was cool to see how the cities compared by size.

    New York City Denver Bakersfield St. Petersburg
    Los Angeles Louisville New Orleans Chula Vista
    Chicago Milwaukee Honolulu Norfolk
    Houston Portland, OR Anaheim Orlando
    Philadelphia Las Vegas Tampa Chandler
    Phoenix Oklah. City Aurora Laredo
    San Antonio Albuquerque Santa Ana Madison
    San Diego Tuscon St. Louis Winston Salem
    Dallas Fresno Pittsburgh Lubbock
    San Jose Sacramento Corpus Christi Baton Rouge
    Jacksonville Long Beach Riverside Durham
    Indianapolis Kansas City Cinncinnati Garland
    San Francisco Mesa Lexington Glendale
    Austin Virginia Beach Anchorage Reno
    Columbus Atlanta Stockton Hialeah
    Fort Worth Colo. Springs Toledo Chesapeake
    Charlotte Omaha St. Paul Scottsdale
    Detroit Raleigh Newark N. Las Vegas
    El Paso Miami Greensboro Irving
    Memphis Cleveland Buffalo Fremont
    Baltimore Tulsa Plano Irvine
    Boston Oakland Lincoln Birmingham
    Seattle Minneapolis Henderson Rochester
    Washington D.C. Wichita Ft. Wayne San Bernadino
    Nashville Arlington Jersey City Spokane

    Other Cities: Rockville

    Locksmiths by State

    Alabama Louisiana North Dakota
    Alaska Maine Ohio
    Arizona Maryland Oklahoma
    Arkansas Massachusetts Oregon
    California Michigan Pennsylvania
    Colorado Minnesota South Dakota
    Conneticut Mississippi Tennessee
    Delaware Missouri Texas
    Florida Montana Utah
    Georgia Nebraska Vermont
    Hawaii Nevada Virginia
    Idaho New Hampshire Washington
    Illinois New Jersy West Virginia
    Indiana New Mexico Wisconsin
    Iowa New York Wyoming
    Kansas North Carolina
    Puerto Rico U.S. Territories

    Safe Locksmith International

    f you or someone you know is qualified to work on safes in a foreign country, please drop me a note and I will work to get you listed.

    1. United Kingdom Locksmiths
    2. Vancouver Locksmiths

    Safe Locksmith Certification

    The two main safe locksmith certification programs are offered by the Associated Locksmiths of America, Inc.(ALOA) and the Safe and Vault Technicians Association (SAVTA). These two national trade associations worked together to formulate the following certifications:

    1. Certified Professional SafeTech(CPS)
    2. Certified Master SafeTech (CMST)

    As highlighted above, just because a locksmith does not have one of these designations, does not mean they are incompetent to work on your gun safe. Maybe they have tremendous in house experience. Or, maybe they have received specialized training from one or more safe manufacturers.

    When interviewing safe locksmith, if they do not have one of these certifications, ask them what makes them competent to work on your safe. Ask them to be specific. How many gun safes do you work on in any given month? What brands? What type of work? You get the picture.

    For a list of all ALOA locksmith designations and the respective qualifications requirements, click here.

    Let’s take a look at an overview of the certification requirements so you can understand what goes into being a “safe expert.”

    Certified Professional SafeTech(CPS)

    This is the place you start. You cannot become a Master Safe Tech without first obtaining the CPS designation. A CPS must demonstrate expertise in at least 17 safe technology subjects. Here is a partial list of possible expertise areas.

    Lock Identification Basic Safe and Lock Construction
    UL Standards For Safes Safe Installation
    Vault and Safe Locks GSA Equipment
    SMNA & JIS Ratings Safe and Vault Door
    Tools and Their Usage Adjustments/Alignment
    Safe Lock Servicing and Changing Safe Drilling/Penetration
    Troubleshooting and Dialing Diagnostics Post-Penetration Repairs
    Theory of Manipulation Safe Deposit Locks
    Safe Lock Installation Key-Operated Safe Locks
    Safe-Related Electronics

    Proficiency in the above is tested on a 325 question exam where a 70% (or better) score must be achieved.

    Certified Master Safe Technician (CMST)

    This certification is the PHD of safe techs. To obtain this designation a candidate must have first obtain the CPS designation. Like the CPS, the CMST must show advanced knowledge in a variety of safe technology subjects.

    In addition to the above 19 areas, advanced knowledge must also be demonstrated in the following areas of expertise:

    Advanced Dialing Diagnostics High-Security Safe Construction
    Manipulation Safe Penetration
    Uncommon Safes & Locks Advanced Borescope Techniques
    Advanced Safe Deposit Locks Composite & High-Security Safe Repair
    Time Locks Vaults & Vault Doors
    Night Depositories

    Proficiency in the above is tested on a 267 question CMS exam (70% or greater score).

    When you see a list of the subject matter required to pass these exams, it really makes you stop and appreciate the level of knowledge that goes into these designations.

    Obviously, through extensive industry experience, one could obtain this knowledge as well, without taking the exam. Just make sure you ask your prospective safe locksmith how their skills and experience compare.

    Society of Professional Locksmiths

    society of professional locksmithsThe Society of Professional Locksmiths is an organization of certified professional locksmiths that provides online training, testing, live webinars, certifications and a industry magazine. They have a FREE Locksmith Training Program available and a valuable newsletter. Check them out if you were ever curious about locksmithing.

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